Resources - News

This section includes the latest news relating to U.S. security policy around the world. Updated daily, the news provided in this searchable database highlights the most relevant security developments from around the world. 

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Al-Shabab: One Terror Group, Many Brands

Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Without abandoning its Somali origins, Al-Shabaab tailored its tactics to appeal to local jihadists across East Africa. Its strategy of selective extremism means al-Shabaab looks and acts very different on different sides of the Somali border.English
Country(s): 
East Africa Regional
Author(s): 
Gregory Warner
Publisher / Source: 
NPR
Tag(s): 
Conflict

The Garissa Massacre Shows Us It’s Time to Abandon the War On Terror

Wednesday, April 8, 2015
A continuation of the highly discredited, top-down, ‘War-on-Terror’ approach will only exacerbate problems in Kenya and needs to be replaced by a more nuanced, locally-based, non-sectarian understanding.English
Country(s): 
Kenya
Author(s): 
Caroline Hellyer
Publisher / Source: 
Quartz
Tag(s): 
Conflict
Terrorism

Somaliland: Losing Patience In the World’s Most Unlikely Democracy

Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Somaliland should not exist. It’s anomalous in every respect: An island of stability in a sea of chaos; a democracy surrounded by authoritarian regimes; a real nation forged in spite of civil war, clan divisions, and religious tensions – all the usual rocks upon which developmental states wreck. So what makes it work? And why will no one give it the recognition it craves?English
Country(s): 
Somalia
Author(s): 
Simon Allison
Publisher / Source: 
Daily Maverick
Tag(s): 
Governance
Security

Searching for Mexico’s Disappeared

Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Over the past nine years, more than 20,000 people have vanished, according to government statistics. Most, analysts say, have been kidnapped or murdered by drug traffickers or "disappeared" by corrupt members of Mexican law enforcement. English
Country(s): 
Mexico
Author(s): 
Jan-Albert Hootsen
Publisher / Source: 
Newsweek
Tag(s): 
Human Rights

Ebola: Media ‘Overlooked Africa's Role In Combating Crisis’

Wednesday, April 8, 2015
African Union says media downplayed Africans’ willingness and ability to deal with Ebola and focused instead on part played by international agenciesEnglish
Country(s): 
West Africa Regional
Author(s): 
Sam Jones
Publisher / Source: 
The Guardian

Panama's President an Unlikely Champion for Clean Government

Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Panamanians, who since Gen. Manuel Noriega's dictatorship have grown accustomed to seeing elected officials raid government coffers, have been cheering the new emphasis on probity. They have rewarded Varela with a 60 percent approval rating — the highest of any head of state in Latin America and almost double the level of support he got in narrowly winning the presidency.English
Country(s): 
Panama
Publisher / Source: 
The New York Times
Wire Service: 
The Associated Press
Tag(s): 
Corruption

White House Seeks to Soothe Relations With Venezuela

Wednesday, April 8, 2015
A White House official said Tuesday that Venezuela was not a threat to the national security of the United States, backing off language in an executive order that had inflamed relations with the South American nation and drawn criticism from other countries in the region.English
Country(s): 
Venezuela
Author(s): 
Wiliam Neuman
Publisher / Source: 
The New York Times
Tag(s): 
Security
Sanctions
U.S. Policy

NORAD Head: Russian Bombers Send a Message

Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Russia is using its long-range bomber fleet to send a message to the US, and the general charged with protecting the homeland says those flights will continue, or even expand, in the coming months. Adm. Bill Gortney said the flights by long-range Russian bombers are "messaging" for the US, a reminder that there is another nation capable of power projection.English
Country(s): 
Russia
Central Asia Regional
Author(s): 
Aaron Mehta
Publisher / Source: 
Defense News
Tag(s): 
Military
Militarization

U.S. Promises to Beef Up Defense Aid to Persian Gulf Allies

Wednesday, April 8, 2015
Obama administration officials are promising a major strengthening of U.S. defense commitments to Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf allies, possibly including a nuclear commitment to their security, in an intensifying effort to win their support for the proposed nuclear deal with Iran.English
Country(s): 
Middle East and North Africa Regional
Author(s): 
Paul Richter
Alexandra Zavis
Publisher / Source: 
The Los Angeles Times
Tag(s): 
Foreign Policy
Security

