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Good morning, The American Enterprise Institute Foreign and Defense Policy Studies team is pleased to share share the inaugural issue of "The Rundown," our freshly-minted e-newsletter. We'll be circulating circulating this newsletter every Monday morning to highlight our scholars' latest commentary and commentary and analysis on the most important news of the week. We're sharing this because of your interest in foreign and defense policy. We know you're pressed pressed for time and, if you're like most of us, loathe unwanted emails in your inbox. You will not will not continue to receive these emails unless you sign up. To subscribe to "The Rundown," fill out the form to the right. We won't share your email, won't spam you with other material, and welcome your suggestions about how to be better, more relevant, and more useful to you. Feel free to contact all of us with questions or feedback. Best wishes for a decent Monday, 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 @michaelauslin: One day, all this self-inflicted decline will make for a hell of a history. Wish I could be around to write it.

In the News
Defense
The Washington Post reports that Pentagon personnel costs now represent more than a quarter of all defense spending, the largest single slice of the federal budget after Social Security. More than two dozen defense experts from 10 major think tanks, including AEI's Mackenzie Eaglen and Thomas Donnelly, are joining forces to call on Congress to address Pentagon spending choices and avoid spending cuts that could undermine US national security. Pick up today's issue of The Hill to read this joint letter on the need for comprehensive defense reform. The letter will be rolled out today at an event on Capitol Hill, "The defense reform consensus." Speaking at the event will be Shawn Brimley (CNAS), Michael OHanlon (Brookings), Mackenzie Eaglen (AEI), David Berteau (CSIS), Gordon Ada ms (Stimson), Larry Korb (CAP), and Todd Harrison (CSBA).

Benghazi
The Libyan government is training new forces in a bid to regain territory under de facto control of an opaque network of armed militias, many of whom once fought to oust Colonel Muammar Gaddafi. On Tuesday, AEIs Jonah Goldberg, Marc Thiessen, and Danielle Pletka will talk scandal: "The latest on Benghazi, spying on the press, the IRS, and a bonus topic -- the end of the war on terror." These scholars will discuss the scandals plaguing the White House and consider their likely implications. We invite you to join their Google Hangout conversation at 1:15 p.m. on June 4.

Syria
Militants from the Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah clashed with Syrian rebels in a border region between the two countries, confirming fears of a spillover of the more than two-year-old conflict. This week, AEIs vice president of foreign and defense policy studies, Danielle Pletka, will testify in front of the House Foreign Affairs Committees Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa. Watch her testimony live here on Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. ICYMI: Check out Danielle Pletka's appearance on CNNs Fareed Zakaria GPS and her latest piece for CNNs Global Public Square blog.

Asia
Speaking at a security conference in Singapore this weekend, US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel insisted that the Pentagon will continue its pivot to Asia in spite of sharp budget cuts. On Tuesday, individuals from AEI, the Foreign Policy Initiative (FPI), the Project 2049 Institute, and the Long Term Strategy Group will release a memo on how the United States can best execute President

Obamas pivot to Asia. A Tuesday event on Capitol Hill, How to realize the Asia rebalances rhetoric, will feature representatives from AEI, FPI, and Project 2049 as they discuss the future of securing US interests in the Asia-Pacific.

Latin America
Buffeted by headwinds from the US, the pace of Mexicos economic growth will slow this year before it accelerates to 3.7 percent in 2014, according to the latest forecast of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. On June 12 at 9:30 a.m., AEI will host Mexican Ambassador Eduardo Medina Mora for a keynote address on the complexities of the US-Mexico relationship and the pace and direction of reforms that his government is pursuing. A panel discussion on Western Hemisphere-related issues will follow.

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