Weekly Round Up: June 15 - 19, 2009

National Security

Advancing U.S. National Security Through Human Rights

William Schulz explained how the United States can promote domestic social justice by applying international human rights standards in his report, “The Power of Justice,” which was also the subject of this week’s "Ask the Expert."  The report was launched at a CAP event that examined the relationship between domestic human rights and national security.

Andrew Grotto criticized “missile defense theologians” for using North Korea’s aggression as an excuse to complain about the Obama administration’s missile defense budget. And Middle East Progress showed how the Iranian elections reflect the ambitions of the Supreme Leader.

For World Refugee Day, the Center published a slideshow on the development of Pakistan’s internally displaced persons crisis and an interactive map displaying the location of the displaced people.

Energy and the Environment

The Economic Benefits of Investing in Clean Energy

Sound environmental policy is also sound economic policy. “The Economic Benefits of Investing in Clean Energy,” a report published by the Center and the Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst this week, showed how investing $150 billion in clean energy would create an estimated 1.7 million new jobs. The benefits to each state can be found on this fact sheet and this interactive map of job creation.

Andrew Light and Julian Wong called Rep. James Sensebrenner (R-WI) to task for distorting the facts on climate change after a recent trip to China. And Tom Kenworthy detailed how a new report predicts tough times for farmers because of climate change.

Not all green thumbs are created equal according to this week’s It’s Easy Being Green, which gives seven tips for smart gardening.

Economy

Financial Regulation Done Right

The Obama administration released its new plan for regulating financial markets this week. In an analysis of the new proposed rules Michael Ettlinger explained the importance of getting financial regulation right to restore the confidence of investors.

The Center published a state-by-state unemployment map showing how some states are faring better than others, and Christian Weller wrote in his economic snapshot how the economy will have to grow for an extended period before families regain economic security.

Nina Hachigan also gave five reasons why Congress should fund the International Monetary Fund.