The United States federal government should cease its surveillance of foreign diplomats in the United States and at United States embassies
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- Recent spying allegations risk communication between France and the US
- NSA allegations have a chilling effect on French US relations
- Hollande holding secret meeting in Paris after NSA allegations surface
- US French relations key to counter terror
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- Attacks cause regional draw in
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internal link – chilling effectNSA spying creates an atmosphere of distrust – even if it doesn’t inflict lasting damage, this chills cooperation over Ukraine and the Middle EastChina Daily 6/25 – China Daily European Edition (China Daily European Edition, 6/25/15, “What’s after WikiLeaks revelations of NSA spying on Paris?” Lexis)//twemchen Facing the National Assembly, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls asked the United States to repair the damage that the tapping has caused. "The US must recognize not only the dangers such actions pose to our liberties, but also do everything, and quickly, to repair the damage it causes to the relations between allied countries and between France and the United States," Valls said Wednesday. "The reported spying creates a discomfort, because there is a breach of trust. But, it is absolutely important and vital for both countries to maintain their partnership, given that there are many sensitive issues such as Ukraine, [and] operations in Iraq which remained unsolved," Ulysse Gosset, journalist specialized in foreign politics told news channel BFMTV. To Edwy Plenel, French political journalist and editor-in-chief of news website Mediapart, which reported WikiLeaks revelations, it is "a real problem of loyalty in international relations between allies". French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius summoned US ambassador Jane Hartley for an explanation on "Espionage Elysee" of WikiLeaks. Urging a strong answer to United States' spying on Paris, critics from the right and left wing parties called for retaliation. But, according to the ruling Socialists, a diplomatic spat is not in the air. "In the face of threats that we face and given the historic ties linking us, we have to keep a perspective. We're not going to break diplomatic ties," said Stephane Le Foll, the government's spokesman after a weekly cabinet meeting. Recent spying allegations risk communication between France and the USRose 6/24 (Michael is a correspondent at Reuters Paris,“France's Hollande says U.S. spying unacceptable”, 2015, http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/24/france-wikileaks-idUSL8N0ZA11T20150624)//cc French President Francois Hollande on Wednesday branded as "unacceptable" reported spying by the United States on French senior officials and warned Paris would not tolerate actions that threaten its security. Hollande released the statement after an emergency meeting of ministers and army commanders on Wednesday, following WikiLeaks revelations that the United States National Security Agency (NSA) had spied on the last three French presidents. "France will not tolerate actions that threaten its security and the protection of its interests," the president's office said, adding the spying allegations on French interests had been revealed in the past. "Commitments were made by the U.S. authorities. They need to be recalled and strictly respected." The French Foreign Ministry summoned the U.S. ambassador to discuss the matter, a French diplomatic source said. The revelations were first reported in French daily Liberation and on news website Mediapart, which said the NSA spied on presidents Jacques Chirac, Nicolas Sarkozy and Francois Hollande during the period of at least 2006 until May 2012. Hollande is due to meet members of parliament at his Elysee Palace offices later on Wednesday. "We find it hard to understand or imagine what motivates an ally to spy on allies who are often on the same strategic positions in world affairs," French government spokesman Stephane Le Foll told i>TELE television. U.S. media cited a statement from the U.S. National Security Council saying it was not targeting and will not target Hollande's communications. The statement did not deny spying had taken place in the past. Claude Gueant, Sarkozy's former chief of staff and one of the reported targets of the NSA, told RTL radio: "Considering the very close relationship we have with the United States, considering the fact we are extremely loyal allies, I feel like trust has been broken." "These are scary revelations which require explanations from the United States and guarantees that it won't happen again," Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said on France 2 television Angry and embarrassed, France summoned the U.S. ambassador Wednesday to respond to the revelations by WikiLeaks that the U.S. National Security Agency eavesdropped on three successive French presidents and other top officials. NSA allegations have a chilling effect on French US relationsHinnant and Charlton 6/25 (Lori and Angela are contributors at the Associated Press, 2015, “France calls in U.S. envoy over spying, holds security”, http://infoweb.newsbank.com.westminster.idm.oclc.org/resources/doc/nb/news/15631A5090EC8118?p=AWNB)//cc The release of the spying revelations appeared to be timed to coincide with a final vote Wednesday in the French Parliament on a bill allowing broad new surveillance powers, in particular to counter terrorism threats. French President Hollande, calling the U.S. spying an "unacceptable security breach, convened two emergency meetings as a result of the disclosures about the NSA's spying. The first was with France's top security officials, the second with leading legislators, many of whom have already voted for the new surveillance measure. Hollande was to speak Wednesday with President Barack Obama on the issue. The documents appear to capture top French officials in Paris between 2006 and 2012 talking candidly about Greece's economy, relations with Germany, and American spying on allies. While there were no huge surprises, the release of the documents late Tuesday angered and embarrassed French officialdom. The top floor of the U.S. Embassy, visible from France's presidential Elysee Palace, reportedly was filled with spying equipment hidden behind trompe l'oeil paintings of windows, according to the Liberation newspaper, which partnered with WikiLeaks and the website Mediapart on the documents. U.S. Ambassador Jane Hartley was summoned to the French Foreign Ministry. Hollande is also sending France's top intelligence coordinator to the U.S. shortly, to ensure that promises made after earlier NSA spying revelations in 2013 and 2014 have been kept, the spokesman said. Prime Minister Manuel Valls said the U.S. must do everything it can, and quickly, to "repair the damage to U.S.