New World Next Week: Episode170 - ASEAN Union, Petition Shutdown, Monsanto's Nobel

NewWorldNextWeek.com: Episode170 -
ASEAN Union, Petition Shutdown, Monsanto's Nobel
Welcome to New World Next Week - the video series from Corbett Report and Media Monarchy that covers some of the most important developments in open source intelligence news. This week:

Story #1: ASEAN Countries Could Become Ground Zero For Another Proxy War
Crisis Group: Stirring up the South China Sea
Philippines, US launch South China Sea war games

Story #2: White House Shuts Down 'We The People' Petition Site
8 Wacky "We The People" Petitions That Actually Got Signatures
White House Petitions Still Waiting For A Response

Story #3: The Awarding of the World Food Prize to a Monsanto GMO Executive Is a Travesty
Seeds of Destruction: Hidden Agenda of Genetic Manipulation
Corbett Report: 5 GMO Myths Busted
Corbett Report: Episode241 - The Truth About the Gene Revolution
Media Monarchy: Sights and Sounds from the Bees and Seeds Festival
Media Monarchy: Interview w/ Keith McHenry of @FoodNotBombs

Visit NewWorldNextWeek.com to get previous episodes in various formats to download, burn and share. And as always, stay up-to-date by subscribing to the feeds from Corbett Report here and Media Monarchy here. Thank you.

Previous: Black Sites, Designer Babies, FDA Shutdown

Expanded Role Proposed for 'Elite' Military Forces

from nytimes.com: As the United States turns increasingly to Special Operations forces to confront developing threats scattered around the world, the nation’s top Special Operations officer, a member of the Navy Seals who oversaw the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, is seeking new authority to move his forces faster and outside of normal Pentagon deployment channels.

The officer, Adm. William H. McRaven, who leads the Special Operations Command, is pushing for a larger role for his elite units who have traditionally operated in the dark corners of American foreign policy. The plan would give him more autonomy to position his forces and their war-fighting equipment where intelligence and global events indicate they are most needed.

It would also allow the Special Operations forces to expand their presence in regions where they have not operated in large numbers for the past decade, especially in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

While President Obama and his Pentagon’s leadership have increasingly made Special Operations forces their military tool of choice, similar plans in the past have foundered because of opposition from regional commanders and the State Department. The military’s regional combatant commanders have feared a decrease of their authority, and some ambassadors in crisis zones have voiced concerns that commandos may carry out missions that are perceived to tread on a host country’s sovereignty, like the rift in ties with Pakistan after the Bin Laden raid.