ter Who said what after day two of the Young Driver Test By en.espnf1.com Published On :: Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:40:45 GMT Read what the drivers and teams had to say after day two of the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi Full Article
ter Vergne still on top after second day of Young Driver Test By en.espnf1.com Published On :: Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:35:07 GMT Jean-Eric Vergne impressed for Red Bull as he set the fastest time on the opening day of the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi Full Article
ter Who said what after the final day of the Young Driver Test By en.espnf1.com Published On :: Thu, 17 Nov 2011 15:13:40 GMT Read what the drivers and teams had to say after the final day of the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi Full Article
ter Who said what after Friday practice in Brazil By en.espnf1.com Published On :: Sat, 26 Nov 2011 15:35:19 GMT Read what the drivers had to say after Friday practice for the Brazilian Grand Prix Full Article
ter Who said what after Qualifying in Brazil By en.espnf1.com Published On :: Sat, 26 Nov 2011 20:12:42 GMT Read what the drivers had to say after qualifying at the Brazilian Grand Prix Full Article
ter Who said what after the Brazilian Grand Prix By en.espnf1.com Published On :: Sun, 27 Nov 2011 23:15:28 GMT Read what the drivers had to say after the Brazilian Grand Prix Full Article
ter Of sunrise service and eating vivika: Memories of a south Indian Easter By www.thenewsminute.com Published On :: Sat, 11 Apr 2020 05:26:06 +0000 EasterEaster breakfast was special - it was the first meal with non-vegetarian food in a while. Navin SigamanyEaster - the Christian festival that celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ - is this Sunday. This year, thousands of Christians will be observing it from their homes, following their church’s online services on their phones or computers. When I was a boy in Coimbatore, many many moons ago, Easter meant being rousted out of bed at the unholy hour of 4 AM to get ready to go to church for the sunrise service. For my brother and me, getting to the 8 AM service every Sunday was in itself quite an achievement. But, growing up in a south Indian Christian household, we didn’t really have a choice. So, on Easter day, we were woken up, bathed, dressed in new clothes and turned out shiny and clean so we could fall asleep in the pews of the church that had been moved outdoors while the service happened. As we grew older, we learnt to experience the novelty of participating in a service outdoors, instead of within the confines of the ancient stone church. The pews faced East and the service began before sunrise. There would be a nip in the air when the service began. As the service progressed, the sun would rise from behind the altar, bathing the whole setting in a golden glow. Of course, the golden glow turned hot quite quickly - we said our prayers a bit quicker, and sang the hymns a bit faster, so that we ended the service and retreated to the relative cool in the shade of the church gardens. There we would have coffee and biscuits and Easter conversations. We greeted each other with the words, “Christ is Risen” and responded with the words, “Risen indeed.” It was great fun for us - once a year we got to go to church out in the open, and then we got to go around greeting everyone there, rather like spies in the novels we read! After the service, we would head as a family to the nearest bakery, where we would buy Easter Eggs. The size of your palm, these were made of hard white cast sugar with fondant icing. The outside would be decorated with flowers and bows in icing, and when we broke into them, there would be a treasure of chocolates to be discovered. Needless to say, the eggs were often bones of contention between my brother and me - one of us would finish his quicker, and would then have to watch the other savour his egg and chocolates with deliberate slowness. Clearly, we did not get the message of the season, which was that Jesus had died and risen again to save us from our sins, and maybe we could treat each other slightly better because of that. Easter comes at the end of the Holy Week. The Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday, when we would all hold palm leaves and circumambulate (walk around) the church singing hymns to commemorate Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a donkey. Maundy Thursday commemorates the Last Supper, where Jesus predicts his betrayal and death. This is particularly important, as it also is where the sacred sacrament of communion originates. In short, the practice of consuming bread and wine as ‘communion’ in the Christian faith has its origin in the Last Supper. The Good Friday service was a long one commemorating the actual crucifixion. It was in the early evening and was a sombre affair that often ran into hours. The one thing I remember vividly about Good Friday was buying hot cross buns from the bakery and munching on them on the way home. There wasn’t much different about them - they were regular buns with a cross made