-French relations from the revelations, which he called "a very serious violation of the spirit of trust between the allies. "If the fact of the revelations today does not constitute a real surprise for anyone, that in no way lessens the emotion and the anger. They are legitimate. France will not tolerate any action threatening its security and fundamental interests, he said. Government spokesman Stephane Le Foll told reporters "France does not listen in on its allies. He added, "we reminded all (government) ministers to be vigilant in their conversations. The U.S. Embassy had no comment on the WikiLeaks revelations. U.S. National Security Council spokesman Ned Price released a statement Tuesday evening saying the U.S. is "not targeting and will not target the communications of President Hollande. Price did not address claims that the U.S. had previously eavesdropped on Hollande or his predecessors, Nicolas Sarkozy and Jacques Chirac. Two of the cables dealing with then-President Sarkozy and Chirac, his predecessor were marked "USA, AUS, CAN, GBR, NZL suggesting that the material was meant to be shared with Britain, Canada and other members of the so-called Five Eyes intelligence alliance. The disclosures, which emerged late Tuesday, mean that France has joined Germany on the list of U.S. allies targeted by the NSA. "This involves unacceptable acts that have already given rise to discussions between the United States and France, Hollande said in a statement after an emergency defense council meeting. The statement said France has reinforced protective measures, without elaborating. There was no instant confirmation on the accuracy of the documents, which covered intercepts from 2006-12. WikiLeaks, however, has a track record of publishing intelligence and diplomatic material. An aide to Sarkozy told The Associated Press that the former president considers these methods unacceptable. There was no immediate comment from Chirac. France is among several U.S. allies that rely heavily on American spying powers when trying to prevent terrorism and other threats, and the intelligence bill expected to pass Wednesday was intended to bolster French capabilities. The French government has repeatedly denied accusations that it wants NSA-style powers. Le Foll, who was heading Wednesday to Washington on a previously scheduled trip, said it wasn't a diplomatic rupture, riffing that France was sending not an aircraft carrier to the U.S. but a replica of the Hermione, the ship that carried General Marquis de Lafayette from France to America in 1780 to offer help in the Revolution. But, he added, "when you see this between allied countries it's unacceptable and, I would add, incomprehensible. Hollande holding secret meeting in Paris after NSA allegations surfaceAFP 6/26 (AFP is a global news agency delivering fast, in-depth coverage of the events shaping our world from wars and conflicts to politics, sports, entertainment and the latest breakthroughs in health, science and technology, 2015, “US seeks to reassure France on spying”, http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/929009.shtml)//cc President Barack Obama on Wednesday moved to defuse tensions after revelations of US spying on three French presidents angered France, while WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange called for legal action over Washington's snooping and promised more disclosures to come. Obama spoke by phone with his French counterpart Francois Hollande to assure him the US was no longer spying on European leaders, a day after the WikiLeaks website published documents alleging Washington had eavesdropped on the French president and his two predecessors. "President Obama reiterated without ambiguity his firm commitment... to stop these practices that took place in the past and which were unacceptable between allies," Hollande's office said in a statement after the call. Hollande had earlier convened his top ministers and intelligence officials to discuss the revelations, with his office stating that France "will not tolerate any acts that threaten its security". France's foreign minister also summoned the US ambassador for a formal explanation. The documents -- labelled "Top Secret" and appearing to reveal spying on Jacques Chirac, Nicolas Sarkozy and Hollande between 2006 and 2012 -- were published by WikiLeaks along with French newspaper Liberation and the Mediapart website. WikiLeaks' anti-secrecy campaigner Assange told French television on Wednesday evening that the time had come for legal action against Washington over its foreign surveillance activities. Speaking on TF1, he urged France to go further than Germany by launching a "parliamentary inquiry" and referring "the matter to the prosecutor-general for prosecution". German prosecutors had carried out a probe into alleged US tapping of Chancellor Angela Merkel's phone, but later dropped the investigation due to a lack of hard evidence. Assange also said other important revelations were coming. "This is the beginning of a series and I believe the most important of the material is still to come," he said. The WikiLeaks revelations were embarrassingly timed for French lawmakers, who late on Wednesday voted in favour of sweeping new powers to spy on citizens. The new law will allow authorities to spy on the digital and mobile communications of anyone linked to a "terrorist" enquiry without prior authorisation from a judge, and forces internet service providers and phone companies to give up data upon request. Addressing parliament, Prime Minister Manuel Valls said Washington's snooping actions "constitute a very serious violation of the spirit of trust" and France would demand a new "code of conduct" on intelligence matters. The White House earlier responded that it was not targeting Hollande's communications and will not do so in the future, but it did not comment on past activities. Claims that the US National Security Agency (NSA) was spying on European leaders, revealed by whistleblower Edward Snowden in 2013, had already led to promises from Obama that the practice had stopped. The leaked documents include five from the NSA, the most recent dated May 22, 2012, just days after Hollande took office. It claims Hollande "approved holding secret meetings in Paris to discuss the eurozone crisis, particularly the consequences of a Greek exit from the eurozone". france rels good – laundry listUS-France relations solve a bunch of stuffDelattre 14 – French ambassador to the US (Francois Delattre, 4/15/14, “New Opportunities for the US-France Partnership,” Federal News Service, Lexis)//twemchen Now, what about the trans-Atlantic partnership? Actually, we French strongly