American Security Council Foundation (ASCF)

FEATURED NEWS POST

E.U., Canada adopt new sanctions against Iran

By The Washington Post July 26, 2010 @ 1:52pm

Falling into step with the United States, European nations significantly broadened economic sanctions against Iran Monday in what was described as an effort to force Tehran to resume serious negotiations on its disputed nuclear program.

The new measures--targeting petroleum, banking, shipping, insurance and transportation in addition to nuclear-related industries--were approved in Brussels by foreign ministers of the 27-nation European Union after weeks of diplomatic consultations and strong pressure from the Obama administration.

China invests heavily in Brazil, elsewhere in pursuit of political heft

By The Washington Post July 26, 2010 @ 1:51pm

Here along the golden sands that grace the Atlantic coastline 175 miles north of Rio de Janeiro, China is forging a new economic reality.

Just past a port where workers are building a two-mile-long pier to accommodate huge vessels known as Chinamaxes that will transport iron ore for China's ravenous steel industry, past berths for tankers to lug oil to Beijing, a city of factories is sprouting on an island almost twice the size of Manhattan. Many of the structures will be built with Chinese investment: a steel mill, a shipyard, an automobile plant, a factory to manufacture oil and gas equipment.

U.S. Denies Claim That NATO Rocket Killed 52 Afghan Civilians

By VOA NEWS July 26, 2010 @ 1:47pm

 

U.S. and allied forces denied Monday a claim from Hamid Karzai's Afghanistan government that 45 civilians were killed by a rocket attack last week.

The speculation is "completely unfounded," NATO International Security Assistance Force Rear Admiral Greg Smith said in a statement.

Karzai said earlier Monday that a rocket fired by NATO troops killed "52 innocent civilians" in southern Afghanistan.

Immigration facts, figures — and thoughts

By The Los Angeles Times July 26, 2010 @ 1:36pm

With the immigration debate heating up — and a federal court case over Arizona's SB 1070 brewing — you'd think that the U.S. was besieged by growing numbers of illegal immigrants. But you'd be wrong.

Despite the heightened rhetoric and the bloodcurdling vitriol surrounding the issue, illegal immigration has actually declined significantly over the last few years. While journalists like to characterize the anger over immigration as a response to facts on the ground — i.e. people are inundated and incensed — the numbers don't bear them out.

U.S. may face deflation, a problem Japan understands too well

By The Los Angeles Times July 26, 2010 @ 1:33pm

The White House prediction Friday that the deficit would hit a record $1.47 trillion this year poured new fuel on the fiery argument over whether the government should begin cutting back to avoid future inflation or instead keep stimulating the economy to help the still-sputtering recovery.

But increasingly, economists and other analysts are expressing concern that the United States could be edging closer to a different problem — the kind of deflationary trap that cost Japan more than a decade of growth and economic progress.