Representatives meeting at the XIII Meeting of the Political Council of ALBA. Photo Credit: Nina Zambrano Díaz. Foreign Ministry of Ecuador. On September 26, the United States imposed sanctions on Raúl Castro, brother of the late Fidel Castro and head of the Cuban Communist Party (PCC), over Cuba’s support for Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. The … Continue reading Bolivarian Brotherhood: The Roots of the Cuba-Venezuela Relationship and its Future Trajectory
Real Minds Gather to Discuss Artificial Intelligence at the Kalaris Intelligence Conference
Sue Gordon, Former Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence, speaking at the Kalaris Conference. Photo Credit: GSSR/Hunter Price. Academics, government officials, and private sector members descended upon Gaston Hall on September 25, 2019 for the Georgetown University Center for Security Studies’ (CSS) and Center for Security and Emerging Technology’s (CSET) annual Kalaris Intelligence Conference. Together, … Continue reading Real Minds Gather to Discuss Artificial Intelligence at the Kalaris Intelligence Conference
How Turkey’s “Safe Zone” Could Become a Killing Field for Syria’s Civilians
A woman and her children flee Northern Syria as Turkish forces advance. Photo source: REUTERS/Rodi Said. At a meeting in mid-September Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan outlined a plan to create a safe zone in northern Syria wherein up to three million Syrian refugees currently residing in Turkey could be relocated.[i] This plan, though, rests … Continue reading How Turkey’s “Safe Zone” Could Become a Killing Field for Syria’s Civilians
America Needs an Arctic Strategy
An HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopter assigned to the 210th Rescue Squadron, Alaska Air National Guard, and two UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters assigned to the 1-207th Aviation Regiment, Alaska Army Air National Guard, fly over the Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine USS Hampton (SSN 757) during Ice Exercise (ICEX) 2016. Photo Credit: Mass Communication Specialist 2nd … Continue reading America Needs an Arctic Strategy
Estonia’s Digital Embassies and the Concept of Sovereignty
An e-Estonia display. Photo Credit: E-Estonia. INTRODUCTION I have previously covered e-Estonia and the strategic risks Estonia’s e-government platforms pose for Estonian and NATO cybersecurity by presenting a ready center of gravity for adversarial cyber operations.[i] That risk is calculated against the revolutionary benefits that e-governance has brought Estonia, making the country’s administration incredibly flexible, … Continue reading Estonia’s Digital Embassies and the Concept of Sovereignty
The Fluctuation of Radicalization and the Fluidity of Extremist Belief-Systems
A group of white nationals marching. Photo Source: Mykal McEldowney/AP. Radicalization is difficult to fully grasp because of its complex historic milieu, geographic peculiarities, and individualistic idiosyncrasies. Frank Furedi, a sociologist best known for his work on the psychology of fear, argues that a government’s portrayal of radicalization usually has a “fantasy like character,” designed … Continue reading The Fluctuation of Radicalization and the Fluidity of Extremist Belief-Systems
The Paralysis of the International Norm against Conventional Weapons Proliferation
President Trump holding an executive order pulling the United States out of the Arms Trade Treaty. Photo Source: Lucas Jackson/Reuters. The norm against conventional weapons proliferation is a relative newcomer on the international legal scene. The first major multilateral treaty regulating the global arms trade, the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT), was only signed in 2013. … Continue reading The Paralysis of the International Norm against Conventional Weapons Proliferation
Is Green the New Black? Katharina Schulze is Reshaping Politics in Germany’s Bavaria
Katharina Schulze in front of a green background. Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons. At 34 years old, Katharina Schulze does not fit the stereotypical mold of a Bavarian politician. She is young, dynamic, and a self-described feminist, not to mention a member of the Green Party. Although one might picture an older, male, Christian Social Union … Continue reading Is Green the New Black? Katharina Schulze is Reshaping Politics in Germany’s Bavaria
Unfreezing the Status Quo: Palestinian Politics After Mahmoud Abbas
Palestinian President Abbas addresses the UN General Assembly. Photo Source: Reuter/Lucas Jackson. In mid-September, Israel held its second election in five months to determine the makeup of the 22nd Knesset. Noteworthy was the impressive performance by Benny Gantz and his centrist Blue and White Party, which outmaneuvered Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud for a 33-32 seat … Continue reading Unfreezing the Status Quo: Palestinian Politics After Mahmoud Abbas
The Lack of a US Response to Iran’s Brazen Actions may be its Most Escalatory Move Yet
Riverine Command Boats (RCB) 802 and 805 participate in a bi-lateral exercise with Kuwait naval forces in the Arabian Gulf. Photo Credit: U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Torrey W. Lee. Iran's ongoing attacks on oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz and its escalatory strike on Saudi Arabia's oil facilities in Abqaiq have jolted … Continue reading The Lack of a US Response to Iran’s Brazen Actions may be its Most Escalatory Move Yet