believe that the more Asia and the emerging world are rising -- which is a good thing -- the more the trans-Atlantic partnership is vital for all of us, Europeans and Americans alike, as one of the backbones of today's and tomorrow's military (power ?) world. It's true, on the strategic and security front, the Ukrainian crisis, another example of very close cooperation between our two countries, is a strong reminder that the trans-Atlantic partnership is today as relevant and vital as ever. NATO remains an unmatched alliance, an anchor of stability. That is one of the reasons why we French rejoined NATO's military command structure a few years ago, and as the Obama administration is encouraging us to establish a stronger European pillar within NATO, I believe it's important to remember that France and Britain together account for more than 60 percent of the total military spending of the 28 members of the European Union. Now, the critical importance of the trans-Atlantic partnership also holds true on the economic front, where Europe and America remain the anchor of the world economy, accounting together for nearly 50 percent of the world's GDP, a third of international trade and about two-thirds of the world's innovation process. Moreover, 15 million jobs on the two sides of the Atlantic are directly linked to the trans-Atlantic trade and cross-investment -- 15 million jobs. To enhance this economic partnership between the two sides of the Atlantic, we are committed to a very, I would say, exciting and challenging endeavor, the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, the so-called TTIP. We all know these negotiations are not easy. For instance, we know that regulatory convergence and the lifting of nontariff barriers will be central to the negotiations that are going on and require a bold approach. Actually, no one ever has done what we are trying to achieve together, bringing, you know, Europe and the United States together. But as President Hollande clearly reaffirmed to President Obama during the state visit, France wants the success and strongly support TTIP, both for the direct benefits that such an agreement will bring to us in terms of jobs, in terms of investment, in terms of trade, but also for the impact that such a trans-Atlantic agreement can have globally in terms of setting new rules, new norms and new standards. So let me underline that the trans-Atlantic relationship is critical if we are to meet some of the key global challenges of our time, such as climate change. This is, as you know, one of France's very top priorities, fighting against climate change. We'll host in Paris in 2015 a major U.N. conference on this issue to help broker an agreement on further reductions in greenhouse gas emissions after 2020, and we are working hand in hand with our American friends here and other friends around the world, including China, India, Brazil and others, to try to get an agreement. This is one of the most important diplomatic endeavors if we believe in what we do as diplomats and if we believe in the future of our children and grandchildren. So the message I wanted to convey tonight is that there are many new opportunities on every front in the Franco-American and trans- Atlantic partnership, and that these partnerships have never been as vital as they are today for us, Americans and Europeans alike, but also for the world. france rels good – terrorismStrong relations underpin the war on terrorDelattre 14 – French ambassador to the US (Francois Delattre, 4/15/14, “New Opportunities for the US-France Partnership,” Federal News Service, Lexis)//twemchen French-American relations have never been stronger than they are today, as exemplified by the state visit that we're referring to. If you think about it, on the diplomatic and security front, the U.S. and France are each other's closest allies in the fight against terrorism, as illustrated by France military operation in Mali, the heart of Africa, to combat al-Qaida, with much-appreciated American support by the way. Actually, Mali was a much larger, bigger operation than reported in the American press because we had to fight there against one of the most -- one of the best trained, best funded, best equipped al-Qaida branches in the world based on years, if not decades, of drug trafficking, weapons and secret smuggling, and so on and so forth. Alongside our African partners, with American and European support, we restored security in this country. We also succeeded in initiating a political process that led to free election and to a new president in this country. I think it's important for this country and for you -- for the younger generations in particular -- to keep in mind that Mali and the Sahel as a whole should remain a priority for the years to come. The international community has to stay committed to this region, to Africa in general, in terms of security, but also in terms of economic development. This is true for other African countries, like the Central Africa Republic, CAR. CAR, at the heart of Africa, is going through a humanitarian and political crisis of unprecedented gravity, with daily atrocities and a growing hostility between the Christian majority and the Muslim minority there. Furthermore, the implosion of this country, CAR, would destabilize this whole -- this whole region in Africa. That's why France has deployed 2,000 troops in this country -- alongside African forces and, here again, with much-appreciated American support -- to contribute, to prevent, I would say, a potential near-genocide. And we have been working hard, literally for months to, so to speak, mobilize the international community in CAR. The good news is that last week the Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2149, allowing the deployment of a peacekeeping operation in CAR by September the 15th. This is a diplomatic success, not only for us, but for the entire international community. And here too, as I said, the United States is truly standing by our side. US French relations key to counter terrorHinnant and Charlton 6/24 (Lori and Angela are reporters at the Associated Press, 2015, “NSA spied on last three French presidents”, http://www.lowellsun.com/breakingnews/ci_28371468/nsa-spied-last-three-french-presidents)//cc France summoned the U.S. ambassador to the Foreign Ministry and the French president held a high-level emergency meeting Wednesday following revelations by WikiLeaks that the U.S. National Security Agency had eavesdropped on the past three French presidents. President Francois Hollande called the U.S. spying an "unacceptable" security breach. The documents appear to capture top French officials in Paris between 2006 and 2012 talking candidly about Greece's economy, relations with Germany, and American spying on allies. While there were no huge