From ACD:
“Stop! Or, or I’ll Say Stop Again!” (The FCC to China) – Rachel Ehrenfeld – The Justice Department and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) seem to model themselves after British policemen, popularly known as “”bobbies,” whose only regular weapon is a short, wooden truncheon, which they keep out of sight and may not employ except in self-defense or to restore order.” In response to Chinese hackers and companies selling jamming devices to interfere with our reception of signals from the United States Global Positioning System (GPS), they issue indictments and Notices that cannot be enforced. …more…
An Intelligence Coup and Kurdish Aspirations – J. Millard Burr – Two days before the ISIS (the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) attack on Mosul led to the discovery of 160 flash drives of inestimable value. From them, the Iraqi government and western Intelligence agencies have been provided with essential information on ISIS: Specifically, its financial health, which has been valued at more than $2 billion, and essential personnel lists with names and noms de guerre. In addition, there were coded entries for sympathizers working in the various Iraqi ministries. .…more…
Turkey, Erdogan, and the Muslim Brotherhood in Iraq – J. Millard Burr – A recent photograph taken 16 April 2014, which appeared in Turkey’s Hurriyet Daily, shows an injured ISIL commander Abu Muhammad “allegedly receiving free treatment,” in Turkey’s Hatay State Hospital. It was reported that commander Muhammad was injured during fighting in Idlib, Syria. Two lawmakers from Turkey’s opposition Republican People¹s Party had the temerity to accuse the government of both “protecting and cooperating with jihadist militants of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the al-Nusra Front.” …more…
Islam: Getting It Right – Sol W. Sanders – “Intelligence failures” — fundamental mistakes in evaluating a geopolitical situation — are not rare among state intelligence organizations. They are unfortunately common enough and have cost the lives of millions. They are a reflection of what after all is a human endeavor with all its frailties. A technician’s intercept of a Japanese naval signal, in the infancy of radar, is ignored with disastrous consequences on December 7. Failing to check a driver’s license more carefully when he is stopped for speeding fails to nab a 9/11 plotter. ..…more…
ACD in the Media
Next Steps in Cyber Security – Rachel Ehrenfeld, The Journal of International Security Affairs 56.
News & Commentary
Loose Sallies—Essays by Daniel Kornstein – Michael Miller – Review, New York Law Journal
Iraq’s Theater of the Absurd – Norman Bailey, Globes
Israel: Knights of the Cyber Table – Newsdesk, Israel Home Land Security (iHLS)
The $10 Million Deductible: Why the cyberinsurance industry is a mess – Josephine Wolff, Slate
Offshore Banking Becoming a Reality For Smaller Entrepreneurs – Dennis Adonis, Epoch Times
Huge US-Iran Gap on Nukes as Target Date Nears – AP
Obama Thinks Iran Can Rescue American Interests in the Middle East: He’s Wrong. – Lee Smith, Tablet
St. Petersburg Imam Moves to Crimea to Push Moscow’s Agenda – Paul Goble, Window on Eurasia
America Wants the Impossible – Spengler, Asia Times
Capitol Hill Hearings
House—
Hearing: Maintaining Coast Guard Readiness – Committee on Transportation – June 17, 2014
Hearing: The Critical Role of First Responders: Sharing Lessons Learned from Past Attacks – Homeland Security Committee – June 18, 2014
Subcommittee Briefing and Hearing: Human Rights Abuses and Crimes Against Humanity in North Korea – Foreign Affairs Committee, Subcommittee on Human Rights – June 18, 2014
Joint Subcommittee Hearing: The Bergdahl Exchange: Implications for U.S. National Security and the Fight Against Terrorism – Foreign Affairs Subcommittees on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade, and on the Middle East and North Africa – June 18, 2014
Hearing: P5+1 Negotiations over Iran’s Nuclear Program and Its Implications for United States Defense – Armed Services Committee – June 19, 2014
Joint Subcommittee Hearing: One Year Under Rouhani: Iran’s Abysmal Human Rights Record – Foreign Affairs, Subcommittees on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations, Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa – June 19, 2014
Subcommittee Hearing: Stakeholder Perspectives on Priorities for the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review – Homeland Security Committee, Subcommittee on Oversight and Management Efficiency – June 20, 2014
Senate—
Closed: Briefing on the Security Situation in Iraq – Armed Services Committee – June 19, 2014
Closed: Briefing on the Major Threats Facing Navy Forces – Armed Services Committee, Subcommittee on Seapower – June 17, 2014
US Policy In Afghanistan and the Regional Implications of the 2014 Transition – Foreign Relations Committee – June 18, 2014
Hearing: The Intelligence Community: Keeping Watch Over Its Contractor Workforce – Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee – June 18, 2014
Subcommittee Hearing: Conflicts of Interest, Investor Loss of Confidence, and High Speed Trading in U.S. Stock Markets – Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee, Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations – June 17, 2014
FCC Report
A Report on Consumer Wireline Broadband Performance in the U.S. – Federal Communications Commission, Office of Engineering and Technology and Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau
GAO Reports
Combatting Terrorism: State Department Can Improve Management of East Africa Program GAO-14-502v – June 17, 2014
Coast Guard: Resources Provided for Drug Interdiction Operations in the Transit Zone, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands GAO-14-527 – June 16, 2014.
CRS Reports
Foreign Holdings of Federal Debt – Marc Labonte, Specialist in Macroeconomic Policy, Jared C. Nagel, Information Research Specialist – June 16, 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.