Free Speech Champion by Rachel Ehrenfeld
Mark Steyn could have not chosen a better lawyer to represent him than New York super lawyer Daniel Kornstein.
I witnessed Dan’s ability to “think under fire” (also the title of one of his many books), to think creatively, and to apply his legal acumen and virtuosity as he challenged a decision made against me in a libel suit brought in London by a Saudi billionaire who attempted to intimidate me into silence, as he did with others who exposed his funding of al Qaeda. The ruling was made by a British judge who publicly stated his dislike of Americans and their First Amendment rights.…more…
Kerry’s failed attempt to leverage Pollard, by Rachel Ehrenfeld
John Kerry’s latest desperate attempts to broker, or more accurately, impose peace between Israel and the Palestinians, resulted in a great embarrassment for himself and the U.S. Kerry tried to use Jonathan Pollard as a bargaining chip with Israel. Accordingly, the U.S. would release Jonathan Pollard from prison, while “demanding” that Israel give major concessions to the Palestinians: halt the expansion of settlements in the West Bank, extend negotiations through 2015, and release hundreds of Palestinian terrorists from Israeli prisons…more…
Pakistan Redux, by Norman Bailey
With all the attention being paid to the Turkish election, the continuing “negotiations” between the six powers and Iran and the ins and outs of the talks that at some point may or may not take place between the Palestinian Authority and Israel, little attention is directed towards very concrete and significant events in a country that is not only strategically located but already has nuclear weapons-Pakistan…more…
Google PR at the Expense of HLS, by Natalie Novitski
Last Thursday Google stated on its official blog that since transparency is such an important issue for the company, it’s also important for them to inform the public about the way intelligence and law enforcement agencies significantly increased the amount of requests for private information…more…
Israel-Palestine – Enough Already!, by Sol W. Sanders
As this is written, there appears to be a considerable chance “the peace process” will break down completely. That could be the best thing all around, at least for the time being. In fact, there is in reality no negotiating process because there is no Arab partner and no policy but stonewalling from the Palestinians’ self-appointed leadership…more…
News and Commentary:
Ambassador Power: Defunding UN Agencies for Admitting ‘Palestine’ Hurts U.S. – CNS News
Defunding United Nations agencies that admit “Palestine” is not in the interests of the U.S., Ambassador to the U.N. Samantha Power argued Wednesday, because doing so constitutes a “double win” for the Palestinians…more…
A Cyber History Of The Ukraine Conflict, Computer Crime Research Center
For the second time in recent history Russia has flexed both its military and cyber muscles. The latest incident is playing out in The Autonomous Republic of Crimea (Ukraine). The previous incident occurred in South Ossetia (Georgia) in 2008. Both countries were once integral pieces of the vast Soviet empire, which crumbed more than two decades ago. Russia has also flexed its cyber power in the former Soviet states of Estonia (2007) and Kyrgyzstan (2009)…more…
What’s Wrong With America’s Cyber Security Policy?, Rebecca Abrahams
How is it that hackers are blasting away at U.S. government websites, compromising vital national security databases, and compromising virtually every mobile phone the government owns?
The U.S. has spent billions on cyber security, yet the problem is worsening. America’s political leaders worry about a cyber “Pearl Harbor.” Secretary of Defense Hagel, in his first major speech on the subject, is promising to triple the staff working to combat cyber terrorism…more…
Cyberespionage, Not Cyber Terror, is the Major Threat, Former NSA Director Says, – Threatpost.com
The list of threats on the Internet is long and getting longer each day. Cybercrime, nation-state attackers, cyber espionage and hacktivists all threaten the security and stability of the network and its users in one way or another. But the one threat that some experts have warned about for years and has never emerged is cyber terrorism, a former top U.S. intelligence official said…more…
Developments in Iranian Cyber Warfare, 2013-2014, by Gabi Siboni and Sami Kronenfeld, INSS
Over the course of 2013, Iran became one of the most active players in the international cyber arena. Iran’s progress can be attributed to a combination of two elements: a certain easing of the restraints on offensive activity in cyberspace by Iranian decision makers, and a qualitative leap by the Iranian cyber warfare system. The rapid development of Iran’s cyber warfare capability means that Israel and other Western countries must work decisively and systematically to maintain qualitative and operational superiority in cyberspace…more…
Hearings:
Data Breach on the Rise: Protecting Personal Information from Harm, before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs, April 2, 2014.
Assessing Terrorism in the Caucasus and the Threat to the Homeland, before the House Committee on Homeland Security, Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence, April 3, 2014.
Since 2001, the American Center for Democracy has exposed and monitored threats to our right to speak freely and our political and economic freedoms. The ACD does more than identify individual, isolated threats; it also analyzes their synergistic effects on the economic security of the nation. The ACD’s projects and publications focus on early warning systems that alert the public and policy makers to prevent and mitigate threats.