"A Russian serviceman is seen behind pro-Russian activists at the Belbek Sevastopol International Airport in the Crimea region, March 4, 2014." Photo credit: Business Insider What do a South Asian statesman from the fourth-century BCE and current members of Russia’s Ministry of Defence have in common? The belief that war should be conducted by incorporating … Continue reading Kautilya in the Gray Zone: How Russia has Successfully Adopted Two-Thousand Year Old Teachings
Category: Topics
Towards a Non-Nation State
Detail from a poster for the Codesa talks. Credit: Judy Seidman Neither Settler nor Native: The Making and Unmaking of Permanent Minoritiesby Mahmood MamdaniThe Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 401 pp., $29.95 In his probing essay “In Search of a Majority” the late James Baldwin seeks to understand why Black people are treated the … Continue reading Towards a Non-Nation State
What’s New in the 2020 US National Space Strategy?
Photo credit: European Space Agency (ESA) The US National Space Policy (NSP) outlines military, civil, and commercial efforts in space and is the authoritative policy document that guides the space activities of NASA, the intelligence community, and the Departments of Defense, State, Commerce, Energy, Homeland Security, Transportation, and Interior. Therefore, the publication of a new … Continue reading What’s New in the 2020 US National Space Strategy?
Turkey’s New Joint Operational Concepts Foreshadow the Future of Armed Conflict
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan Stands in Front of a Bayraktar TB-2 Drone. Photo Credit: AA Following the July 15, 2016 coup attempt and subsequent violent purges, Turkish Armed Forces launched major military operations in Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Libya and continued to expand basing across North Africa.[i] These operations exhibited characteristics indicative of the … Continue reading Turkey’s New Joint Operational Concepts Foreshadow the Future of Armed Conflict
The Recent Rise of the Far-Right
Photo Credit: Getty Images The January 6th events at the Capitol were heinous, lethal, and extreme. They were also predictable. For a nation that touts itself as the beacon of a liberal world order, many were left scratching their heads and wondering, “how could this happen here?” The answer to that question has been hiding … Continue reading The Recent Rise of the Far-Right
Rape as a Weapon of War in Tigray
Photo Credit: Courthouse News Service The recent violence in the Tigray region of Ethiopia along the country’s northern border with Eritrea has been disproportionately victimizing women and children. The Ethiopian government and regional forces are using rape as a weapon of war to demoralize and terrorize local civilians.[1] Even once women flee to refugee camps … Continue reading Rape as a Weapon of War in Tigray
Arms for Oil: How North Korea and Iran Facilitate Each Other’s Security Strategies
North Korea launches a short-range missile, July 26, 2019. Photo Credit: BBC The Islamic Republic of Iran and the Democratic Republic of Korea (DPRK) have established a relationship that serves both of their security strategies. Their cooperation is a functional means to withstand their mutual economic isolation as well as a threatening move against their … Continue reading Arms for Oil: How North Korea and Iran Facilitate Each Other’s Security Strategies
Purge White Supremacist Extremism from the Military
Photo credit: Australia Broadcasting Service, Emma Machan and Ola Haydar In October, 2020, the Department of Homeland Security released an annual assessment that declared white supremacist violence the “most persistent and lethal threat in the homeland.”[i] That sentiment, echoed by FBI Director Christopher Wray in his February address to Congress, supports the general consensus among … Continue reading Purge White Supremacist Extremism from the Military
Joint Artificial Intelligence Center: An Opportunity for Transparency
Stylized representation of Joint All Domain Command and Control. Photo Credit: Raytheon Intelligence and Space. In 2018, the Department of Defense (DoD) set up the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC) to consolidate the DoD’s artificial intelligence R&D projects under one organization. The JAIC is currently responsible for over 30 projects with broad applications, including battlefield … Continue reading Joint Artificial Intelligence Center: An Opportunity for Transparency
The First Step Towards Justice
Photo credit: Reuters The indictment of Alexanda Kotey, 36, and El Shafee Elsheikh, 32, on Wednesday, October 7th represents the first step towards achieving justice for their victims and bringing a measure of solace to their grieving families. As members of ISIS, Kotey and Elsheikh were dubbed “The Beatles” because of their British accents. In … Continue reading The First Step Towards Justice