surprises, the release of the documents late Tuesday angered and embarrassed French officialdom. U.S. Ambassador Jane Hartley was summoned to the French Foreign Ministry, according to government spokesman Stephane Le Foll. Hollande is also sending France's top intelligence coordinator to the United States shortly, to ensure that promises made after earlier NSA spying revelations in 2013 and 2014 have been kept, Le Foll said. Calling the spying "incomprehensible," Le Foll told reporters "France does not listen in on its allies." The U.S. Embassy had no immediate comment on the WikiLeaks revelations. U.S. National Security Council spokesman Ned Price released a statement Tuesday evening saying the U.S. is "not targeting and will not target the communications of President Hollande." Price did not address claims that the U.S. had previously eavesdropped on Hollande or his predecessors, Nicolas Sarkozy or Jacques Chirac. At a Cabinet meeting Wednesday, Le Foll said "we reminded all the ministers to be vigilant in their conversations." Two of the cables -- dealing with then-President Sarkozy and his predecessor, Jacques Chirac -- were marked "USA, AUS, CAN, GBR, NZL" suggesting that the material was meant to be shared with Britain, Canada and other members of the so-called "Five Eyes" intelligence alliance. The disclosures, which emerged late Tuesday in French daily newspaper Liberation and investigative website Mediapart, mean that France has joined Germany on the list of U.S. allies targeted by the NSA. "This involves unacceptable acts that have already given rise to discussions between the United States and France," Hollande said in a statement after an emergency defense council meeting. The statement said France has reinforced protective measures, without elaborating. The release appeared to be timed to coincide with a vote in the French Parliament on a bill allowing broad new surveillance powers, in particular to counter terrorist threats. The Senate approved it Tuesday and the lower house of parliament is expected to give it final approval Wednesday. There was no instant confirmation on the accuracy of the documents, which covered intercepts from 2006-12. WikiLeaks, however, has a track record of publishing intelligence and diplomatic material. An aide to Sarkozy told The Associated Press that the former president considers these methods unacceptable. There was no immediate comment from Chirac. France is among several U.S. allies that rely heavily on American spying powers when trying to prevent terrorist and other threats. france rels good – terrorism – at: us not keyFrance alone failsPoirier 6/26 (Agnes is a French journalist and political analyst who contributes regularly to newspapers, magazines and TV in the UK, U.S., France, Italy, 2015, “How will France react to yet another terror attack?”, http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/26/opinions/france-isere-terror-attack-agnes/index.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_latest+(RSS%3A+CNN+-+Most+Recent)//cc When news of a terrorist beheading broke on June 26, the first reactions from residents of Saint Quentin Fallavier, a small town of 6,000 inhabitants, sounded terribly familiar: "We never thought this could happen here." The same words were uttered by Parisians living in the quiet 11th arrondissement of the French capital where, on January 7, Islamist terrorists had first struck in a series of attacks which petrified the whole country. That day they killed 12 people -- cartoonists, journalists and two policemen at the offices of the French satirical weekly "Charlie Hebdo." The Isere region, where today's attack occurred, is better known for its green scenery, mountainous landscape and canoeing than for the industrial factories such as Air Products, the industrial gas plant targeted by Yassin Sahli, the 35- year-old alleged author of the attack. The suspected terrorist had been the object of surveillance from France's anti-terrorism special unit between 2006 and 2008, but had no criminal record. Such details highlight the extraordinary difficulty in which French police, and European anti-terrorism forces in general, find themselves. Social networks have been quick to question why authorities failed to foil yet another attack in time. However, such acts are being prevented every month without the wider public being informed until the threat has been neutralized. A majority of French people feel both powerless and frustrated in front of a menace whose nature is by definition to be unpredictable and to strike at the heart of society. france rels good – iran prolifFrench relations solve Iran prolif – extinctionDelattre 14 – French ambassador to the US (Francois Delattre, 4/15/14, “New Opportunities for the US-France Partnership,” Federal News Service, Lexis)//twemchen The United States and France are also at the forefront of international efforts to prevent Iran from becoming a nuclear weapon state. With the partners of the so-called P-5 plus one, we are working hard to try to achieve a comprehensive agreement with Iran, whose goal is to prevent this country from developing nuclear weapons and to obtain all necessary assurances that its nuclear program remains peaceful. We have to stay -- that's France's position that we have to stay firm on this for at least three reasons, I would say: number one, because a nuclear-armed Iran would be an existential threat to the security of Israel; number two, because a nuclear-armed Iran would trigger an arms race and potentially a nuclear arms race in the Middle East, meaning in the most -- one of the most volatile regions in the world; and number three, a nuclear-armed Iran would mean the demise of the international nonproliferation regime that we together patiently built over the past decades. And for these reasons and a couple of others, we simply have to negotiate, of course, with Iran in good faith but also to remain firm on our fundamentals. france rels good – boko haramFrench support key to defeating Boko HaramAndrews 6/8 (Jaiyeola is a reporter at This Day, Nigeria’s largest news publication, 2015, “War Against Boko Haram: France, Germany, Canada Pledge Support”, http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/war-against-boko-haram-france-germany-canada-pledge-support/211456/ ) //cc President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday received the support of French president, Francois Hollande, to completely eradicate the menace of the Islamist terrorist group, Boko Haram, in the shortest possible time. Similar pledges of enhanced support came from Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada and Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel who Buhari also conferred with before departing from the venue of the G-7 2015 Summit.reaffirmed his administration's total commitment Buhari