• The Israel-Hamas War and Resurgent Jihadist Threats to Europe and the United States

    The Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, and the Israeli response have had dangerous echoes around the world. Al-Qaeda, the Islamic State, and unaffiliated terrorists have seized on the attacks in their propaganda and to conduct, or attempt to conduct, attacks.

  • NYC to Launch Debit-Card Pilot Program for Migrants

    New York City announced it was launching what it described as a cost-saving pilot program to provide 500 migrant families with prepaid debit cards to buy food and baby supplies. The debit-cards will be loaded with an average of $12.52 per person, per day, for 28 days, and the city says the program will save $600,000 per month and $7.2 million annually relative to the current system of providing boxes with non-perishable food.

  • NYC’s EBT System for Benefit-Delivery System: Backgrounder

    In choosing to use the Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) system to deliver benefits to migrants, New York City has chosen a tried and proven benefits-delivery system. Over the past two decades, the EBT system has become the cornerstone of efforts by the federal, state, and local governments to deliver social benefits effectively, efficiently, and at a lower cost to the tax payer.

  • Germany and Nuclear Weapons: A Difficult History

    By Volker Witting and Rina Goldenberg

    Donald Trump’s suggestion that, should he become president again, the U.S. will no longer abide by NATO’s principle of collective defense, has sent shockwaves through Europe. German politicians have been discussing whether French and British nuclear weapons would suffice as a protective shield or whether Europe needs new nuclear weapons.

  • Hamas Is Returning to Northern Gaza Because Israel Has No Plan for the “Day After”

    Israel’s lack of coherence with regard to the future administrative governing of the Gaza Strip, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s refusal to articulate a “day after” vision for Gaza – he is worried that the far-right elements in his coalition would bolt if he allowed the Palestinian Authority to govern Gaza – have resulted in Hamas’s assuming, again, the role of governing Gaza. Rob Geist Pinfold writes that in the absence of any clear political vision for capitalizing on its military successes, Israel is allowing Hamas, which is the only party that is willing and able to provide these essential services, to assume many of its pre-7 October responsibilities.

  • The Balticconnector Incident: Hybrid Attacks and Critical Infrastructure Protection

    By Swasti Rao

    There is the recognition that Europe needs to invest more resources to proactively prevent attacks such on those related to the Nord Streams in 2022 and Balticconnector in 2023. The European Union and individual EU countries are investing in new military measures as well as enacting new regulations aimed at protecting critical infrastructure.

  • Compulsory Voting Can Reduce Political Polarization in the U.S.: Study

    By Bert Gambini

    Introducing compulsory voting in the United States and other majoritarian democracies, with meaningful and enforceable penalties for abstention, has the potential to reduce political polarization and protect democratic institutions from anti-democratic threats, according to a groundbreaking paper.

  • The List Is Long: Russians Who Have Died After Running Afoul of the Kremlin

    By Steve Gutterman

    The list of influential Russians who have been killed or died in murky circumstances after opposing, criticizing, or crossing Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin, or the state is long. It has just gotten longer.

  • Trump-Biden Spat on NATO Highlights Divide on America’s Role in the World

    By Patsy Widakuswara

    Former President Donald Trump doubled down on his threat that, if elected, he would not defend NATO members who don’t meet defense spending targets. Biden, who has made strengthening coalitions against adversaries the central tenet of his foreign policy, advocates for more international cooperation overall. “Trump is breaking Republican orthodoxy entirely, not only with his isolationism, but with his pandering to autocrats,” said Kristine Berzina of the German Marshall Fund research group.

  • Trump’s Threats Lead to Reflections in EU Over Nuclear Weapons

    By Ella Joyner

    Trump’s latest threats that he will take the U.S. out of NATO have gotten EU politicians and military experts talking about a European nuclear deterrence without Washington. Others are warning of a risky, hasty debate, and seek to downplay chances of a major stateside shake-up. Some suggest that France “Europeanize” its nuclear capabilities.

  • Disinformation Threatens Global Elections – Here’s How to Fight Back

    By Sander van der Linden, Lee McIntyre, and Stephan Lewandowsky

    With over half the world’s population heading to the polls in 2024, disinformation season is upon us — and the warnings are dire. Many efforts have focused on fact-checking and debunking false beliefs. In contrast, “prebunking” is a new way to prevent false beliefs from forming in the first place. Polio was a highly infectious disease that was eradicated through vaccination and herd immunity. Our challenge now is to build herd immunity to the tricks of disinformers and propagandists. The future of our democracy may depend on it.

  • Has Trust in the U.S. Intelligence Community Eroded?

    Has trust in intelligence predictions and national estimates been degraded over time? If so, to what degree has trust been degraded? What internal and external factors have driven perceived or real changes in the relationship between policymakers and the IC?

  • Feds Deliver Stark Warnings to State Election Officials Ahead of November

    By Matt Vasilogambros

    Federal law enforcement and cybersecurity officials are warning the nation’s state election administrators that they face serious threats ahead of November’s presidential election, as AI, ransomware attacks, and malicious mail could disrupt voting.

  • John Bolton Is Certain Trump Really Wants to Blow Up NATO

    John Bolton, Trump’s former national security adviser, says that Trump’s goal in threatening to leave NATO “is not to strengthen NATO, it’s to lay the groundwork to get out.” Bolton says the consequences for U.S. and world security would be devastating. “Part of this desire to get out of NATO is that Trump has no idea about what alliance structures do and how beneficial they can be,” Bolton says. “He spent four years as president, he didn’t know anything about it when he entered the Oval Office, and he didn’t know anything about it when he left. So he has no idea the damage that withdrawing from NATO would do. He may be the only figure in American politics who thinks that — there are some nutcases around who don’t care, frankly, what the effect would be, but they’re a very distinct minority.”

  • X Provides Premium Perks to Hezbollah, Other U.S.-Sanctioned Groups

    The U.S. imposes sanctions on individuals, groups, and countries deemed to be a threat to national security. Elon Musk’s X appears to be selling premium service to some of them. An investigation identified more than a dozen X accounts for U.S.-sanctioned entities that had a blue checkmark, which requires the purchase of a premium subscription. Along with the checkmarks, which are intended to confer legitimacy, X promises a variety of perks for premium accounts, including the ability to post longer text and videos and greater visibility for some posts.