-
Conspiracy Theories: How Social Media Can Help Them Spread and Even Spark Violence
Conspiracy theory beliefs and (more generally) misinformation may be groundless, but they can have a range of harmful real-world consequences, including spreading lies, undermining trust in media and government institutions and inciting violent or even extremist behaviors.
-
-
Lessons for Today’s Cold War 2.0 with Russia, China
The decades-long battle between Western intelligence services and the Soviet Union offers important lessons for the ongoing national security threat posed by Russia and China. Intelligence expert says both seek to topple U.S. from atop world stage, with Beijing’s blend of money, influence, all-hands-on-deck approach posing bigger threat.
-
-
Major Update to NIST’s Widely Used Cybersecurity Framework
The world’s leading cybersecurity guidance is getting its first complete makeover since its release nearly a decade ago. NIST has revised the framework to help benefit all sectors, not just critical infrastructure.
-
-
DHS: Additional $374.9 Million in Funding to Boost State, Local Cybersecurity
State and local governments face increasingly sophisticated cyber threats to their critical infrastructure and public safety. On Monday, DHS announced the availability of $374.9 million in grant funding for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 State and Local Cybersecurity Grant Program (SLCGP).
-
-
Bipartisan Texan Push in Congress to Boost Semiconductors, a Crucial Industry in the State
Republicans like Sen. Ted Cruz and Democrats like Rep. Colin Allred — opponents in the 2024 election — propose streamlining environmental reviews to promote investment and expansion by chipmakers.
-
-
Immigration Polarizes the Right, and Climate Change Polarizes the Left: Study
Older people, people with a high degree of educational attainment and income, and residents of large cities have the strongest negative feelings toward people who think differently. On average, those who identify themselves as left-leaning are more polarized than those who identify themselves as right-leaning.
-
-
Holding Trump Accountable Will Not Threaten American Democracy: Research
New data from the Polarization Research Lab found that 97 percent of Americans — from both parties — oppose political violence. The research has found that despite rhetoric from Trump and his allies, the public do not see the indictment of a former president as a reason to abandon democratic principles or as a call to support violent retribution.
-
-
Senate Fails to Reauthorize Chemical Facility Security Program
Chemical industry groups are warning that thousands of chemical facilities across the United States could face increased risk of terrorist attacks after the Senate last week adjourned for its summer recess without approving pending House legislation reauthorizing the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism (CFATS) program.
-
-
Many Once Democratic Countries Continue to Backslide, Becoming Less Free – but Their Leaders Continue to Enjoy Popular Support
The last decade-and-a-half has witnessed what Freedom House describes as a global “democratic backsliding,” with 60 countries ceasing to be functioning, if at times flawed, democracies. In many of these non-democratic countries, however, the leadership which has put an end to the country’s democracy – for example, in Hungary and Turkey – remains popular.
-
-
New Method Helps Predict the Spread of Armed Conflicts
Around the world, political violence increased by 27 percent last year, affecting 1.7 billion people. Some armed conflicts occur between states, but there are many more that take place within the borders of a single state. To better understand how violent events spread, a new statistical model identifies links between battles in Africa, but the model can be applied to other armed conflicts.
-
-
The Niger Coup Could Threaten the Entire Sahel
The coup in Niger, once seen as the cornerstone of U.S. counterterrorism efforts in West Africa, now threatens wider regional instability and could potentially open the door to further Russian influence.
-
-
How Might an ECOWAS Military Intervention in Niger Unfold?
West Africa’s defense chiefs were wrapping up a meeting in Nigeria’s capital Abuja on Thursday where they discussed the possibility of a military intervention if diplomatic efforts fail to reinstate Niger’s ousted president, Mohamed Bazoum. How likely is West Africa regional bloc ECOWAS to use force to restore Niger’s democracy and what are its chances of success?
-
-
Body Found Stuck in Buoys Texas Installed in the Rio Grande
Texas authorities believe the person drowned upstream and floated into the buoys near Eagle Pass. Mexico criticized Texas’ placement of the buoys along the river.
-
-
Baltic States Seek to Decouple Their Power Grids from Russia
Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia are seeking to disconnect from an energy grid network shared with Russia and Belarus by early 2025. Vilnius is pushing from an earlier exit from the grid, which Tallin opposes.
-
-
Thailand’s Emerging New Political Alignment
The big surprise of Thailand’s 14 May general election was the performance of the Move Forward Party, which seemed to be a rebuke of nine years of political dominance by the monarchy and military-backed government.
-
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.