spoke at a meeting with President Francois Hollande of France after his participation in Monday's G-7 Outreach Programme in Elmau, Germany. According to him, Nigeria will welcome greater support and cooperation from France and other friendly nations for its ongoing efforts to overcome Boko Haram and restore full security and normalcy to areas affected by the group's atrocities. A statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, quoted Buhari as saying his administration was already taking concrete action to build a more efficient and effective coalition of Nigeria and neighbouring countries against the terrorists. Nigeria, the president added, would appreciate more intelligence on the terrorist group's links with ISIS, its movements, training and sources of arms and ammunition to facilitate the perfection of fresh tactics and strategies being evolved to overcome terrorism and insurgency in the country and the West African sub-region. He told his French counterpart that there was absolutely no link between religion and the atrocities of Boko Haram. "There is clearly no religious basis for the actions of the group. Their atrocities show that members of the group either do not know God at all or they don't believe in him," Buhari said. Remarking, Hollande gave kudos to Buhari for his concerted efforts to galvanise Nigeria's armed forces, security agencies and neighbouring countries for more decisive action to eradicate Boko Haram. Hollande equally assured Buhari that France will give Nigeria and its coalition partners greater support against terrorism and insecurity, including military and intelligence cooperation, to help them overcome the security challenge posed by Boko Haram and its global terrorist allies as quickly as possible. The French leader called for greater bilateral cooperation between Nigeria and France in other areas including trade, economic and cultural relations. . Boko Haram attacks are escalatingReuters 6/25 (Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, 2015, “Dozens killed in suspected Boko Haram attacks in Nigeria” http://www.france24.com/en/20150625-dozens-killed-suspected-boko-haram-attacks-nigeria-villages)//cc At least 42 people were killed by suspected Boko Haram militants who shot residents dead as they tried to flee two villages in northeast Nigeria’s Borno state, witnesses and police said. The attackers, who arrived on motorcycles and vehicles mounted with guns, torched houses and looted shops in the villages of Debiro Biu and Debiro Hawul late on Monday night and into Tuesday morning, witnesses told Reuters. Local police confirmed the attacks. "We received reports of attacks by suspected Boko Haram gunmen on the two villages in which 42 deaths were recorded," a police officer told AFP in Biu, 180 kilometres south of Maiduguri, the state capital. Details of the attack did not emerge for several hours due to poor telecommunications networks in the remote villages in northeast Nigeria, a region in which Boko Haram has killed thousands in a six-year bid to set up an Islamist “state”. “They were shooting sporadically and then they started looting shops and setting places ablaze,” said witness Hussaini Adamu, who fled with other villagers to hide in bushes after fleeing Debiro Biu. More than 100 people have been killed in northeast Nigeria in the past few weeks in a spate of bombings, mostly in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state. New president tested Muhammadu Buhari, the new president of Africa’s most populous nation and biggest economy, made Maiduguri the command centre for the military campaign against Boko Haram after being inaugurated last month. Attacks cause regional draw inReuters 6/18 (Reuters is the world's largest international multimedia news agency, France 24 is a international news agency, “Chad carries out retaliatory airstrikes against Boko Haram”, http://www.france24.com/en/20150618-chad-airstrikes-boko-haram-suicide-bombing) //cc Chad's military said Thursday it had carried out airstrikes on Boko Haram positions in neighbouring Nigeria to avenge twin suicide bombings in Chad's capital that were blamed on the jihadists. Citing the "cowardly and barbaric acts perpetrated by Boko Haram terrorists", which killed 33 people in N'Djamena on Monday, the military said that it had "carried out reprisal airstrikes on the terrorists' positions in Nigerian territory" on Wednesday. Six Boko Haram bases were destroyed in the air raids, which caused "considerable human and material losses", the military said in a statement. Chad would continue its "merciless" pursuit of the insurgents "so that no drop of Chadian blood spilt goes unpunished", the statement added. Monday's attacks on the police headquarters and a police academy in N'Djamena were the first in the capital of the West African country, which has taken a lead role in a regional offensive against Boko Haram. The riverside city, which lies on the border with Cameroon, has been chosen as the headquarters for the regional taskforce being launched to fight Boko Haram, supposed to group troops from Nigeria, Chad, Niger, Cameroon and Benin. No group has claimed responsibility for the attacks but Chad and its allies immediately blamed the Nigeria-based insurgents, who have carried out several attacks recently in border areas of countries that share a frontier with northeast Nigeria. Chad is a key player in the five-nation coalition put together to destroy the insurgent group based in neighbouring Nigeria. It has also played a central role in combating jihadist groups in northern Mali. Chad's military has lost dozens of soldiers fighting in both countries and there have been a number of attacks near its border with Nigeria. Boko Haram risks African stabilityMaclean's 1/26 (Weekly Canadian Newspaper, 2015, “The editorial: the attacks in Paris overshadowed the atrocities of Boko Haram in Nigeria, which poses a larger, more organized threat to millions”, http://ic.galegroup.com.westminster.idm.oclc.org/ic/ovic/MagazinesDetailsPage/MagazinesDetailsWindow?failOverType=&query=&prodId=OVIC&windowstate=normal&contentModules=&display-query=&mode=view&displayGroupName=Magazines&limiter=&u=atla10186&currPage=&disableHighlighting=false&displayGroups=&sortBy=&source=&search_within_results=&p=OVIC&action=e&catId=&activityType=&scanId=&documentId=GALE%7CA398627963) // cc The attack on the Parisian offices of the magazine Charlie Hebdo, the story of which fills our pages this week, was echoed far away by an Islamic fundamentalist massacre in the Nigerian border town of Baga and its environs. Baga is the headquarters of the Nigerian government's efforts to re-establish its authority in the state of Borno, where the notorious terror group Boko Haram, following its ideology of purging Western intellectual and cultural influences, has been trying to