Category: Blogs

‘Null Set’ Not the Answer to Putin’s Cyberattacks

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Retired Gen. Philip Breedlove, a former NATO Supreme Allied Commander for Europe, suggests a measured response The United States must respond to the cyberattacks it has accused Russia of carrying out without triggering an all-out cyber war, retired Gen. Philip Breedlove, a former NATO Supreme Allied Commander for Europe, said at the Atlantic Council on […]

TTIP&TRADE in Action – November 4, 2016

By Global Business & Economics Program

EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, Canadian International Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, European Council President Donald Tusk, and EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström came together to sign the EU- Canada Free Trade Agreement on October 30, 2016. Check out this blog post for EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström’s take on the CETA.

The Department of Defense: Facing The Barrel of a Coded Gun

By Ian Fairchild

In October, Mirai malware used default login credentials to compromise thousands of routers, digital video recorders, Internet cameras, and other Internet-connected devices. Mirai then created a botnet with the hacked hardware and targeted Dyn, a key provider of domain name services. The result wreaked havoc across the Internet, taking down several prominent websites and disrupting […]

It’s Time to Think About a Post-ISIS Strategy

As the military offensive in Mosul intensifies and plans are drawn up for an assault on Raqqa, the forces opposing the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) must consider the political implications of tactical engagement, specifically, who will assume control once the terrorist group is defeated? “When we talk about ISIS and the day […]

COP22, Climate Change, and Africa’s Future

By J. Peter Pham

On Monday, November 7, the 22nd Conference of Parties (COP22) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change will convene in Marrakech. The meeting’s venue in the fabled Moroccan caravan town—long a cultural, religious, and trading hub between the Maghreb and Sub-Saharan Africa—will focus attention on the irony that while among the regions of […]

Brexit Ruling is a Win for Parliamentary Democracy

By Erwan Lagadec

The era of “fact-free politics” just met its match, in that “facts are stubborn.” Populist politicians can distort much of the truth with little or no political consequences, but the British high court’s ruling on November 3 proves that for Nigel Farage, Boris Johnson, and Theresa May, ignoring the reality of the United Kingdom’s constitutional […]

Russian Leader Makes Nuclear Threat to Norway for Hosting US Marines

By The Local (Norway)

A key Russian defence figure says the deployment of US Marines at Værnes is part of a US buildup to go on a “global blitz” and warned that Norway may make itself a target for a potential nuclear attack.

MI5 Head: ‘Increasingly Aggressive’ Russia a Growing Threat to UK

By Ewen MacAskill and Paul Johnson, Guardian

Russia poses an increasing threat to the stability of the UK and is using all the sophisticated tools at its disposal to achieve its aims, the director general of MI5 has told the Guardian.

A Friendlier Majles Confirms New Rouhani Ministers

By Mehran Haghirian

President Hassan Rouhani addressed the Islamic Republic’s Majles (Parliament) on Nov. 1 on the occasion of confirmation hearings for three new ministers. With the help of his supporters within the Majles, all three nominees won votes of confidence and are now ministers at least until new presidential elections scheduled for May 19, 2017.