• U.S. Creates New Antisemitism Task Force

    Four out of 10 Jews in the US feel less secure than they did a year ago. Faced with an uptick in antisemitism, the White House responds with an action plan.

  • Three Ways to Prevent School Shootings, Based on Research

    We study the circumstances that lead to violence in which an attacker picks a target – like a person, group, or school – in advance. We find that the same patterns of concerning behavior emerge among the perpetrators, but that’s not all. We also find that there are often many opportunities to intervene with the perpetrator before the tragedy that peers, family members, school staff, law enforcement officials, and others miss.

  • The U.S. Needs to Ditch Its America-First Approach to Critical Minerals

    More and more countries with advanced economies have begun to prioritize the supply and value chains for critical minerals and rare-earth elements because of their links with advanced and low-emissions technologies. In some countries, governments have responded to the critical minerals challenge by adopting a new version of economic nationalism. But unilateral responses will not produce secure or reliable supply chains. Indeed, economic nationalism may actually aggravate the problem.

  • Havana Syndrome Not Caused by Directed-Energy Weapons: U.S. Intelligence

    In 2016 in Havana, Cuba’s capital, a growing number of U.S. diplomats reported symptoms of unexplained ailment, and over the next five years, employees in many other U.S. embassies complained about identical symptoms, which included dizziness, nausea, headaches, ringing ears, and disorientation. A comprehensive investigation by several agencies of the U.S. intelligence community has now concluded that the symptoms of what came to be called the Havana Syndrome were not the result of an adversary nation using directed-energy or radiation weapons.

  • ATF Director: Action Needed on Auto Sears Which Are“Flooding Our Communities”

    Fully automatic weapons are highly regulated, but the agency has recovered a startling number of machine gun conversion devices in recent years.

  • Iran Enriching Uranium to Near-Weapon-Grade 84%: IAEA

    IAEA inspectors found uranium particles enriched up to nearly 84 percent in Iran’s underground Fordow uranium enrichment site. The 83.7 percent enriched uranium is just below the 90 percent purity needed for nuclear weapons. Experts say that Iran would need no more than 10-14 days to use the material to produce an atomic bomb.

  • China Said to Ask Domestic Firms to Shun Big Four Accountants

    In a possible sign that the so-called “decoupling” of the U.S. and Chinese economies is continuing, a recent media report said that the Chinese government has urged large state-owned enterprises (SOEs) to cease using the world’s biggest global accounting firms to audit their onshore businesses.

  • Risk of Terrorist Acts Tied to Location, Demographic, and Social Characteristics

    A new study combines two existing analytical tools—risk terrain modeling and conjunctive analysis—to link location and risk of terrorism. This approach identifies areas of high risk, providing opportunities for more effective interventions.

  • Farrakhan Predicts Another Holocaust, Espouses Antisemitism and Bigotry in Saviours’ Day Speech

    The Nation of Islam (NOI) held its annual Saviours’ Day conference in Chicago the weekend of February 24–26, serving once again as a platform for vitriolic antisemitism and bigotry.

  • 30 Years Later, Waco Siege Still Resonates – Especially Among Anti-Government Extremists

    The Waco siege and fiery end continue to inspire extremists. What unites many of the groups influenced by Waco is a belief that the federal government is tyrannical and willing to attack citizens while depriving them of liberty, freedom, and firearms. The perception of a lack of consequences for the deaths at Waco is perceived, in and of itself, as proof of extremist beliefs.

  • Great Leap Nowhere: The Challenges of China’s Semiconductor Industry

    China is struggling in the battle for advanced semiconductor technology. With President Joe Biden’s most recent round of export controls on semiconductors, China is now facing an increasingly urgent challenge as it seeks to ramp up its domestic innovative capacity for high-end chips. These difficulties and challenges notwithstanding, Elliot Ji writes, “U.S. policymakers should be keenly aware that China’s relative success with creative adaptation means that it can boost certain sectors of the chip industry by exploiting leaky export controls and engaging in cyber espionage.”

  • Why Church Committee Alums Urged New House Panel to Avoid Partisanship

    The bipartisan Church Committee of the mid-1970s was created in the wake of New York Times stories on intelligence abuses by the CIA targeting American dissidents. It uncovered decades of intelligence and Civil Rights abuses by the FBI, CIA, and the NSA, and led to sweeping oversight reforms. House Republicans this month launched a House Judiciary subcommittee to look into the “weaponization” of the federal government. It would be a good idea to follow the bipartisan – and non-partisan — example of the Church Committee. 

  • All Wars Eventually End – Here Are 3 Situations That Will Lead Russia and Ukraine to Make Peace

    All wars end, however, and research shows that almost half end in some type of agreement to stop the fighting. The others end in victory for one side or when, for a variety of reasons, the fighting simply peters out. As Ukraine readies to enter its second year of a widespread war with Russia, it would be useful to consider how wars end and what conditions need to be in place before the war between Russia and Ukraine might draw to a close.

  • Staying the Unfavorable Course

    Why did U.S. goals in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2016 not evolve? How do policymakers attempt to adapt national security decision-making processes when their policies are not achieving their intended results?

  • Ohio Chemical Spill Draws Focus on Railroad Dangers

    The U.S. has one of the most extensive rail networks in the world, but diminishing safety standards puts people and the environment at risk. The latest accident has drawn sharp focus onto the safety standards of the highly profitable freight rail industry and its prolific lobbying against regulation.