Lack of appropriate cybersecurity exposes U.S. vulnerable communications to sophisticated cyberattacks; the fastest and safest venue to attack the U.S. economy, national security, and even the right to free expression. Sony’s recent hacking and … [Read more...] about Cyberwarfare Threatening U.S. Economy and Free Speech
U.S. Policy
Legitimatizing Hamas
Left: Palestinian Hamas masked gunmen march in a rally to commemorate the 27th anniversary of the terrorist group in Gaza City, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2014. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra) The European Union has taken another step, in what it apparently hopes … [Read more...] about Legitimatizing Hamas
Weekly Briefing – December 8 – 13, 2014
By 2021 new nuclear missile systems, composed of new warheads and new delivery systems, will constitute 98 percent of Russia’s intercontinental ballistic missile forces. This modernization includes the new RS-24 Yars (which NATO calls the SS-27 Mod … [Read more...] about Weekly Briefing – December 8 – 13, 2014
Nuclear Threats on the Rise – Rethinking the Unthinkable
Today there are major imbalances between the new and expanding nuclear weapons research and production capacities of Russia and the declining capabilities of the United States. The end of the Cold War brought many changes including the unification … [Read more...] about Nuclear Threats on the Rise – Rethinking the Unthinkable
Nuclear Vigor: Russia, China and Iran
Left: Plutonium pit production estimates for 2014. Russia has the ability today to produce at least 1,000 plutonium pits per year for use in building their new nuclear weapons. The United States, in contrast, has only one plutonium pit facility—an … [Read more...] about Nuclear Vigor: Russia, China and Iran
Russia’s Renewed Nuclear Threat – Part I
The end of the Cold War brought many changes including the unification of Germany, the expansion of democracy into Eastern Europe, and the integration of Russia into the global economy. It also removed the previous five-decades-long worry about a … [Read more...] about Russia’s Renewed Nuclear Threat – Part I
Islamists’ Political Power in the U.K. and U.S.
Tony Blair got it right. When asked about the consequences of the West’s intervention in Afghanistan and Iraq, Britain’s former Prime Minister, once again reiterated “the reason it was tough in Iraq and tough in Afghanistan is the reason it is tough … [Read more...] about Islamists’ Political Power in the U.K. and U.S.
Reality vs. Virtual Reality*
In the mid-1960s, I quit taking photographs for publication for my employer, US News & World Report, in addition to my writing. With my trusty little 35mm Leica body and Nikor lenses, I had blossomed from a rank amateur to become quite … [Read more...] about Reality vs. Virtual Reality*
Cyberattack on Civil Aviation
The holiday season brings new "traditional" threats to airline passenger from al Qaeda, to nontraditional threat from wireless communication devices that carried and used on board the planes. Would be terrorists may be discoverer before detonating … [Read more...] about Cyberattack on Civil Aviation
Destructive Cyber Attacks on the Rise
Rising geopolitical tensions have led to a constant barrage of cyber hacking into the U.S. government, industries and businesses. The recent attack against California-based Sony Pictures Entertainment marked a turning point. It was the first … [Read more...] about Destructive Cyber Attacks on the Rise