establish Muslim sharia law and the nucleus of a new universal caliphate. Boko Haram appears to have descended on Baga and several other towns, massacring thousands of civilians and forcing the Nigerian army to retreat. Many fled with canoe-like boats to nearby Lake Chad, trying to escape into the neighbouring countries of Chad and Cameroon. Hundreds are still said to be trapped on an island in the middle of the lake, suffering from hunger and mosquitoborne illnesses as they await rescue. The media was criticized for its coverage--or lack of coverage--of this humanitarian disaster, the argument being less attention was paid to it than to the French attacks on fewer victims. Do Western media, some wondered, count Nigerian lives as being of less value than those of their fellow white editors and journalists? We should admit to feeling some special personal involvement in the Charlie Hebdo story. When you work for a magazine, it gets your attention when you wake up and learn that another magazine has been annihilated by murderers. But there is a reason why Western media give more coverage to Islamist horrors in France than objectively worse horrors in a Muslim-majority country. As Canadians we are in approximately the position of France: an advanced Western state with a large Muslim minority, a minority in which a handful of members are converting to politically extremist strains of Islam and who are seeking weapons, training and advice from terrorists. We face the same infuriating complexities, and the same difficult responsibilities, as France. It is not just that we stand with France; we are in the same boat already. Judging news by a simple counting of bodies is a model that nobody follows in practice--that nobody ever could. But the odd fact that accompanies this principle is that Boko Haram's attack on Baga has significance far beyond the immediate human consequences. Boko Haram, like Islamic State in Mesopotamia, has precipitated a crisis of legitimacy for acknowledged governments. It is beginning to establish its own authority in the place of uniformed armies, constitutions and democratic apparatus. It is not just one government that faces this rivalry from bandits drunk on 200-proof desert religion: over the past year Boko Haram has begun to strike at Cameroonian targets, and other states in the region are concerned. Efforts to maintain a multinational common front against Boko Haram have met with setbacks. The government base in Baga was at one time occupied by a joint strike force that has fallen into abeyance. Meanwhile, the dispersion of refugees from the Borno state has the potential to set the legitimate governments in that part of Africa at each other's throats. It is a phenomenon we have seen before. Refugee camps themselves have a nasty habit of creating the conditions for religious radicalization and recruitment of suicide bombers. As its local influence increases, Boko Haram is, by a rough Darwinian process, becoming more effective and sophisticated as an armed force. The conflicting, sometimes elliptical information coming from the Nigerian army about the Baga massacre suggests that underpaid professional soldiers, long suffering from low morale, did not put up much resistance to bush fighters bent on killing. Boko Haram has already been all but wiped out once, and its leadership been exterminated. This is the high price insurgencies pay for learning to fight real armies, but once paid, it delivers its weight in gold. Now Boko Haram is beginning to imitate the nihilist glamour of its rival caliphate, Islamic State. Its new use of young female suicide bombers to attack public markets sends the perverse message that it will stop at nothing, that it cares for nothing worldly in its war on "Western" commercial openness, freedom and reason. An enemy of this nature is the hardest of hard problems. france rels good – ssaUS-French cooperation on Space Situational Awareness now - Unhindered classified data sharing is keyGruss 4/16 (Mike. Mike Gruss covers military space issues, including the U.S. Air Force and Missile Defense Agency, for SpaceNews. “U.S., France Expand Space Data-sharing Agreement”. 16 April 2015. Space News. http://spacenews.com/us-france-expand-space-data-sharing-agreement)//JuneC// COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – U.S. Strategic Command and the French Ministry of Defense have expanded their Space Situational Awareness (SSA) data-sharing agreement to include classified information, the countries announced April 16 at the 31st Space Symposium here. The United States and France were already sharing unclassified SSA data under an agreement signed in January 2014. That agreement allowed Stratcom to provide data from the Joint Space Operations Center at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, directly to the French military upon request. Previously, such requests had to be approved at higher levels of the U.S. government. This new agreement will allow the countries to share “advanced SSA” data and classified data when appropriate. In all, the U.S. government has signed nearly 50 unclassified data-sharing agreements with other governments and private-sector entities, Defense Department officials have said. “We are pleased to expand our space partnership with France, one of our oldest and closest allies. These agreements are mutually beneficial, enabling greater spaceflight safety, increasing our national security and that of our allies and enhancing our 24/7 global operations,” U.S. Navy Adm. Cecil Haney, commander of U.S. Strategic Command said in a statement. France is crucial – the only European country with necessary techCollet-Billon 9 (Laurent. heads the DGA, France’s armaments agency. “New trends in defence aerospace”. 2009. http://www.diploweb.com/New-trends-in-defence-aerospace.html)//JuneC// Observation The domain of observation plays a key role in our capability of autonomous evaluation and decision-making. Ever since the Helios programme was launched in 3 1995, its optical observation capabilities have been demonstrated as both extremely useful and very effective. This success has led to the procurement of a second generation of satellites : Helios IIA has been operational since 2006, and Helios IIB is scheduled for launch this year. Very high resolution instruments working in the visible spectrum are the only means with the precision needed to identify, characterize and evaluate the significance of sensitive infrastructure and military targets. They are used for reconnaissance missions, which provide some 80 per cent of the intelligence needed for target selection. France is the only European country which has industrial expertise in the domain of very high resolution optics ; this is a considerable advantage. Nevertheless this technology has its limits, notably when there is