of dough tacked on to them, but just the fact that they were called hot cross buns made them special! Easter also signaled the end of Lent, the 40 days of self-denial practised by Christians. For us, Lent was a time during which we gave up eating non-vegetarian food. This was a real sacrifice as our usual diet included a significant amount of chicken, meat and fish. Easter breakfast was special - it was the first meal with non-vegetarian food in a while. At our place, it was usually a sweet idli called vivika made of rice flour, bananas, raisins and sweet spices, accompanied by a savoury mutton curry. At the end of 40 days of no chicken, meat or fish - this was a sweet, sweet return to our normal, predominantly carnivorous culinary lifestyle. This year, it’s going to be different. I cannot think of a single year when my parents have missed going to church for Easter. One of the fundamentals of Christian worship is fellowship - worshiping with your fellow believers, and that is brought alive especially on festival days. This year, the service will be in an empty church, streamed live. The worshipers, my parents among them, will be attending from home. Happy Easter! Navin Sigamany is a Hyderabad-based photographer and heritage enthusiast who writes on food and culture. Body 2: Full Article
ter After Social Distancing, a Strange Purgatory Awaits By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Apr 16, 2020 Apr 16, 2020Life right now feels very odd. And it will feel odd for months—and even years—to come. Full Article
ter Why Bernie Sanders Will Win in 2020, No Matter Who Gets Elected By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Apr 28, 2020 Apr 28, 2020Stephen Walt writes that even though Bernie Sanders is out of the presidential race, the time has come for many of the policies that he promoted: Universal Healthcare; Democratic Socialism; Income Redistribution; and Foreign Policy. Full Article
ter Destroying trust in the media, science, and government has left America vulnerable to disaster By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Fri, 01 May 2020 15:34:28 +0000 For America to minimize the damage from the current pandemic, the media must inform, science must innovate, and our government must administer like never before. Yet decades of politically-motivated attacks discrediting all three institutions, taken to a new level by President Trump, leave the American public in a vulnerable position. Trump has consistently vilified the… Full Article
ter Leaving all to younger hands: Why the history of the women’s suffragist movement matters By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 11:30:00 +0000 The campaign to win passage of the 19th Amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote stands as one of the most significant and wide-ranging moments of political mobilization in all of American history. Among other outcomes, it produced the largest one-time increase in voters ever. As important as the goal of suffrage was, the struggle… Full Article
ter 2020–2021 International Security Program Research Fellowships: Apply Now By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Jan 9, 2020 Jan 9, 2020The International Security Program (ISP) is still accepting applications for 2020–2021. ISP is a multidisciplinary research group that develops and trains new talent in security studies by hosting pre- and postdoctoral research fellows. Full Article
ter Rami Khouri's interview on Aljazeera TV discussing the appointment of the new Lebanese government. By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Jan 22, 2020 Jan 22, 2020Rami Khouri's interview on Aljazeera TV discussing the appointment of the new Lebanese government amidst continuing protests and clashes with police. Full Article
ter Lebanon has formed a controversial new government in a polarised, charged atmosphere, and protesters are not going to be easily pacified by its promises, explains Rami Khoury. By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Jan 22, 2020 Jan 22, 2020The fourth consecutive month of Lebanon's unprecedented political and economic crisis kicked off this week with three dramatic developments that will interplay in the coming months to define the country's direction for years to come: Escalating protests on the streets, heightened security measures by an increasingly militarising state, and now, a new cabinet of controversial so-called "independent technocrats" led by Prime Minister-designate Hassan Diab. Seeking to increase pressure on the political elite to act responsibly amid inaction vis-a-vis the slow collapse of the economy, the protesters had launched the fourth month of their protest movement, which had begun on 17 October last year, with a 'Week of Anger', stepping up their tactics and targeting banks and government institutions. Full Article
ter What Allies Want: Reconsidering Loyalty, Reliability, and Alliance Interdependence By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Apr 12, 2020 Apr 12, 2020Is indiscriminate loyalty what allies want? The First Taiwan Strait Crisis (1954–55) case suggests that allies do not desire U.S. loyalty in all situations. Instead, they want the United States to be a reliable ally, posing no risk of abandonment or entrapment. Full Article
