-
U.S. treasury targets North Korea's missile proliferation network
U.S. Treasury invokes Executive Order 13382 to freeze the assets of Hong Kong Electronics; since 2007, the company has transferred million so f dollars worth of missile equipment to North Korea
-
-
U.K. Home Office makes ID card trial voluntary
Bowing to pressure, the Home Office has abandoned attempts to force workers at Manchester and London City airports to carry ID cards, opting to make the trial voluntary
-
-
Smuggled cigarettes used to finance terrorism
It costs $100,000 to produce 10 million cigarettes in China, which can reap revenues as high as $2 million in the United States; 9/11 cost al Qaeda only about $500,000 to pull off; other terrorists have noticed
-
-
U.K. biometrics industry signs up to new guidelines
The new guidelines will define the level of competence needed for a particular job role or occupation, and will be used to support individual and organizational development and quality assurance
-
-
U.S., Russia disagree on cybersecurity
Washington does not believe an international treaty is necessary, but Moscow is seeking a treaty resembling those negotiated on chemical warfare to address the threat of Internet hacker attacks on computer systems
-
-
Minnesota company recalls two years of food products
Plainview Milk Products Cooperative is recalling two years of food products — instant non-fat dried milk, whey protein, fruit stabilizers, and gums— due to possible salmonella contamination
-
-
Pervious concrete may eliminate need for storm drains
A Minnesota town experiments with a new concrete paving method that lets rainwater pass right through the street surface to prevent damaging runoff
-
-
GAO unimpressed with new radiation detectors
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) recommended further testing of next-generation radiation detectors; at more than $800,000 apiece, the new devices cost nearly 300 percent more than the machines in operation
-
-
DHS 2010 spending bill supports biometrics
The legislation includes $352 million for the U.S. Visitor and Immigrant Status Indicator Technology, known as US-VISIT, the department’s largest biometric program; this is $52 million more than the fiscal 2009 amount
-
-
Method discovered to process encrypted data without knowing its content
IBM researcher solves thorny mathematical problem that has confounded scientists since the invention of public-key encryption several decades ago; the breakthrough makes possible the analysis of encrypted information — data that has been intentionally scrambled — without sacrificing confidentiality
-
-
NYC to receive $50 million for radiation detection
The House approves the homeland security appropriation bill — with three Republican amendments; one of them, offered by Rep. Peter King of New York, added $50 million to restore funding for the Securing the Cities program, created to place radiological and nuclear sensors around New York City
-
-
Disk containing secret defense-contract details sold in Ghana for $40
Journalism students buy a hard-drive containing secret information on multi-million dollar contracts between Northrop Grumman and the Pentagon; they bought the drive at Ghana “digital dump” for $40
-
-
Obama to seek sweeping changes for cybersecurity
High administration official says that the administration wants to create “far-reaching incentives” for prioritizing cybersecurity in the private sector, which controls much of the nation’s critical IT infrastructure
-
-
Trust but verify, II
British and Norwegian scientists ran the first field trials of a device that could solve the problem of reliable verification: a gamma ray detector linked to a hand-held “information barrier”
-
-
U.K. government: Best cyber defense is cyber offense
New National Security Strategy document includes, for the first time, a public cyber security strategy; unnamed high government source: “We don’t want to engage in cyber war but we can’t remain a target for criminals to take a pop at”
-
The long view
Factories First: Winning the Drone War Before It Starts
Wars are won by factories before they are won on the battlefield,Martin C. Feldmann writes, noting that the United States lacks the manufacturing depth for the coming drone age. Rectifying this situation “will take far more than procurement tweaks,” Feldmann writes. “It demands a national-level, wartime-scale industrial mobilization.”
No Nation Is an Island: The Dangers of Modern U.S. Isolationism
The resurgence of isolationist sentiment in American politics is understandable but misguided. While the desire to refocus on domestic renewal is justified, retreating from the world will not bring the security, prosperity, or sovereignty that its proponents promise. On the contrary, it invites instability, diminishes U.S. influence, and erodes the democratic order the U.S. helped forge.
Fragmented by Design: USAID’s Dismantling and the Future of American Foreign Aid
The Trump administration launched an aggressive restructuring of U.S. foreign aid, effectively dismantling the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The humanitarian and geopolitical fallout of the demise of USAID includes shuttered clinics, destroyed food aid, and China’s growing influence in the global south. This new era of American soft power will determine how, and whether, the U.S. continues to lead in global development.
Water Wars: A Historic Agreement Between Mexico and US Is Ramping Up Border Tension
As climate change drives rising temperatures and changes in rainfall, Mexico and the US are in the middle of a conflict over water, putting an additional strain on their relationship. Partly due to constant droughts, Mexico has struggled to maintain its water deliveries for much of the last 25 years, deliveries to which it is obligated by a 1944 water-sharing agreement between the two countries.
How Disastrous Was the Trump-Putin Meeting?
In Alaska, Trump got played by Putin. Therefore, Steven Pifer writes, the European leaders and Zelensky have to “diplomatically offer suggestions to walk Trump back from a position that he does not appear to understand would be bad for Ukraine, bad for Europe, and bad for American interests. And they have to do so without setting off an explosion that could disrupt U.S.-Ukrainian and U.S.-European relations—all to the delight of Putin and the Kremlin.”
How Male Grievance Fuels Radicalization and Extremist Violence
Social extremism is evolving in reach and form. While traditional racial supremacy ideologies remain, contemporary movements are now often fueled by something more personal and emotionally resonant: male grievance.