American Security Council Foundation (ASCF)

FEATURED NEWS POST

US Defense Secretary in Afghanistan

By VOA NEWS September 2, 2010 @ 7:40am

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is in Afghanistan for meetings with President Hamid Karzai and the commander of NATO forces in the country, U.S. General David Petraeus.

Gates arrived in Kabul Thursday from Baghdad, where he attended ceremonies Wednesday marking the end of the U.S. military's seven-year combat mission in Iraq.

Obama Urges Israel, Palestinians to Seize Opportunity for Peace

By VOA NEWS September 2, 2010 @ 7:38am

President Barack Obama says Israelis and Palestinians must seize the opportunity for achieving a lasting peace presented by the resumption of direct negotiations.  Mr. Obama sat down with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and other key Mideast leaders ahead of Thursday's formal opening of direct talks at the State Department.

One by one, Mr. Obama welcomed the leaders of Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Jordan, and Egypt to the Oval Office, in this his first intensive foray at making progress on issues that have been so intractable for previous U.S. presidents.

Hamas targets Israeli-Palestinian talks by killing four Israelis

By The Christian Science Monitor September 1, 2010 @ 1:43pm

As Middle Eastern leaders gathered in Washington to inaugurate a new round of Israeli-Palestinian talks, Hamas gunmen killed four Israeli settlers in their car outside the West Bank city of Hebron.

The attack appeared to be an attempt to spark violence that could undermine the peace negotiations and was a stark reminder that the Islamist Hamas movement remains an important force in Palestinian politics, no matter how much either the Israelis or the Palestinian Authority's Mahmoud Abbas wish they would go away.

Venezuelan president intensifies electoral campaign

By Xinhua News September 1, 2010 @ 1:37pm

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Tuesday intensified his party's campaign for the legislative elections scheduled for Sept. 26.

He traveled to different regions in the day to attend massive public meetings to drum up support for the candidates of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela.

Colombia, U.S., Honduras begin anti-drug naval drills

By Xinhua News September 1, 2010 @ 1:36pm

Colombian, U.S. and Honduran naval forces started joint anti-drug trafficking military exercises Tuesday.

The three-day drills are being carried out by the Colombian National Army, the Honduran patrol ship "Tegucigalpa" and the U.S. Coast Guard vessel "Escanaba" on the Colombian island of San Andres.