Photo Credit: Military.com By: Paul Kumst, Columnist The upcoming Fifth Review Conference of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) may set the stage for a preventive ban of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS), also referred to as “Killer Robots.” However, a variety of factors make it doubtful that a capable and committed Group of … Continue reading Banning Killer Robots? A Way Forward
Month: November 2016
Why the Trump Administration Should Embrace CVE
Photo Credit: Chicago Tribune By: Kaitlin Sandin, Columnist Before and since the election, president-elect Trump and his allies have made clear that the new administration is willing to discard policies and programs that they believe add little value, regardless of their popularity within either political party. While some may welcome a dizzying reorganization of the … Continue reading Why the Trump Administration Should Embrace CVE
Demonetization: The Stumbling Block in Modi’s India?
Photo Credit: Quartz By: Trisha Ray, Columnist On November 8, 2016, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi unexpectedly announced that all high-value currency notes would no longer be legal tender, effective midnight.[i] This declaration made valueless 86% of the currency in circulation at the time.[ii] The lack of transparency, forethought and planning that accompanied this policy … Continue reading Demonetization: The Stumbling Block in Modi’s India?
NATO’s Perfect Storm: Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin
Photo Credit: NATO By: Andrew Watts, Columnist In his first press conference since voters elected Donald Trump into the Oval Office, President Obama sought to reassure allies that the president elect has “a great interest in maintaining our [US] core strategic relationships” and that “there [will be] no weakening of resolve” when it comes to … Continue reading NATO’s Perfect Storm: Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin
Kobe Confidential: Japan’s Yakuza War One Year In
Photo Credit: Daily Beast By Jake Howry, Columnist For more than a year, the Japanese underworld has been engaged in the largest gang war the country has seen in more than three decades. On August 27, 2015, as Japan’s largest criminal organization—the Yamaguchi-gumi, which represents approximately 45% of all yakuza in the country—celebrated the 100th … Continue reading Kobe Confidential: Japan’s Yakuza War One Year In
Solidifying Xi’s Power: Key Takeaways from China’s Sixth Plenum
Photo Credit: South China Morning Post By: Michael Daly, Columnist In late October, China’s top leadership gathered in Beijing for the Sixth Plenum of the 18th Central Committee in Beijing. This year’s iteration of the annual meeting of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership focused on intra-Party governance. At this meeting, President Xi Jinping further … Continue reading Solidifying Xi’s Power: Key Takeaways from China’s Sixth Plenum
It’s All About the Ships and the Schedule: US Freedom of Navigation Operations in the South China Sea
Photo Credit: BangBreachClear.com By: Annie Kowalewski, Columnist On October 21st, the United States conducted its fourth freedom of navigation operation (FONOP) in the South China Sea (SCS). The USS Decatur conducted the transit within “the vicinity of the Paracel Islands to uphold the rights and freedoms of all States under international law, as reflected in … Continue reading It’s All About the Ships and the Schedule: US Freedom of Navigation Operations in the South China Sea
Bioterror: The Known Unknown
Photo Credit: NPR By: Shannon Mizzi, Columnist It is increasingly clear that nation states no longer have a monopoly on biological weapons. At the same time, new technology is making the information and equipment needed to create them cheaper and more accessible. Both state and non-state actors could weaponize known bacteria or viruses such as … Continue reading Bioterror: The Known Unknown
Hezbollah’s Tenure in Syria: Tactical and Strategic Implications
Photo Credit: NationalSecurity.com By: Sarah Gilkes, Columnist In a televised address on May 25, 2013, Hezbollah Secretary General Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah formally announced the organization’s involvement in the Syrian conflict.[i] In the weeks and months that followed Nasrallah’s address, commentators declared Hezbollah’s engagement in Syria the group’s Vietnam: a high-risk conflict that was likely to … Continue reading Hezbollah’s Tenure in Syria: Tactical and Strategic Implications
The Benefits and Risks of Human Performance Modification for the US Military
Photo Credit: StoriesbyWilliams (blog) By: Nicole Magney, Columnist The concept of human performance modifications—enhancements or degradations to the human body to affect either physical or physiological performance—as it relates to US military personnel’s ability to wage war is not new. In fact, some argue that American soldiers have been using human enhancement since the Revolutionary … Continue reading The Benefits and Risks of Human Performance Modification for the US Military