APSNet Semi-Weekly Bulletin, February 18, 2010

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"APSNet Semi-Weekly Bulletin, February 18, 2010", APSNet Semi-Weekly Bulletin, February 18, 2010, https://nautilus.org/apsnet/apsnet-18-february-2010/

APSNet 18 February 2010

  1. We won’t be going nuclear: Rudd
  2. Improved Firepower for the ADF
  3. Spies work with India on sport terror threat
  4. [Indonesia] Suspicion but no smoking gun in Bank Century probe
  5. U.N. rejects ‘militarization’ of Afghan aid
  6. [Afghanistan] The meaning of Marjah
  7. [Netherlands] Labour says final ‘no’ to Afghanistan
  8. John Howard’s war: Australia’s military involvement in Iraq
  9. OSC: Afghan minority parties unenthusiastic about reconciliation with Taliban

1. We won’t be going nuclear: Rudd, Sid Maher, Australian, 2010-02-18

Kevin Rudd has again ruled out a civil nuclear power industry in Australia despite US President Barak Obama paving the way for the first nuclear reactors in the US since the 1979 Three Mile Island disaster.

2. Improved Firepower for the ADF, Media Release, Department of Defence, 2010-02-17

Greg Combet announced improved firepower for the ADF with contracts being signed for a new anti-armour weapon capability. Defence has contracted SAAB Bofors Dynamics for the supply of the M3 84mm Carl Gustaf anti-armour support weapon.

3. Spies work with India on sport terror threat, Mark Dodd, Australian, 2010-02-18

Australian intelligence agencies are closely liaising with their Indian counterparts over threats by al-Qa’ida-linked militants against sporting teams planning to attend the Indian Premier League cricket, the Hockey World Cup and the Commonwealth Games.

4. Suspicion but no smoking gun in Bank Century probe, Febriamy Hutapea, Jakarta Globe, 2010-02-17

In what could be the beginning of the end of the politically charged Bank Century probe, lawmakers have conceded that there is no evidence that money from the state bailout was illegally funneled to the campaign team of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

5. U.N. rejects ‘militarization’ of Afghan aid, Rod Nordland, NYT, 2010-02-17

Senior United Nations officials in Afghanistan criticized NATO forces for what one referred to as “the militarization of humanitarian aid,” and said United Nations agencies would not participate in the military’s reconstruction strategy in Marja as part of its current offensive there.

6. The meaning of Marjah, Kamran Bokhari, Peter Zeihan and Nathan Hughes, Asia Times, 2010-02-18

On February 13, some 6,000 United States Marines, soldiers and Afghan National Army troops launched a sustained assault on the town of Marjah in Helmand province. Why Marjah? The key is the geography of Afghanistan and the nature of the conflict itself. Regardless of the Taliban’s strategic or tactical goals, Marjah is a critical node in their operations.

7. Labour says final ‘no’ to Afghanistan, DutchNews.nl, 2010-02-17 

Dutch Labour leader Wouter Bos has said a final no to any further role for Dutch soldiers in Afghanistan, forcing a potential cabinet crisis. NATO has asked the Netherlands to stay past the August 2010 deadline in a training role.

8. John Howard’s war: Australia’s military involvement in Iraq, Derek Woolner, APO, 2010-02-16, [PDF, 83KB] 

This paper focuses on Australia’s military involvement in Iraq from 2003 to 2007 and its relationship with the United States during that period. Derek Woolner argues that the two countries’ alliance relationship has never been so singularly dominated by individual personalities as it has been over Iraq.

9. OSC: Afghan minority parties unenthusiastic about reconciliation with Taliban, Juan Cole, Informed Comment, 2010-02-17

The United States Government Open Source Center (OSC) analyzes the stances of the parties representing the Tajiks, Uzbeks and Hazara Shiite minorities in Afghanistan and finds that they reject President Hamid Karzai’s plans for reconciliation with the Taliban or are lukewarm to it.