Shabab Militants Learning to Kill on a Shoestring

Tuesday, April 7, 2015
The Shabab militants, based in Somalia, operate on a shoestring budget. But as the attack on a Kenyan university last week showed, they have become proficient in something terrible: mass murder on the cheap.English
Country(s): 
East Africa Regional
Author(s): 
Jeffrey Gettleman
Publisher / Source: 
The New York Times
Tag(s): 
Terrorism
Terrorism

Does Nuclear Deal Presage A New Era For Iran-Central Asia Relations

Tuesday, April 7, 2015
A trade route through Iran, westward toward Europe or south to the Persian Gulf States, changes the dynamics of trade for Central Asia and would also give the five countries a bit more leverage at the bargaining table with their "giant" neighbors.English
Country(s): 
Central Asia Regional
Publisher / Source: 
Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty

Analysis: Why Does Kenya’s Counter-Terrorism Strategy Keep Failing?

Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Terrorism does not happen in a vacuum, and Kenya urgently needs to review its counter-terrorism strategy. Not to prevent the next attack, but to start dealing with the roots of the problem rather than its manifestations.English
Country(s): 
Kenya
Author(s): 
Simon Allison
Publisher / Source: 
Daily Maverick
Tag(s): 
Counterterrorism
Terrorism

Armenian Troops Depart for Training in Europe

Tuesday, April 7, 2015
The joint Armenian-U.S. exercise is underwritten by a Memorandum of Understanding between the Armenian Ministry of Defense and the U.S. Army in Europe.English
Country(s): 
Armenia
Publisher / Source: 
Panorama (Armenia)
Tag(s): 
Military and Police Aid

Russia to Raise its Troops Number in Tajikistan

Tuesday, April 7, 2015
The number of troops deployed at Russia’s 201st military base in Tajikistan will be increased 1.5-fold during the next five years. The 201st military base is considered Russia’s largest military contingent in Central Asia and one of the strongest military units in the region.English
Country(s): 
Tajikistan
Author(s): 
Sara Rajabova
Publisher / Source: 
Azernews
Tag(s): 
Military and Police Aid

Humanitarian Crisis Deepens in Embattled Yemen City

Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Yemeni civilians trapped by battles between Houthi rebels and Saudi-backed fighters in the southern port city of Aden are quickly running out of clean water and food supplies, residents warned on Monday.
Country(s): 
Yemen
Author(s): 
Maria Abi-Habib
Publisher / Source: 
The Wall Street Journal
Tag(s): 
Foreign Aid

UN Official: State of Syrian Refugee Camp ‘Beyond Inhumane’

Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Palestinian fighters clashed with Islamic State militants in a heavily contested Palestinian refugee camp in the Syrian capital on Monday as a United Nations official described the situation in the embattled camp as “beyond inhumane.”
Country(s): 
Syria
Author(s): 
Bassem Mroue
Publisher / Source: 
The Washington Post
Wire Service: 
The Associated Press
Tag(s): 
Refugees

U.S. to Defend GCC Against Any Iranian Threat

Tuesday, April 7, 2015
The United States will defend GCC states against any potential threat from Iran, an advisor to President Barack Obama told Al Arabiya News Channel, adding that GCC security has been the guiding principle for U.S. policy in the region.
Country(s): 
Middle East and North Africa Regional
Publisher / Source: 
Al Arabiya News
Tag(s): 
Military

Yes, We Were Warned About Ebola

Tuesday, April 7, 2015
The conventional wisdom among public health authorities is that the Ebola virus, which killed at least 10,000 people in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, was a new phenomenon, not seen in West Africa before 2013. An article by European researchers in Annals of Virology states otherwise. English
Country(s): 
West Africa Regional
Author(s): 
Bernice Dahn
Vera Mussah
Cameron Nutt
Publisher / Source: 
The New York Times

Arms Won’t Keep U.S., Egypt From Drifting Apart

Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Despite Egypt's new U.S.-acquired jets, tanks and missiles, the Washington-Cairo relationship is running on fumes.
Country(s): 
Egypt
Author(s): 
Steven Cook
Publisher / Source: 
Defense One
Tag(s): 
Military and Police Aid

A Proper Response to the Massacre at Kenya’s Garissa University College

Tuesday, April 7, 2015
Kenyan government has been responding to the terrorist threat with an ineffective and counterproductive counterterrorism approach that is pushing Kenya closer to a precipice. The United States, a key contributor of security assistance to Kenya, can play an important role in helping to ensure that Kenya does not go over the edge.English
Country(s): 
Kenya
Author(s): 
Jonathan Horowitz
Publisher / Source: 
Just Security
Tag(s): 
Counterterrorism

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