APSNet Semi-Weekly Bulletin, September 8, 2008

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"APSNet Semi-Weekly Bulletin, September 8, 2008", APSNet Semi-Weekly Bulletin, September 08, 2008, https://nautilus.org/apsnet/apsnet-8-september-2008/

APSNet 8 September 2008

  1. More Diggers Wanted for Afghanistan
  2. U.S. and Pakistan Meet Secretly to Discuss Border Violence
  3. India Uranium Sales Ban Stays
  4. Former Envoy Says We Can Do More on Nuclear Disarmament
  5. Tread Warily Near a Swaggering Bear
  6. Spy Case Note Gone
  7. Younger Australians Wary of ‘US Meddling’
  8. Muslim Unrest in Philippines May Spread to Neighbours: Analysts

1. More Diggers Wanted for Afghanistan, Patrick Walters, Australian, 2008-09-08

NATO’s new top commander in Afghanistan says the international coalition is “struggling to win” a strategic victory against the Taliban and he wants a significant increase in troop numbers, including more Australians, to ensure success. General McKiernan said he needed “upwards of four manoeuvre brigade combat teams” – about 15,000 extra troops – to manage the counter-insurgency fight now focused in eastern and southern Afghanistan.

2. U.S. and Pakistan Meet Secretly to Discuss Border Violence, Eric Schmitt, IHT, 2008-08-28

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff secretly convened a highly unusual meeting of senior US and Pakistani commanders on an aircraft carrier in the Indian Ocean to discuss how to combat the escalating violence along the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The star-studded list of participants and the extreme secrecy surrounding the talks underscored how gravely both nations regard the growing militant threat.

3. India Uranium Sales Ban Stays, Mark Dodd, Australian, 2008-09-08

The Rudd Government’s ban on uranium sales to India will stay in place despite the decision by supplier nations, including Australia, to end the 34-year embargo on nuclear trade with New Delhi. The Nuclear Suppliers Group has endorsed a waiver of its rules for India. Trade Minister Simon Crean confirmed Canberra’s ban on yellowcake sales to India would stay in place as long as it refused to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

4. Former Envoy Says We Can Do More on Nuclear Disarmament, Jonathan Pearlman, SMH, 2008-09-08

The Rudd Government should harness the nation’s clout as a uranium supplier to push for a disarmament declaration by the region’s leaders and a US commitment to reduce its reliance on nuclear weapons. Former diplomat, Rory Medcalf, warns that the rise of nuclear energy in Asia combined with persistent national rivalries poses a growing long-term threat to Australia in the so-called “Asian century”.

5. Tread Warily Near a Swaggering Bear, Tony Parkinson, Age, 2008-09-06

Australia can use its uranium as a weapon, but not by reneging on Russia. For the Rudd Government, the answer is not to stop uranium sales to Russia. A more constructive contribution would be to ramp up our uranium exports to Russia’s European neighbours so they have sufficient energy alternatives to liberate themselves from dependence on the dictates of Vladimir Putin.

6. Spy Case Note Gone, Richard Baker, Age, 2008-09-08

A document detailing the alleged aggressive interviewing tactics of a Federal Government security official who interrogated Australian spy Merv Jenkins before his suicide in 1999 has been destroyed, possibly in breach of Commonwealth laws. The revelation comes as the department has backed away from reopening the investigation into the circumstances of Mr Jenkins’ suicide.

7. Younger Australians Wary of ‘US Meddling’, Daniel Flitton, Age, 2008-09-08

A poll to be released today shows younger Australians are more likely to see US meddling in the neighbourhood as a problem. Indonesians rank Australia among the top four regional troublemakers, with America heading the list ahead of Malaysia and Israel. In turn, Australians overall are more likely to regard Indonesia with hostility, while also being wary of Iran, China and North Korea.

8. Muslim Unrest in Philippines May Spread to Neighbours: Analysts, AFP, Daily Star, 2008-09-05

With peace talks between the Philippine government and Muslim rebels in tatters, analysts are warning violence will escalate and could spill over into neighbouring countries. President Gloria Arroyo this week scrapped the government panel handling the negotiations, a move analysts say ended any hopes of settling the four-decades-old Muslim insurgency before she leaves office in 2010.

9. Nautilus Institute Updated Information

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