ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

Analysis EUROPE June 9-10: Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto will visit Spain. June 10: The Italian Parliament will hold its first vote on a Senate reform bill. June 11: The EU Committee of Permanent Representatives I and II will meet in Brussels. June 12: The EU Environment Council will meet in Luxembourg. June 12-13: The Third Annual Cypriot-Greek Oil and Gas 2014 Summit will be held in Limassol, Cyprus. June 13: The EU Transport, Telecommunications and Energy Council will meet in Luxembourg. June 13-15: Finnish Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen is expected to step down. FORMER SOVIET UNION Unspecified date: European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso is expected to visit Azerbaijan. June 9: Ukraine must pay Russia the remaining part of a $2.2 billion natural gas debt and agree on a payment schedule for April-May natural gas supplies before this date. June 13: European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso will visit Georgia. June 14: The Ukrainian government plans to end the

British Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne tours labs at the University of Manchester on Oct. 3, 2011, and observes research into the use of graphene.(STEFAN ROUSSEAU/AFP/Getty Images) Summary Graphene is often touted as a wonder material due to its impressive strength, flexibility and thermal and electrical conductivity. Graphene and other compounds in the same family have the potential to improve a number of technologies in economic sectors such as computing and commercial electronics, desalination and energy storage. The material still has limitations, especially in manufacturing, that will delay widespread commercialization. Over the next couple of decades, however, we can expect to see advancements and investments in graphene-based technologies and competing technologies that will eventually lead to far-reaching adoption. As these technologies spread, they could help countries overcome inherent geographic and demographic constraints. Analysis Carbon can take many forms dep

Summary When a 29-year-old returnee from the conflict in Syria walked into the Jewish Museum of Brussels on May 24 and opened fire with an AK-47 , the act revealed lethal intent, but also a lack of training and expertise. One of the most surprising things about the attack is that more people were not killed. Even amateurs can achieve devastating results with effective timing, targeting and concentration of force. However, if the shooter is representative of the threat from foreign jihadists returning from Syria, the threat remains very limited indeed. Analysis On May 30, French police arrested Mehdi Nemmouche after he was found in possession of an AK-47 rifle and a revolver during a random search at a bus station in the Mediterranean port city of Marseille. Nemmouche was quickly identified as the prime suspect in the May 24 shooting attack at the Jewish Museum of Brussels in Belgium. Nemmouche's AK-47 was reportedly wrapped in a flag bearing the symbol of the Islamic State in Iraq

Chevron Romania director Tom Holst stands next to drilling equipment in Pungesti, Romania, on April 8.(MIRCEA RESTEA/AFP/Getty Images) Summary Energy security has become a key issue in Romania as a consequence of the still-deepening row between Russia and the West over Ukraine. Bucharest sees the Ukrainian crisis and the United States' renewed interest in Central Europe as an opportunity to develop its own energy sector and insulate itself from the growing influence of an assertive Russia. Considering the current political environment in Central and Eastern Europe, as well as the growing U.S. support of the Romanian government and its push for Bucharest to open up for foreign investment in the energy sector, the Romanian government will move forward in the coming months with the design of a new regulatory framework to promote more investment in the field. Analysis The ongoing crisis in Ukraine has in many ways fundamentally shifted the relationship between the West and Russia. Bo

By Andre Vltchek " Dissident Voice " - - It is not prudent and it is not safe to stick an iron rod into a dragon’s mouth. Whatever they say in the West about dragons… but here in Asia, the dragon is revered as the greatest fabled creature on Earth and in the sky. The dragon is wise and patient, and it hardly ever uses force first. But if treated with disrespect and aggression, it is capable of retaliating in a deadly, determined and powerful way. It is also thoroughly idiotic to go and start terrorizing a sleeping bear. It is obvious what would follow if one descended into a bear’s hole and then started poking a hibernating creature in the head. Nothing good would follow, nothing good at all. But it appears that those who are ruling the Empire are not obsessed with prudence. They seem to be tired of tiny conflicts, which they are continuously stirring all over the globe. Libya is not enough and Congo is not enough. They need something big, really big; even much bigger than

British Royal Marines demonstrate a beach landing during D-Day commemorations in Portsmouth on June 5, 2014.(CARL COURT/AFP/Getty Images) Summary On June 6, 1944, Allied forces from the United States, United Kingdom and Canada launched the largest seaborne invasion in history by landing nearly 160,000 troops on the beaches of Normandy in a single day. This opened the long-awaited second front in the war against Nazi Germany and started the chain of events that ended in the fall of Berlin in May 1945. D-Day was the longest day in that assault and a pivotal moment of the war. In the intervening period, amphibious assaults have been exceedingly rare. Were one to be carried out today, revolutionary shifts in technology and strategy would make a contemporary amphibious operation radically different. Analysis Comprehensive amphibious assaults like that which touched off the invasion of Normandy are perhaps the most difficult military operations possible. Defenders are often concealed in str

(L-R) German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Ukrainian President-elect Petro Poroshenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Benouville, France, on the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings, June 6.(Guido Bergmann/Bundesregierung via Getty Images) Analysis It appears that Ukraine and Russia are heading toward a possible compromise on energy deliveries after months of tense negotiations and threats of a Russian cutoff. Each side has given concessions on the technical sticking points and issues such as price. Currently, the energy talks have been drawn out another week, as Moscow and Kiev each weigh the possibility of larger talks between the two countries on the greater Russian-Ukrainian relationship. The progress comes as the leaders of both Russia and Ukraine -- President Vladimir Putin and President-elect Petro Poroshenko -- traveled to France for the D-Day anniversary ceremonies in Normandy . In France, both leaders separately met with many European heads of state, including British P

The World Cup trophy stands on display in London in March 2014.(BEN STANSALL/AFP/Getty Images) Summary Nearly 70,000 fans will pour into Sao Paulo's Corinthians Arena on June 12 to watch the opening match of the World Cup. Die-hard soccer fans will be watching the action on the field, and fans of political affairs will be watching Brazil, but most everyone will be paying attention in some way because the tournament itself has become a celebration of nations as much as a sporting event. Analysis The World Cup is more than a soccer tournament; it's an occasion for all the nations of the world, at least those that qualify to its final stage, to determine which one produces the best athletes, the tightest teamwork and the most dominant style of play. Smaller nations fight to prove that they belong among the great powers. This is true for the competitors, but it's even truer for the hosts. FIFA, international soccer's governing body that organizes the quadrennial tournament,