In The News

US General Warns Over Iranian Cyber-Soldiers

January 24, 2013
Iran’s industries and infrastructure are under repeated cyber-attacks, and that in turn is prompting the country to step up its own computer security and offensive capabilities, warns General William Shelton, in charge of US cyber-operations. Iran’s enemies can anticipate becoming targets of cyber-attacks in years ahead, explains the article in BBC News. The US has about 6000 so-called cyber-...

Tort and Technology

January 24, 2013
Activists can use the US judicial system and the Alien Tort Claims Act to shame all sorts of multinational corporations from cooperating with authoritarian governments that violate international law. For example, a dozen Chinese citizens joined a suit against Cisco Systems, based in California, in 2012 for selling technology that allows the Chinese government to track dissenters online. “The...

China Toughens Restrictions on Internet Use

Keith Bradsher January 4, 2013
New rules in China require internet users to prove real names. Also, service providers must police forbidden postings and file reports with the authorities, reports Keith Bradsher for the New York Times. Users can still post to the internet with fake names, but service providers are expected to maintain lists of real names. The new rules could slow online debate. “In recent weeks, Internet users...

Delhi Gang Rape Spurs China Debate, Censorship

Ananth Krishnan January 1, 2013
A horrific crime in one country can spur reflection and debate about social mores in another. A gang rape in Delhi, and the victim's subsequent death, went from being widely reported in China to subject of censorship. Many official news outlets and commentators used the incident to criticize the unruliness of democracy, but other commenters marveled at massive protests throughout India. “...

No Lone Wolves in Cyberspace

Gabriel Weimann December 21, 2012
Two Florida brothers, naturalized US citizens, were arrested in November for trying to obtain explosives and carry out an attack in New York City. Prosecutors allege the men had read Inspire, a magazine in English said to be published by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula for encouraging terrorism and random attacks in Europe and the US. Lone wolf terrorism – typically young adult men who plan a...

Dark Side of Free Speech

John Morrison November 12, 2012
President Barack Obama will be the first US president to visit Burma, nestled between India and China, since renamed by its government as Myanmar, as well as Cambodia. The tour includes his attendance at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations with also a stop in Thailand. The trip emphasizes Burma’s steps toward democracy and improved relations even as the country struggles with sectarian...

Will China Delay Reform – Again?

Mary Kay Magistad October 29, 2012
Every decade, China’s Communist Party undergoes a leadership transition. The Brookings Institution estimates that about 70 percent of the members of three leading institutions - the Politburo Standing Committee, the State Council and the Central Military Commission – will be replaced, marking the largest shift in power in three decades. Party power in recent years is increasingly linked with...