Graphic design for annual Barents Spektakel in Kirkenes, Norway, depicting Chinese characters in celebration of the festival’s 2019 theme: ‘The World’s Northernmost Chinatown’” Photo Credit: Pikene på Broen AS, featured at Crypolitics. By: Ashley Postler, Columnist The globalized nature of climate change—“what happens in the Arctic does not stay in the Arctic”[i]—and the vast economic … Continue reading A “Near-Arctic” Newcomer: China’s Maturing Arctic Strategy
Category: Topics
The Competition Heats Up: Climate Change and the Erosion of U.S. Military Power
A fire burns several miles behind Space Launch Complex-3, housing the Atlas V rocket & WorldView 4 satellite, at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. Photo Credit: Mike Eliason/Santa Barbara County Fire Department via AP. By: Christine Bang-Andersen, Columnist The costs and risks associated with climate change have long been exacerbated by its denial, but the … Continue reading The Competition Heats Up: Climate Change and the Erosion of U.S. Military Power
Estonia’s Cybersphere as an Asset and a Vulnerability
Photo Credit: https://e-estonia.com/ By: Nikolai F. Rice Estonia’s e-governance regularly pushes the boundaries of cyber-administration. Roughly three-quarters the territory of West Virginia and a population just smaller than Maine, Estonia’s size plays to its cyber-administrative advantage.[i] The nation manages it taxes, elections, and healthcare administration almost entirely online.[ii] The unfortunate byproduct of Estonia’s rapid cyber development … Continue reading Estonia’s Cybersphere as an Asset and a Vulnerability
The Crumbling of Arms Control and the Premise of “Equal Security”
U.S. President, Ronald Reagan and Soviet General Secretary, Mikhail Gorbachev signed the treaty on 8 December 1987. Photo Credit: AP Photo/Bob Daugherty By: Krystel Von Kumberg The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty signed in 1987 by US President Ronald Reagan and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, eliminating intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles, is being erased. [i] Leaving the … Continue reading The Crumbling of Arms Control and the Premise of “Equal Security”
Encouraging Cross-Border Data Flows Can Enable the U.S. to Maintain its Edge in AI
Global Connections (World map texture credits to NASA) Photo Credit: Getty Images. By: Diane Pinto, Columnist When it comes to artificial intelligence as with other commercial and military tools, it is strategically best for U.S. interests for the U.S. to remain at the forefront. So, when reports come out that China could overtake the U.S. … Continue reading Encouraging Cross-Border Data Flows Can Enable the U.S. to Maintain its Edge in AI
An American National Information Security Strategy
Photo Credit: iStock By: Kevin Truitte, Columnist In today’s Digital Age, information is a potent weapon. American adversaries such as Russia and China understand the power of information and seek to manipulate it to their advantage. From injecting or magnifying divisive messages in social media to penetrating government networks to steal employee information, they understand … Continue reading An American National Information Security Strategy
Could Pakistan Provoke a Nuclear War?
The U.S. should prioritize Pakistan as a nuclear threat as the country's' nuclear arsenal continues to rapidly grow as a deterrent from India aggression while Pakistani affiliated terrorist organizations raise the chances of a conflict. Photo Credit: Reuters. By: Adrienne Thompson, Columnist Pakistan's nuclear arsenal remains exposed to terrorist organizations holding anti-western sentiments as Pakistan's … Continue reading Could Pakistan Provoke a Nuclear War?
Biosecurity and the National Security Community
Laboratory researcher using a light microscope to examine stem cells in a culture jar. At right are a pipette, samples and DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) helix to illustrate genetic editing and research. Photo Credit: SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY via AP Images. By: Roxanne Heston, Columnist Biosecurity is the field working to mitigate the risks of natural pandemics, … Continue reading Biosecurity and the National Security Community
Hacker Militias or Cyber Command? The U.S. and Russian Institutionalization of Cyber Warfare
Russia’s reliance on proxy “hackers-for-hire” to accomplish strategic objectives have led some to question why Russia has yet to institutionalize its cyber workforce into its military. However, instead of creating its own "Cyber Command," Russia’s reliance on the hacker network for talent maximizes the country’s deniability in cyber operations (plausible or not), while remaining low-cost. … Continue reading Hacker Militias or Cyber Command? The U.S. and Russian Institutionalization of Cyber Warfare
To Counter Iran, the U.S. Will Need Turkish Support
President Erdogan and President Trump. Photo Credit: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images By: Hamad Abbas, Columnist In light of the continued failure of US traditional regional partners to counter Iranian expansion in the Middle East, the United States should cooperate with Turkey in situations in which thwarting Iran benefits both parties; although the U.S. will also need resolve … Continue reading To Counter Iran, the U.S. Will Need Turkish Support