2016

Counterterrorism

commentary
To Defeat ISIL's Brand, Its Territory Must Be Reclaimed
ISIL has been forced out of 56 places it once controlled, including five major cities. Taking its territory and diminishing its brand is required to reduce the group's operational capacity for carrying out or influencing local or distant attacks.
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Jul 8, 2016
The National Interest
Colin P. Clarke, Chad C. Serena
North Atlantic Treaty Organization

commentary
Obama Must Take a Strong Lead at the NATO Summit
To overcome differences within NATO and move forward in these troubled times, Obama should go beyond his usual low-key approach, while still working closely with allied leaders.
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Jul 8, 2016
Newsweek
Christopher S. Chivvis
United Kingdom

commentary
Time for a Do-Over on Brexit
As the right of the UK voters to decide on EU membership should be respected, so should their right to change their minds. There is no reason to regard their choice to leave as irreversible.
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Jul 7, 2016
USA Today
James Dobbins @Jim_Dobbins
Alcohol

commentary
Should Some Californians Lose Their 'License to Drink'?
In California, many efforts to reduce repeat drunken driving focus on the driving. What if the state targeted the 'drunk' aspect instead?
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Jul 6, 2016
San Diego Union-Tribune
Beau Kilmer @BeauKilmer
commentary
Fixing Inequality of Opportunity
Research has fueled concerns about how income inequality drives inequality of opportunity. Commonsense approaches such as improvements in education and access to quality health care have been shown to provide young people with better opportunities.
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Jul 6, 2016
Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity
Carter C. Price @CarterCPrice
Military Transformation

commentary
Book Review: 'China's Military Transformation' by You Ji
China's military has undeniably made tremendous strides in recent years. You Ji's book provides a collection of interesting and often perceptive observations on political and intellectual aspects of a rapidly modernizing People's Liberation Army.
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Jul 5, 2016
H-Net
Timothy R. Heath
Military Ships and Naval Vessels

commentary
Indonesia-China Tensions in the Natuna Sea: Evidence of Naval Efficacy Over Coast Guards?
The notion that Southeast Asian countries should employ coast guards instead of navies to enforce maritime laws had been gaining currency. But many of the coast guard fleets lack sufficient capacity to deal with the threats along their coast and in disputed waters in the South China Sea.
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Jul 5, 2016
The Diplomat
Lyle J. Morris
commentary
Revisiting Restrictions on Blood Donations from Gay and Bisexual Men
The FDA does not accept blood from male donors who have had sex with a man in the last 12 months. Is this restriction supported by scientific evidence? Or, is it related to lingering stigma and discrimination related to HIV/AIDS?
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Jul 5, 2016
U.S. News & World Report
Sarah MacCarthy
North Atlantic Treaty Organization

commentary
Why Brexit Won't Necessarily Hurt NATO
Concerns that the Brexit vote could weaken NATO are overblown. There will likely be a wide range of fallout that will spread beyond the economic realm, but the European Union is not NATO and it's far too early to expect dramatic outcomes.
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Jul 3, 2016
U.S. News & World Report
Michael Spirtas
International Economic Relations

commentary
Grasping the Brexit Moment for Free Trade
The United Kingdom's surprising vote to exit the EU turned another tricky day into a possible social crisis. But where there is crisis, there is also opportunity, and the vote presents an opening for another step forward of global trade and investment liberalization.
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Jul 1, 2016
The National Interest
Howard J. Shatz @HowardJShatz
Transportation Safety

commentary
The Response to Every Terrorist Attack Cannot Be Another Checkpoint
The Istanbul attack will renew calls to extend existing security screening at the front doors of terminals. But checkpoints create bottlenecks and queues of people waiting to get through them, which then become an easy target.
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Jul 1, 2016
The Hill
Brian Michael Jenkins @BrianMJenkins
International Diplomacy

commentary
The Day After: The Fallout from the Philippines Arbitration Case Against China
What compels compliance with rulings based on international law? Whether or not China will pay a political price for ignoring a U.N. Law of the Sea Convention ruling will to a large degree be determined by how forceful other states respond in the aftermath of court action.
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Jun 30, 2016
The National Interest
Lyle J. Morris
Firearms

commentary
A Brief History of the Assault Rifle
The assault rifle is a class of weapon that emerged in the middle of the last century to meet the needs of combat soldiers on the modern battlefield, where the level of violence had reached such heights that an entirely new way of fighting had emerged.
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Jun 30, 2016
The Atlantic
Michael Shurkin
commentary
What Can We Learn from High-Performing Research Units?
Central characteristics of high-performing research units are the high quality of the people and the culture and values displayed within the department, which is often a result of leadership. It is also interesting to explore their differences, such as what makes a unit particularly good at having impact versus producing high-quality publications.
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Jun 28, 2016
Open Forum Events
Catriona Manville, Sarah Parks
Security Cooperation

commentary
The Future of Transatlantic Security
Without the UK, the EU's military and defense capabilities — including in key areas such as strategic lift, intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance, and special forces — are considerably reduced.
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Jun 28, 2016
U.S. News & World Report
Christopher S. Chivvis