cloud cover. It is therefore essential that France has access to radar observation capabilities as well. In the short term, agreements recently signed with Germany and Italy will give us access to their systems (SAR-Lupe and Cosmos-SkyMed). In the interest of preparing the future and renewing optical and radar capabilities, six European countries joined forces in 2008 (2009 for Italy) in a common European programme called MUSIS, whose first satellite is due for launch in 2015. This programme will have an optical space element developed under French leadership, a space radar component developed by the Germans, an Italian radar module, a wideband optical module developed by Spain and a jointly developed ground segment which controls each of the space components. This programme is without doubt one of the most symbolic demonstrations of progress in European defence industrial cooperation. For the first time the division of work is not just a production work-sharing agreement but a real sharing of services. This cooperation model is based on the acceptance of a balanced mutual dependence between several countries, itself based on real confidence between each of the partners. SSA’s detection systems avoid inevitable space debris and Russia/China ASAT attacksBrown 5/2 (James. is the director of the Alliance 21 program at the US studies centre, University of Sydney. “The new Space Race”. The Saturday Paper. 2 May 2015. https://www.thesaturdaypaper.com.au/opinion/topic/2015/05/02/the-new-space-race/14304888001824#.VZA1gRNViko)//JuneC// Beneath George Clooney’s steely gaze, the crisis at the heart of the 2013 movie Gravity begins when a major global power recklessly shoots down a satellite, creating a chain reaction of rolling debris that destroys most of the space infrastructure orbiting our planet. Amid the drama of exploding satellites and disintegrating space stations, some things are all too authentic: the first reaction of Clooney’s astronaut character is to wryly bemoan, “Half of North America just lost their Facebook.” The reality is that much more is at stake in space. For a start, almost no financial transaction in Australia would take place without assured access to the clocks onboard global positioning system (GPS) satellites. Let alone the reliance our data-enabled economy has on space-based navigation and communications services for transport, agriculture, mining, and more. But largely hidden from view, strategic competition between major powers in space is increasing. While co-operation between the US and China across a range of issues is broadening and improving, space remains the one area where language remains hawkish, dialogue is negligible, and co-operation is officially banned. Australians should be concerned about the strategic developments playing out thousands of kilometres above us. Beyond the convenience of GPS – via enabled smartphones and in-car navigation systems – so much of our economy now relies on space-based infrastructure and space-enabled transactions. A report prepared for the Australian government concludes that space-based precision navigation systems will deliver productivity benefits to the Australian economy worth between $7.8 billion and $13.7 billion by 2020. The importance of satellites for transport, aviation, television and communications, mapping and surveying, even the autonomous trucks operating in Pilbara mines, is clear. What is less apparent is that nearly every time you swipe a credit card, you are performing a space-enabled transaction. For two banks to reconcile your purchase, they need highly accurate date-time stamps – provided in most cases from the atomic clocks onboard GPS satellites. Precision matters, so much so that a university team in Western Australia is now engaged in an effort to develop even more precise clocks to go onboard the next generation of satellites. If space systems are important when paying for your coffee, then they are vital to the Australian Defence Force. Global militaries have relied on surveillance, reconnaissance and communications satellites for decades – US Defence Support Program infra-red satellites, for example, connected to the Joint Defence Facility at Pine Gap, have provided early warning for nuclear explosions and missile launches – most notably during the time of the first Gulf War. Since the late 1990s global militaries have also come to rely on GPS for precision navigation and all-weather operations. Brett Biddington, an Australian space expert, sees this reliance increasing: “Next-generation systems, including new fighter aircraft, destroyers and future soldiers will simply not function very well without access to space communications and space-derived data.” General John Hyten, the commander of the US Air Force’s space command, puts it more starkly: “There is no such thing as a day without space.” Without space, he says, the US military goes back to the industrial age. Satellites being built by China and Russia can drag US satellites down to their destruction in Earth’s atmosphere. In an unusual television interview on America’s 60 Minutes last month, Hyten pointed to recent developments in space that are concerning him. Chief among these: Chinese anti-satellite weapons. In 2007 an unannounced Chinese anti-satellite missile launch destroyed an ageing Chinese meteorological satellite and created more than 3000 pieces of space debris in the process – debris that forced the International Space Station to manoeuvre at least three times last year. Hyten coyly indicated in his interview that China has a missile that can shoot down sensitive US geo-synchronous satellites in deep space – up to 30,000 kilometres above the earth. In his words: “Now we have to figure out how to defend those satellites, and we’re going to. Space Command is making its new satellites more manoeuvrable to evade attack, and also more resistant to jamming." The conversations on space are increasingly hawkish. Recent classified briefings by US Space Command to congress have included discussions on grappler satellites. These are small “co-orbital” satellites being built by China and Russia that can maneuver alongside US satellites, attach themselves, and drag US satellites down to their destruction in Earth’s atmosphere. Of course the US has its space secrets, too – the new unmanned X-37B space vehicle last October returned from a 675-day-long mission in space, purpose unknown. Across the US-China strategic competitiveness that now forms the atmosphere for Asian geopolitics, there are many areas of collaboration and compromise. But the growing space arms race is not one of them. On the vexing maritime issues of the South China and East China seas, the US and China have been able to forge recent agreements to talk about collaborative confidence-building measures. On other policy issues there are