Geopolitics / Economics – The End of National Currency

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Foreign Affairs – Global financial instability has sparked a surge in “monetary nationalism” — the idea that countries must make and control their own currencies. But globalization and monetary nationalism are a dangerous combination, a cause of financial crises and geopolitical tension. The world needs to abandon unwanted currencies, replacing them with dollars, euros, and multinational currencies as yet unborn.
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Canadian Navy – Ottawa to proceed with plan to acquire six Arctic patrol ships

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Canadian Press – A key federal cabinet committee has given the go-ahead for a plan to construct six corvette-sized Arctic patrol vessels. The patrol vessels, which are almost as large as the navy’s frigates, are a step down from the armed Arctic icebreakers that the Conservatives promised in the last election campaign and will likely not be in service before 2015.
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Geopolitics / Civil-Military Relations – Bush and the Generals

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Foreign Affairs – The rift between U.S. military and civilian leaders did not start with George W. Bush, but his administration’s meddling and disregard for military expertise have made it worse. The new defense secretary must restore a division of labor that gives soldiers authority over tactics and civilians authority over strategy — or risk discrediting civilian control of the military even further.
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Royal Navy – Navy's stealth submarine will rule the oceans

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Daily Telegraph – A new £1.2 billion Royal Navy submarine which from the Channel is able to detect the QE2 cruise liner leaving New York harbour was unveiled yesterday. The Astute, the first attack submarine to be built in almost two decades, is the “most stealthy in the world” and will put the Navy at the “top of the premiership”, commanders said.
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US Marines – 69 Afghans' Families Get a U.S. Apology

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Washington Post – A U.S. Army brigade commander in Afghanistan yesterday told the families of 69 civilians who were killed or wounded by members of an elite Marine Special Forces unit in March that he is “deeply, deeply ashamed” about the incident, describing the series of shootings along a civilian thoroughfare as a “terrible, terrible mistake.”
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US Marines – Navy argues against Marine variant of JSF

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Marine Corps Times – Despite public support by Pentagon and Navy leaders for the short-take-off/vertical-landing version of the Joint Strike Fighter, debates about the planned acquisition and operation of the F-35B continue behind the scenes – worrying Marine Corps officials and potential foreign customers who are counting on the versatile aircraft.
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Geopolitics / Hunger – How Biofuels Could Starve the Poor

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Foreign Affairs – Thanks to high oil prices and hefty subsidies, corn-based ethanol is now all the rage in the United States. But it takes so much supply to keep ethanol production going that the price of corn — and those of other food staples — is shooting up around the world. To stop this trend, and prevent even more people from going hungry, Washington must conserve more and diversify ethanol’s production inputs.
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US Navy – Own the blue water

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Armed Forces Journal – “Partner in the brown water; secure the green water; own the blue water,” is a colorful new US Navy mantra. It refers to the need to work closely with other nations to operate in the riverine and sea-land interface environment, to ensure access in the littoral and to maintain dominance in the open ocean ó or blue water ó environment. Although the Navy will operate closer to shore, it will not cede supremacy of the high seas. And although potential adversaries are not vying for open ocean superiority today, one cannot assume that will be the case in the future.
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