In The News

Ban Killer Robots Before They Become Weapons of Mass Destruction

Peter Asaro August 14, 2015
More than one thousand artificial intelligence and robotics researchers have called for a ban on offensive autonomous weapons. Peter Asaro lists the threats for Scientific American: the algorithms may not distinguish civilians from combatants, and hope for reduced casualties could lead to an arms race and more conflicts, not to mention that such technology may be easily hacked or hijacked. Arsaro...

Small Burundi Could Ignite Big Conflict

Itziar Aguirre August 11, 2015
Burundi, landlocked, poor and one of Africa’s smallest nations, battles corruption and ethnic tensions. The re-election of President Pierre Nkurunziza, in defiance of the nation’s constitutional limit of two terms, may compound the challenges. “Ethnic violence could spread, threatening foreign aid, foreign investment and the credibility of international peacekeeping in Africa and destabilizing...

Temperatures in the South China Sea Continue to Rise

Gregory Poling August 6, 2015
China announced on July 20 plans to conduct military exercises in areas of the South China Sea, including those under dispute with Vietnam. “The exercises overlapped with a high-level gathering of senior officials from China and the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, in Tianjin for their ninth meeting on the implementation of the Declaration on the Conduct of...

What China Has Been Building in the South China Sea

Derek Watkins August 6, 2015
Sections of the South China Sea are under dispute. After literally shoring up some of its claims by expanding reefs and islets, China has announced an end to the reclamation work. “Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Taiwan have all expanded islands in the Spratlys as well, but at nowhere near the same scale as China,” reports Derek Watkins in a report for the New York Times. “So far China has...

“The Last Mile”: Laying the Political and Security Foundations First for Peace, Then Development

Bruce Jones August 5, 2015
Poverty, while declining worldwide, is increasingly concentrated in regions fraught with violence and instability. Roughly half of the world’s poor live in fragile states. The international community encourages peace agreements, focusing less on the long-term stability needed for economic development. The Central African Republic is an example, facing cyclical violence and lack of economic...

US Not “Neutral” in South China Sea Disputes: Top US Diplomat

Prashanth Parameswaran July 28, 2015
A US assistant secretary of state insists that the country won’t take a position on competing claims for small bits of land in the South China Sea, but does expect international law to be followed. In a speech, Daniel Russel explained “that the United States was currently encouraging relevant parties in the South China Sea to create the atmosphere and conditions necessary to manage the disputes...

Obama’s Triumphant Return to Kenya as President

John Githongo July 28, 2015
Kenyans were ecstatic welcoming Barack Obama during his first visit as US president to his father’s homeland. Obama attended the sixth Global Entrepreneurship Summit, a gathering of entrepreneurs at all levels designed to encourage economic growth and innovation. “In general, US foreign policy vis-à-vis Africa has always been transactional,” writes John Githongo, a notable journalist active in...