Word cloud showing five alleged IRA accounts’ most-discussed topics topics on Reddit. This graph was generated using a frequency analysis of selected comments and submission from Reddit. This piece was authored by an anonymous SSP student Background The Russian Federation’s alleged interference in the 2016 presidential election has been the subject of much media fanfare, … Continue reading Analyzing Five Alleged IRA Reddit Accounts
Category: Topics
ISIS’s Female Morality Police
Photo Credit: NBC News Forty lashes was the standard punishment for women who wore high heels or headscarves with designs on them in areas of Raqqa and Mosul.[1] These lashes were doled out by the Hisbah division of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, which focused on strictly enforcing Sharia Law in ISIS conquered … Continue reading ISIS’s Female Morality Police
The U.S. Military’s Greatest Contemporary Adversary: COVID-19
Photo Credit: NavyTimes By sidelining an aircraft carrier, the Covid-19 pandemic has accomplished something that neither China nor Russia ever has.[i] In March of 2020, the USS Theodore Roosevelt made an emergency port call in Guam[ii] due to roughly 25% of its almost 5,000 sailors onboard testing positive for Covid-19.[iii] The outbreak led to the … Continue reading The U.S. Military’s Greatest Contemporary Adversary: COVID-19
Racism is Systemic in Artificial Intelligence Systems, Too
Artificial intelligence systems have the capability to exploit existing systemic inequalities due to the ease for bias to seep in. Photo Credit: Geralt/Pixabay When many people think of artificial intelligence (AI) systems, they think of robots or self-driving cars. AI often elicits a sense of amazement, of wonder, of possibility for the future. But just … Continue reading Racism is Systemic in Artificial Intelligence Systems, Too
Smart Devices: A Necessary Evil for Military Operations?
Photo Credit: Military Embedded Systems At the beginning of the twenty-first century, camera phones were a new commodity – and their effects on battlefield operations were largely unknown. Two decades later, their rapid development and newfound capabilities pose a litany of security concerns for our deployed servicemembers, such as geotagging that enables kinetic targeting and … Continue reading Smart Devices: A Necessary Evil for Military Operations?
The Role of the Media in Normalizing Women’s Political Violence
Photo Credit: Getty Images In March 2011, Vogue ran a now infamous article on Syrian First Lady Asma al-Assad titled “A Rose in the Desert.” The author, Joan Juliet Buck, extolled the glamour of the al-Assad family despite the well-known authoritarian nature of Bashar’s regime. As the Syrian state responded violently to the Arab Spring … Continue reading The Role of the Media in Normalizing Women’s Political Violence
Philippines’ Anti-Terrorism Act and Deteriorating Rule of Law
Photo Credit: Rappler.com The Philippines’ Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020 championed by President Rodrigo Duterte is destined for failure. The law, which is meant to take a hardline stance combatting insurgencies in the Philippines, is yet another example of the deteriorating rule of law under the Duterte Administration and the nation’s failure to learn from the … Continue reading Philippines’ Anti-Terrorism Act and Deteriorating Rule of Law
Does the Future of Artificial Intelligence Favor Authoritarianism?
Photo Credit: Seeedstudio.com In our networked world, artificial intelligence (AI) methodologies can be copied and pasted with minimal modification until they become geopolitical forces. On April 8, 2021, the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) released its Global Trends 2040 report, noting more centrally than ever that AI is not only an … Continue reading Does the Future of Artificial Intelligence Favor Authoritarianism?
Gendering Security: Making Public Places Safe
Photo Credit: Kateryna Kyslyak / EyeEm Earlier this year, on March 8, women were celebrated all around the world for International Women’s Day. It has become a tradition that, on this day, speeches are spoken about the tremendous roles that women are playing in our societies and photos are shared about women we care about … Continue reading Gendering Security: Making Public Places Safe
Nuclear Disarmament: Why Reaching for Zero Makes Sense
India's Brahmos missile, which was developed jointly with Russia, on display in 2018. Photo Credit: Politico, Arun Sankar/AFP/Getty Images Nuclear weapons have dominated U.S. security strategy for decades. The overwhelming power of these weapons has captivated the minds of U.S. scholars, strategists, and policymakers alike. However, this fascination with complete annihilation has created an impenetrable bubble around … Continue reading Nuclear Disarmament: Why Reaching for Zero Makes Sense