historically rich and productive exchanges between US and Chinese officials. But there is no dialogue between these two powers on space. Congressional legislation bans any and all collaboration between US and Chinese space officials. Chinese space experts cannot attend NASA conferences or set foot on NASA property. The last US space commander, when asked, admitted he had never met his Chinese counterpart. An analysis published by the Royal Australian Air Force’s Air Power Development Centre last November grimly concludes “weaponisation of the space domain is likely to take place”. Last year Australia’s Department of Defence crafted its first defence space strategy and a newly formed whole-of-government space co-ordination committee issued an inaugural “State of Space” report. It prominently pledged the government’s intention “to support rules-based international access to the space environment; promoting peaceful, safe and responsible activities in space”. The United Nations and European Union particularly are engaged across a range of collaborative efforts to maintain the rules of the road when it comes to space. A 1967 Outer Space Treaty partially addresses issues of the weaponisation of space and a 1984 agreement attempts to extend the UN Charter and international law to the heavens. But these efforts have to date been largely unsuccessful in focusing collaboration when it comes to the use of space for military and intelligence purposes. A new international code of conduct for space is being mooted. But on a visit to Sydney earlier this year, the US under secretary of state for arms control and international security, Rose Gottemoeller, explained to me that the problem with arms control treaties in space is that they are almost impossible to verify. For that reason, the US, along with its allies, is involved in a collaborative, expensive and technically gruelling effort to develop what it calls “space situational awareness”. Effectively, systems that can catalogue every satellite, space station and speck of debris rotating Earth – and sound a warning when something unexpectedly moves. Australia has agreed to host a radar and telescope that will assist in this effort, and could potentially host the second site of a US program known as Space Fence. Discussions about how all this information will be shared are ongoing – the US and France recently signed an agreement to exchange technical data on space and, with French help, Japan has been developing its own new national security policy on space. Tracking space activity is becoming more complex as the space industry undergoes massive, technology-driven disruption. Thanks to advances made in smartphone technology, today’s satellites are no longer the size of a bus but smaller and cheaper than ever. Before it was only the mightiest military powers that could put surveillance satellites in space. Now a Silicon Valley start-up called Planet Labs has been able to launch 71 of its own surveillance satellites into orbit in the past 18 months. Each is about the size of a bread loaf, and built from commercially available parts. Some companies are musing on establishing a network of satellites able to deliver low-cost broadband internet access across the planet. Outside Auckland, an innovative company called Rocket Lab is using 3D printing, carbon composite materials, and electric motors to send 100-kilogram satellites into space for less than $US5 million. Normal satellite launch costs can run to a quarter of a billion dollars. The Australian company Launchbox will this year help two teams of Australian students put their own nanosatellites into space, and has been launching tiny CubeSats to the edge of space using balloon technology. And Australia, with the space skills of scientists and engineers grown in our universities and CSIRO, is well placed to contribute to the coming space boom. But the rapid changes in space bring risks as well as rewards, and while we mostly focus on security problems on land and sea, the still skies above us run deep, too. Destroys everythingUCIMUN 15 (“1st Disarmament”. 2015. http://www.socsci.uci.edu/mun/webdocs/2015_Committees/1st%20Disarmament/1st%20Disarmament%20-%20Weaponization%20of%20Space.pdf)//JuneC// Weaponization of outer space, mainly Earth’s orbit, has been a controversial matter throughout the international community for many years. The world relies on the usage of space for communication purposes, weather monitoring, astronomical research, and prevention of space objects such as asteroids impacting Earth (2). However, many countries have always been concerned about the negative usage of technology in space. So far it is reported that no weapons are orbiting Earth, however suspicious development of such things have been in the works. Mostly, the superpower nations such as China, Russia, and the US who have strong-established militaries and space agencies have the potential to send such weapons in space. When the term “weapons in space” come to mind it can represent a variety of things. Some weapons don’t necessarily have to be in orbit to cause chaos. For instance, the Kinetic Energy Interceptors are missiles that target other incoming missiles as a defense technique. However, it is seen that the very same weapon can be sent to space to eliminate satellites. The destruction of satellites can cause an increase in space debris, which limits the amount of objects that can be put in Earth’s orbit for peaceful purposes. Space debris is already a big problem for satellites since many junk items can hurl into them at high speeds and cause destruction. Having a future war in space by terminating satellites will bring larger amounts of rubble, risking the world’s access to communication. Before the problem worsens, the issue of space debris should be addressed, and stricter rules on missiles or other technological advancements that can enter outside Earth’s atmosphere should be reviewed. Another concern of offensive weapons in space is the capability of having nuclear warheads in orbit. Nuclear weapons are one of the most feared and deadly for a nation to have and abuse. In 2001, the US left the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, which allows it to create more missile defensive systems, whether it’s underwater, or even outside the atmosphere (3).Usually when one superpower breaks the rules, the others follow to make sure their defense systems are at par. Although, the superpowers claim to advance their weapons for defense purposes only, the end goal is not clear and many developments are kept a secret. To ensure the safety of the planet, the plans of militarizing areas in space must be revealed, if any, to prevent future conflicts that can cause reverse development of peaceful purposes of Earth’s orbit. 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