Category: Timely Commentary & Analysis

Energy security in the era of hybrid warfare

By Arnold C. Dupuy, PhD

On July 2, 2020, the Atlantic Council hosted a kickoff workshop to help scope and define a study authorized by the NATO Science and Technology Board (STB) to analyze hybrid warfare’s impact on the Alliance’s energy security. As an actor in international security, NATO has a vital role to play in the nexus between energy security and hybrid warfare. For this reason, the STB has placed emphasis on the study, designated as Systems Analysis and Studies-163 (SAS-163), “Energy Security in the Era of Hybrid Warfare.”

Averting crisis: leveraging the energy transition to revitalize the coal belt

By Craig Hart

America is undergoing an energy transition away from coal that will leave coal-producing communities in crisis in the absence of policy action to help transition these regions to new and cleaner industries. Until leadership at the federal level arrives, local initiatives and regional coordination will be critical to leading this effort.

Beirut’s port explosion reveals underlying problems in energy supply

By Aki Peritz

The cataclysmic explosion at Beirut’s port on August 4th could not have come at a worse time. The nation was already reeling from multiple catastrophes such as a collapsing currency, an environmental disaster on its shores, 1.5 million refugees from Syria, and a healthcare system pushed to the brink by the COVID-19 pandemic. The explosion has only exacerbated one of Lebanon’s core calamities: the lack of stable electricity.

Guns and other events of August

By Harlan Ullman

Brent Scowcroft may have been small of stature. But he possessed a giant intellect. Mild manner and self-effacing, the general could be tougher than hardened steel if demanded and if necessary.

The legacy Brent Scowcroft leaves behind

By Frederick Kempe, Jeffrey Lightfoot

With Brent Scowcroft’s passing yesterday at age ninety-five, the United States lost one of the central players in the transatlantic community’s success in bringing a peaceful end to the half-century-long Cold War with the Soviet Union, in the remaking of the European map to include a reunified Germany, and in providing the opportunity for the spread of democracy and freedom to Central and Eastern Europe.

State of the Order: Assessing July 2020

The State of the Order breaks down the month's most important events impacting the democratic world order.

#DFRLabCoffeeBreak with Bellingcat Lead Investigator Christo Grozev

Christo Grozev is Lead Russia investigator for Bellingcat focusing on security threats, extraterritorial clandestine operations, and the weaponization of information. He and Senior Fellow Jakub Kalensý discuss the incredible conspiracy and propaganda surrounding the downing of flight MH 17 over Ukraine in 2014 and its ongoing trial. The DFRLab Coffee Break is a video series […]

Event recap | The future of trust and sensemaking

By Hannah Biggs

On July 30, 2020, the GeoTech Center hosted a discussion on ways to best increase trust and sensemaking in our communities as we further integrate our digital and physical lives.