The Morning Brief - Lignet
Syria: Obama Unlikely to Act on Chemical Weapons 'Red Line'
There is strong agreement by U.S. allies and a general consensus by
American intelligence agencies that the Assad regime used at least a
small amount of chemical weapons against the Syrian rebels, reportedly
the nerve gas sarin. But unless stronger evidence of significant use of
chemical weapons comes to light, LIGNET believes it is very unlikely
that the Obama administration will change its position on refusing to
intervene militarily in the Syrian conflict. Although Obama
administration officials have said the only reason they are reluctant to
act is because they need stronger evidence, there is another reason
holding them back: a fear of repeating what they believe were the
mistakes of the Bush administration in Iraq.
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US Ports Not Ready for Panama Canal Widening
Ports on the East Coast of the United States are unprepared for
increased trade the expanded Panama Canal will bring by 2015, according
to recent Senate testimony. Only two Atlantic ports — Norfolk and
Baltimore — are ready to handle the size of ships expected to use the
widened canal, vessels with nearly triple current maximum capacity.
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Border Dispute with India Reflects New Chinese Aggression
China's recent military incursion into territory claimed by India has
reignited border tensions between the two countries. Although this
dispute is unlikely to result in military conflict, China’s move
reflects its new aggressiveness over the last couple of years to push
its territorial claims with its neighbors.
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