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In Search of Nasser
August 4, 2011 3 min. read

Amidst the protests, loss of life, and apparent lack of progress in the uncoordinated Arab Spring, a glaring issue has arisen in each state affected by the wave of tumult: there is an absence of charismatic leadership in support of the revolution. Use of violence to consolidate the revolution and move beyond the narrative of […]

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In Memoriam: Jonathan Tucker, Chem/Bio Expert
August 4, 2011 2 min. read

I don’t generally write on chemical or biological weapons here, but I thought I would do so today to remember a friend, colleague and world-class expert on such topics. Dr. Jonathan B. Tucker, until his very untimely passing at the end of July, was the Biosecurity Education Manager at the Federation of Scientists. Jonathan passed […]

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WMD Junction: Sandy Spector Maps the Global Nonpro Regime
August 2, 2011 1 min. read

The folks at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS) continue their quest to educate with a primer on the global nonproliferation landscape. In a two-part video, Leonard “Sandy” Spector, deputy director of Center, and director of the DC office does a great job of reviewing not only the formal, enduring nonproliferation instruments but […]

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The Russian Dream: Sadder, but Truer, than the American One
August 2, 2011 3 min. read

They may no longer be on the opposites side of the Cold War, but Russians and Americans still see the world in opposite ways. While even most blue collar Americans believe they are middle class, 45% of Russians consider themselves to be poor, according to Svetlana Kononova’s piece in Russia Profile, which relies on new […]

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The NSG Guidelines Changes: India Gets It Wrong
August 1, 2011 1 min. read

In a June 30th post, I wrote about the long-time coming changes to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) rules on enrichment and reprocessing technologies. Now Mark Hibbs at Carnegie has written a good synopsis of the evolution of the so-called “clean text”, the ultimately agreed-upon changes, and their implications. Hibbs points out, for example, that […]

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Russia Begs Americans to Re-elect Obama
July 29, 2011 2 min. read

“Today in the Senate, I met with Senators Jon Kyl and Mark Kirk”, announced Russia’s ambassador to Nato Dmitry Rogozin. “I…was transported in a time machine back several decades, and in front of me sat two monsters of the Cold War, who looked at me not through pupils, but targeting sights.” “The meeting is very […]

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Dystopia to Myopia – Norway in the Aftermath of 22 July
July 29, 2011 3 min. read

22 July’s heinous, neo-fascist killings in Norway fill us with sorrow for many reasons. Not to detract from the deaths or suffering that occurs on a daily basis elsewhere, but the events that unfolded struck us differently because of their context – Norway seems so peaceful – and the evident, calculated manner in which the […]

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Iran-Al Qaeda: Partners After All
July 29, 2011 2 min. read
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It’s not exactly yellow cake, but the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that the US Treasury Department accused Iran of aiding and partnering with Al Qaeda: The U.S. for the first time formally accused Iran of forging an agreement with al Qaeda, helping operatives move money, arms and fighters through Iranian territory to the terrorist […]

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Accelerated Iranian Enrichment Tests Countermeasures
July 27, 2011 2 min. read

The New York Times reported on Saturday that Iran is stepping up its enrichment efforts, and that the man in charge is Fereydoon Abbasi, who narrowly escaped assassination along with his wife eight months ago. Abbasi, a nuclear physicist and member of the Revolutionary Guards, which manages Iran’s nuclear program, is in charge of the […]

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APEC: A Predictable Exercise in Corruption
July 26, 2011 2 min. read

Last year, Russian people stuck it to the Man by painting a giant penis on a St Petersburg drawbridge. The Kremlin’s revenge sends that message right back. It’s much less funny, much more obscene, but also involves a bridge: a $1.3 billion bridge to a remote island as part of an overall $24 billion bill […]

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Congress takes aim at Holder, ATF, Mexico
July 25, 2011 16 min. read

The House Oversight Committee calls ATF’s Fast and Furious a ‘failed and reckless operation,’ but was it? If you look at it from Calderon’s perspective, or from the perspective of administration officials–including Obama, Holder, and senior ATF executives–who favor stronger gun legislation, Fast and Furious was a huge success….

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Interview with UN Humanitarian Ambassador to Somalia – Mark Bowden
July 23, 2011 4 min. read

After my most recent post (Drought and Social Enterprise) I received a number of emails from non-profits and NGOs about their work in Somalia and issues facing the Somali people.  Although this post does not exactly fit within the parameters of “Ethics and Economics,” I wanted to share it with you.  I had the opportunity to […]

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