• Al Qaeda Renews Its Focus on Anti-Semitism and Attacking Israel

    For decades, Al Qaeda has used the issue of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to rally support for themselves and unify disparate Islamist movements under its banner. The terrorist organization, however, has failed to carry out attacks against Israel or against Jews in other countries, leading to criticism of Al Qaeda by other jihadist groups. In recent weeks, Al Qaeda has directed an unusual portion of its propaganda toward encouraging attacks on Israel, Jewish institutions, and Jewish people.

  • Who is Germany's 'New Right'?

    For the first time ever, the Bundesverfassungsschutz (BfV), Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, included a section on the “New Right” in its annual catalog of political extremists in Germany. The BfV said that the tag refers to an “informal network” of individuals and organizations which don’t openly organize or call for violent attacks, but rather focus on nurturing a far-right “cultural revolution” which threatens the German constitution and democratic institutions. The BfV says that the New Right movement promotes racist, xenophobic, and anti-democratic ideologies by subtle and slick professional means.

  • Holding the Line: Chinese Cyber Influence Campaigns After the Pandemic

    While the American public became more aware of Chinese cyber influence campaigns during the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak, they did not start there – and they will not end there, either. Maggie Baughman writes that as the world’s attention returns to the origins of the global pandemic and recommits to its containment, the United States must prepare for inevitable shifts in Chinese methods and goals in its cyber influence activities – “likely beyond what Western countries have previously experienced in dealing with China”

  • For Flood-Prone Cities, Seawalls Raise as Many Questions as They Answer

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, whose mission includes maintaining waterways and reducing disaster risks, has recently proposed building large and expensive seawalls to protect a number of U.S. cities, neighborhoods and shorelines from coastal storms and rising seas. As a scientist who studies the evolution and development of coastlines and the impacts of sea level rise, I believe that large-scale seawalls, which cost billions of dollars to build, are almost certainly a short-term strategy that will protect only a few cities, and will protect only selected portions of those cities effectively.

  • Why Did the Miami Apartment Building Collapse? And Are Others in Danger?

    It is too early to tell what caused the collapse of the Champlain Towers South Tower, but the following causes are now being examined: a progressive collapse as a result of a failure of a primary structural element, which then causes failure of adjoining members; the building was constructed on reclaimed wetlands, which may have been sinking; there was also construction work ongoing nearby, which could have disturbed the foundations; if there was a reduction in the capacity of the soil to support these loads, such as in the event of a sinkhole, there would be nothing underpinning the building.

  • In Launching of Anti-Crime Campaign, Biden Cites Old Data

    Ninety percent of guns found at crime scenes were sold by just 5% of gun dealers, President Joe Biden said Wednesday while unveiling his anti-crime initiative. But the 2000 ATF report has long been considered out of date, and irrelevant to today’s gun control debate. Supporters of the president’s initiative and gun-safety groups note that Biden had to rely on the 2000 report because there are no more recent ones: In 2003, Congress, under pressure from the gun lobby, passed legislation that prevents ATF from releasing the data.

  • Islamic World “Actively Collaborating” with China's Global Campaign against Uyghurs: Researchers

    A new report documents how governments — predominantly from Muslim-majority countries across the Middle East and Asia — have cooperated with Beijing to surveil, detain, and repatriate Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities from China who have fled Xinjiang.

  • Rethinking Research Security

    How can or should the United States protect the gains of innovation without damaging the very research base it wants to protect? Ainikki Riikonen and Emily Weinstein write that the U.S. government has rightfully identified the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as an adversary intent on stealing technology for its national interests, and the Department of Justice established the China Initiative as a countermeasure. “But the China Initiative misses the mark on an effective approach to research security. It is out of alignment with evolving research security initiatives in the rest of the federal government…. In its current form, research security under the China Initiative may damage America’s ability to innovate and continue defining the cutting edge of technological research in the long term.”

  • “Red Flag” Gun Laws and State Efforts to Block Local Legislation

    “Red flag” gun laws—which allow law enforcement to temporarily remove firearms from a person at risk of harming themselves or others—are gaining attention at the state and federal levels, but are under scrutiny by legislators who deem them unconstitutional. Legal scholars outline how such laws can reduce gun violence and still protect constitutional rights.

  • Terrorists Tried to Take Advantage of the Pandemic: EUROPOL’s Report

    Terrorists – Jihadists, right-wing, and left-wing — use any opportunity to erode democratic structures, spread fear, and polarize society. In 2020, terrorist organizations attempted to take advantage of the global pandemic to spread hate propaganda and exacerbate mistrust in public institutions. Terrorist groups made use of simple weaponry, easy-to-make explosive devices – and the internet.

  • Iran Says It Foiled “Sabotage Attack” on Nuclear Building

    State media said the attack occurred near Karaj, some 40 kilometers west of Tehran. Iran has experienced a series of suspected sabotage attacks targeting its nuclear program in recent months.

  • Reflections on Iran’s Production of 60% Enriched Uranium

    As of about June 14, Iran had reportedly produced 6.5 kg 60% enriched uranium (hexafluoride mass) or 4.4 kg uranium mass only. Iran has produced 60% enriched uranium at an average daily rate of 0.126 kg/day since May 22. Iran’s activity must be viewed as practicing breakout to make enriched uranium for use in nuclear weapons.

  • New Report Offers Chilling Details of China’s hidden Prisons

    A new illustrated report offers a disturbing look into China’s Residential Surveillance at a Designated Location (RSDL). The report depicts RSDL with artwork, satellite images, and architectural sketches to bring the reality of this secret prison system to light.

  • Can China Keep Rising?

    “The East is rising,” Chinese leaders took to declaring around the time U.S. President Joe Biden entered office, “and the West is declining.” Daniel Kurtz-Phelan, the executive editor of Foreign Affairs, writes that while the second part of that declaration may draw eye rolls or angry objections in Washington and allied capitals, “the first has become a point of near consensus: a self-assured China, bolstered by years of dazzling economic performance and the forceful leadership of Xi Jinping, has claimed its place as a world power and accepted that long-term competition with the United States is all but inevitable as a result.” He notes, though, that “past performance does not guarantee future results.”

  • How America Turned the Tables on Huawei

    The United States started warning allies and partners in 2019 that having the Chinese telecom firm Huawei build their 5G telecom infrastructure risked exposing their citizens’ and their official data to Chinese state surveillance. The Trump administration argued that countries should keep Huawei out, both for their own sake and for the sake of collective security among democratic allies.