2014

Tobacco and Smoking
commentary
CVS Health: Breathing a Little Easier and Holding Our Breath
William G. Shadel @william_shadel
Sep 12, 2014
The Health Care Blog
CVS has officially stopped selling cigarettes and other tobacco products, a move that will cost the pharmacy chain about $2 billion in annual profits. It's difficult to say if this will affect smoking. For now, the ban is most significant for what it represents symbolically.
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Terrorism Financing
commentary
To Defeat the Islamic State, Follow the Money
Howard J. Shatz @HowardJShatz
Sep 10, 2014
Politico
ISIS, likely the world's richest terrorist organization, has bills to pay and mouths to feed. If U.S. President Obama wants to defeat them, he should follow the money.
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Intelligence Collection
commentary
The Faceless National Security Threat
Peter Chalk
Sep 10, 2014
U.S. News & World Report
The rapid, uncontrolled spread of aggressive diseases such as Ebola is often a matter of national security. U.S. intelligence professionals must establish relevant information collection and dissemination mechanisms to deal with such contingencies.
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commentary
Big Trouble in Little China
Scott W. Harold @ScottWHarold
Sep 9, 2014
Foreign Affairs
As China's central government and Hong Kong residents consider next steps after last week's decision on the 2017 chief executive election, they will do so against a background of deteriorating trust, declining social acceptance of integration, and a worsening of relations between Hong Kong and mainland Chinese society.
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Data Privacy
commentary
Hackerazzi: How Naked Celebrities Might Make the Cloud Safer
Lillian Ablon
Sep 8, 2014
The RAND Blog
Despite data breach after data breach that lays bare the personal information of millions of people, leading to only incremental changes by the hacked company, it seems it only takes a handful of celebrity nude selfies to bring issues like cloud security and multi-factor authentication to the fore causing immediate changes.
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Afghanistan
commentary
Afghanistan on the Brink
Seth G. Jones
Sep 8, 2014
The Wall Street Journal
The impasse between the Abdullah and Ghani camps has grown so significant that some senior Afghan political and security officials considered imposing an interim government, a move tantamount to a coup.
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Terrorism Financing
commentary
How ISIS Funds Its Reign of Terror
Howard J. Shatz @HowardJShatz
Sep 8, 2014
New York Daily News
ISIS raises much of its money just as a well-organized criminal gang would do. It smuggles, it extorts, it skims, it fences, it kidnaps and it shakes down. Although supposedly religiously inspired, its actions are more like those of an organized criminal cult.
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Ukraine
commentary
The Damage Already Done
Olga Oliker
Sep 8, 2014
U.S. News & World Report
The conflict in Ukraine calls for capable diplomacy, open channels of communication, and clear strategies. At least the latter two appear to be absent, but they can be developed in time. Ending the conflict, however, calls for clear mutual intent to solve problems, build trust, and move forward. That may prove even more elusive.
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Terrorist Organizations
commentary
Let's Talk About Kashmir
Jonah Blank
Sep 8, 2014
Foreign Policy
When U.S. combat troops have withdrawn from Afghanistan in December 2014, and training units follow two years later, the dynamics that once turned northern India's Kashmir into both a target and an incubator of global terrorism may return. This would threaten U.S. security, as well as that of the region.
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Russia
commentary
Crimean Adventure Will Cost Russia Dearly
Larry Hanauer
Sep 8, 2014
The Moscow Times
Moscow may have overreached, as it appears ill-prepared to come up with the necessary funds to cover Crimea-related costs. Infrastructure improvements, development aid, government operations, and other costs will be a multi-billion drain -- as much as $4.5 billion per year.
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Iran
commentary
Nuclear Deal or No Deal, Don't Expect Iran Changes
Alireza Nader
Sep 8, 2014
CNN
The impeachment of Iranian science minister Reza Faraji-Dana, the latest episode in the struggle between Iran's so-called moderates and hard-liners, is likely a sign of troubling times ahead. And even though President Hassan Rouhani is the West's best hope of the nuclear issue being addressed, a deal could energize his rivals in their bid to stave off change.
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Warfare and Military Operations
commentary
The Gaza Conflict: Tunnel Warfare's Latest Chapter
Scott Savitz
Sep 5, 2014
The RAND Blog
Despite its long history as an effective combat tool, tunneling rarely garners much attention, perhaps because it is inherently clandestine, tedious, and dirty. However, as the conflict in Gaza indicates, tunneling remains effective, and will likely persist as long as conflict itself.
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commentary
If You Want Ex-Cons to Be 'Productive Members of Society,' Ban the Box
Lois M. Davis @LoisMDavis
Sep 5, 2014
The Cleveland Plain Dealer
When an inmate is released, you often hear Americans say that he's 'paid his debt' and can now become 'a productive member of society.' But the reality is ex-cons pay for their crimes long after sentences end. On the outside, the stigma of incarceration makes it extremely difficult to land a job.
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North Atlantic Treaty Organization
commentary
A Dispatch from the Ukrainian Front
Terrence Kelly, David A. Shlapak
Sep 5, 2014
U.S. News & World Report
If Putin sought advice about what NATO is thinking, his Russian Western Front Military commander might say that given its current political indecisiveness and lack of military readiness, NATO lacks the capability to launch a credible intervention, but they should watch for changes in the alliance posture.
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Military Strategy
blog
A U.S. Strategy for Dealing with China
Sep 3, 2014
Developing a next generation strategy for dealing with China will require the United States to sculpt a balanced and flexible approach that protects U.S. interest in East Asia while at the same time fosters cooperation with China on issues of common concern.
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