Good morning and welcome to The Rundown.

Before we begin, a belated congratulations to America on her recently celebrated 237th birthday. Without America, the world would be less secure, less prosperous, and less free. So heres looking at you, kid. We're working to ensure that the best years still lie ahead. Best wishes, Danielle Pletka Foreign and Defense Policy Studies, Vice President dpletka@aei.org Alexandra Della Rocchetta Foreign and Defense Policy Studies, Program Manager adr@aei.org Stephan Burklin Foreign and Defense Policy Studies, Communications Assistant stephan.burklin@aei.org

Tweet of the Week

Michael Auslin @michaelauslin Great. Ours worked so well. #SeeRussiaResetOrChangeWeCanBelieveIn RT @TheLeadCNN: People in Egypt view this as a reset

In the News
Egypt
At least 40 are dead after gunmen opened fire on Muslim Brotherhood protestors demanding the reinstatement of ousted president Mohamed Morsi. In his latest AEIdeas blog post, Michael Rubin spells out what President Obama should learn from Egypts coup: "Democracy is about more than elections. While Morsi and his fellow travelers will seek to position themselves as democratic martyrs, we shouldnt believe any of it. The military isnt seizing power for itself

but rather seeking a technocratic body to ensure that all Egyptian communities have input in the new constitution." Be on the lookout for an AEIdeas blog post today by Danielle Pletka with some Q&A about coups, aid, ElBaradei, and other matters Egyptian. Click here to watch Michael Rubin discuss the latest developments in Egypt on ABC's "This Week." In The Weekly Standard, Thomas Donnelly asks, Where's America? He argues: "At the moment of turning, we are absent without leave. This is a moral, as well as a strategic and political failing, for which we are bound to pay. Our friends will shun us and think us weak; our adversaries will agree and continue to exploit an opportunity they never expected." Keep your eyes peeled for a new AEI video featuring Michael Rubin, who will share his thoughts on the Egyptian coup and consider possible outcomes.

Iran
In August, the United Nations atomic watchdog may meet Iranian nuclear negotiators for the first time since President Hassan Rouhani came to power last month. The current dual-track (sanctions and negotiations) approach being pursued by the Iranian administration has thus far failed to roll back Iran's developing weapons capability. Iran now stands at the threshold of a rapid breakout capability and is amassing a small arsenal's worth of enriched uranium. This week's Iran Tracker will feature Maseh Zarif's latest Iranian nuclear program assessment.

Defense
This week marks the beginning of mandatory furloughs for 650,000 civilian defense workers, who will be forced to take one unpaid day off each week between now and September 21. Keep your eyes peeled for Thomas Donnelly and Gary Schmitt's forthcoming editorial in The Weekly Standard. They will argue that while the defense reform agenda may be laudable, it cannot make up for the size of the cuts under sequestration, and could even give policymakers and members of Congress an excuse for not addressing the current budget crisis.

Russia
The Washington Post reported this morning that Russian authorities appear intent on using all their resources police, courts, legislature, and media to crack down on dissent for years to come. Civil unrest, no matter where it takes place, is always difficult to assess. For experts and policymakers alike, the dilemma is depicted by metaphors as well-worn as they are accurate: Flash in the pan or tip of the iceberg? Do demonstrations and rallies manifest intense but fleeting anger and frustration? Or do they represent enduring sentiments that may eventually force major reforms or even regime change? Leon Aron's latest Journal of Democracy piece, Putin versus civil society, explores how todays

Russian protests reflect past civil-rights movements. Also check out How Putin does it, Arons review of Masha Gessens A Man Without A Face. Her biography of Putin serves as a foundation for further meditation on Putins political career and ambitions.

Guantanamo
President Obama may face opposition from his own party in his renewed bid to shutter the Guantanamo Bay (Gitmo) detention camp, as many moderate Senate Democrats face tough reelection races. President Obama's recent speech at the National Defense University marked his most comprehensive public remarks about Gitmo since an ongoing hunger strike refocused attention on the prison. Join Marc Thiessen and Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-KS) tomorrow at AEI for a conversation about the facility and the implications of its closure for Americas security. RSVP here.

Best of Blogs
Here is the best of what AEI's foreign and defense policy scholars are reading this week: Jeffrey Goldberg at Bloomberg View says "Good riddance to Brotherhood's fake democrats" Steven A. Cook at The Christian Science Monitor writes, "Nice-guy Obama fails Turkey's democracy" Eric Trager at The Wall Street Journal on "Witnessing a coup in Egypt" Mark Schneider at The Washington Times discusses "Russia's arms-control violations" Gen. Martin E. Dempsey at The Washington Post insists, "The military needs to reach out to civilians" Jack David at National Review Online considers "Obama's nuclear-zero dream" David Satter at the New York Post writes, "So much for the reset" Steve LeVine at The Atlantic lists "10 reasons why everyone is protesting" Garry Kasparov at The Daily Beast writes, "Putin toys with Obama as Syria burns and Snowden runs free" Charles Dunne at CNN's GPS blog writes, "Time running out to aid Syria's rebels" Zachary Keck at The Diplomat explains "Why countries build nuclear weapons in the 21st Century" Charles Krauthammer at The Washington Post on "Obama's global-warming folly"
American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research | 1150 17th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20036 P: 202.862.5800 | F: 202.862.7177 | www.aei.org If you have trouble reading this message, click here to view it as a web page. If you were forwarded this message, click here to sign up for The Rundown. This message is intended for sarah.murphy@aei.org. You are subscribed to AEIs The Rundown emails. You may unsubscribe or manage your subscriptions.