From ACD:
FCC to China – “Stop! Or, or I’ll Say Stop Again!” – 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. It seems that the idea behind this is to demonstrate that the U.S. government is committed to challenge the Chinese. Hardly.…more…
Western Economic Policy Still Fighting Wrong Battle – Norman Bailey – Labor is steadily becoming less valuable than capital, and boosting liquidity won’t help.The US government recently lowered its estimate of economic growth for 2014 to slightly over two percent. During the first quarter of the year GDP growth was actually negative. The European Central Bank unveiled a new basket of monetary measures to try to jumpstart the European economy. These measures were greeted with a universal yawn, since they amounted to increasing liquidity even further into an economy already drowning in liquidity. The “great” innovation was charging a tiny negative interest on balances commercial banks choose to hold at the ECB, which will supposedly provide...more…
Mexico: Mañana is Here – Sol W. Sanders – Much has changed, obviously, since 1989 when I published “Mexico: chaos on our doorstep.” As so often has happened, my timing was bad. The book’s research identified a problem prematurely and the title raised hackles among some Latin American specialists, most of whom had a more optimistic view. But what led me to write the book may still be relevant. It was my “discovery” of the startling fact that the 1500-mile U.S.-Mexican border was the only land frontier between what in those days was called The Third World, preindustrial, poverty-stricken, and unstable societies, and the First World of a few “developed” European and North American countries, Australasia and Japan. Ultimately.…more…
News & Commentary –
Companies Should Think About Cybersecurity In Terms of Reducing Regulatory, Legal Risks – Bloomberg BNA
150 Australians Fightng in Syria, Iraq – ABC News
The Jihad Menace Gets Real – Walter Russell Mead
Turkey Lashes Out at Congress Over Chrisitan Churches Bill – Al Monitor
Global Version Of Magnitsky Act Adopted In Senate Committee – RFE/RL
Khrushchev Gave Away Not Only Crimea to Ukraine But Alaska to US as Well, Moscow Commentary Says – Paul Goble
Russian Resurgence has Blindsided Nato – Alexander Woolfson
Kim Jong-un oversees test of North Korea’s ‘breakthrough’ guided missile – AFP
Capitol Hill Hearings:
House-
Dangerous Passage: The Growing Problem of Unaccompanied Children Crossing the Border – Committee on Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs – June 24, 2014
Trade Secrets: Promoting and Protecting American Innovation, Competitiveness, and Market Access in Foreign Markets – Judiciary Committee – June 24, 2014
Thailand: A Democracy in Peril – Foreign Affairs Committee, Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific – June 24, 2-14
An Administration Made Disaster: The South Texas Border Surge of Unaccompanied Alien Minors – Judiciary Committee – June 25, 2014
Libya at a Crossroads: A Faltering Transition – Foreing Affairs Committee, Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa – June 25, 2014
Senate—
The Future of US – China Relations – Committee on Foreign Relations – June 25, 2014
GAO Reports –
Virtual Currencies: Emerging Regulatory, Law Enforcement, and Consumer Protection Challenges GAO-14-496 – June 26, 2014.
Diplomatic Security: Overseas Facilities May Face Greater Risks Due to Gaps in Security-Related Activities, Standards, and Policies GAO-14-655 – June 25, 2014.
Combating Terrorism: U.S. Efforts in Northwest Africa Would Be Strengthened by Enhanced Program Management GAO-14-518 – June 24, 2014.
Maritime Security: Ongoing U.S. Counterpiracy Efforts Would Benefit From Agency Assessments GAO-14-422 – June 23, 2014.
CRS Reports –
Wartime Detention Provisions in Recent Defense Authorization Legislation – Jennifer K. Elsea, Legislative Attorney; Michael John Garcia, Legislative Attorney – June 23, 2014
Armed Conflict in Syria: Overview and U.S. Response – Christopher M. Blanchard, Coordinator, Specialist in Middle Eastern Affairs; Carla E. Humud, Analyst in Middle Eastern and African Affairs; Mary Beth D. Nikitin, Specialist in Nonproliferation – June 24, 2014
Iran Sanctions – Kenneth Katzman, Specialist in Middle Eastern Affairs – May 7, 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.