ter So Do Morals Matter in U.S. Foreign Policy? I Asked the Expert. By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Apr 24, 2020 Apr 24, 2020In his new book, Do Morals Matter? Presidents and Foreign Policy from FDR to Trump, Joseph S. Nye developed a scorecard to determine how U.S. presidents since 1945 factored questions of ethics and morality into their foreign policy. In an interview, Henry Farrell asked him a few questions to get to the heart of his findings. Full Article
ter So Do Morals Matter in U.S. Foreign Policy? I Asked the Expert. By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Apr 24, 2020 Apr 24, 2020In his new book, Do Morals Matter? Presidents and Foreign Policy from FDR to Trump, Joseph S. Nye developed a scorecard to determine how U.S. presidents since 1945 factored questions of ethics and morality into their foreign policy. In an interview, Henry Farrell asked him a few questions to get to the heart of his findings. Full Article
ter After Social Distancing, a Strange Purgatory Awaits By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Apr 16, 2020 Apr 16, 2020Life right now feels very odd. And it will feel odd for months—and even years—to come. Full Article
ter Why Bernie Sanders Will Win in 2020, No Matter Who Gets Elected By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Apr 28, 2020 Apr 28, 2020Stephen Walt writes that even though Bernie Sanders is out of the presidential race, the time has come for many of the policies that he promoted: Universal Healthcare; Democratic Socialism; Income Redistribution; and Foreign Policy. Full Article
ter An Interview with Bruce Schneier, Renowned Security Technologist By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Apr 1, 2020 Apr 1, 2020Bruce Schneier discusses current security technology concerns with The Politic's Eric Wallach. Full Article
ter So Do Morals Matter in U.S. Foreign Policy? I Asked the Expert. By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Apr 24, 2020 Apr 24, 2020In his new book, Do Morals Matter? Presidents and Foreign Policy from FDR to Trump, Joseph S. Nye developed a scorecard to determine how U.S. presidents since 1945 factored questions of ethics and morality into their foreign policy. In an interview, Henry Farrell asked him a few questions to get to the heart of his findings. Full Article
ter Why Bernie Sanders Will Win in 2020, No Matter Who Gets Elected By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Apr 28, 2020 Apr 28, 2020Stephen Walt writes that even though Bernie Sanders is out of the presidential race, the time has come for many of the policies that he promoted: Universal Healthcare; Democratic Socialism; Income Redistribution; and Foreign Policy. Full Article
ter Environmental Insights Interview with Nick Stern By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Nov 8, 2019 Nov 8, 2019An exclusive interview with Lord Nicholas Stern, one of the world’s foremost experts on climate change. Full Article
ter Why Matter Matters: How Technology Characteristics Shape the Strategic Framing of Technologies By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Nov 13, 2019 Nov 13, 2019The authors investigate how the executives of the two largest research institutes for photovoltaic technologies — the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) in Golden, USA and the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (Fraunhofer ISE) in Freiburg, Germany — have made use of public framing to secure funding and shape the technological development of solar photovoltaic (PV) technologies. The article shows that the executives used four framing dimensions (potential, prospect, performance, and progress) and three framing tactics (conclusion, conditioning, and concession), and that the choice of dimensions and tactics is tightly coupled to the characteristics of the specific technologies pursued by the research institutes. Full Article
ter How Clean is the U.S. Steel Industry? An International Benchmarking of Energy and CO2 Intensities By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Dec 10, 2019 Dec 10, 2019In this report, the authors conduct a benchmarking analysis for energy and CO2 emissions intensity of the steel industry among the largest steel-producing countries. Full Article
ter U.S. Intervention in Russia-Saudi Impasse Isn't Tenable (Radio) By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Mar 20, 2020 Mar 20, 2020Meghan L. O’Sullivan, Professor of International Affairs at Harvard’s Kennedy School, former National Security Council advisor, and a Bloomberg Opinion columnist, discusses the oil market plunge, and the Russia-Saudi relationship. Hosted by Lisa Abramowicz and Paul Sweeney. Full Article
ter 2020–2021 International Security Program Research Fellowships: Apply Now By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Jan 9, 2020 Jan 9, 2020The International Security Program (ISP) is still accepting applications for 2020–2021. ISP is a multidisciplinary research group that develops and trains new talent in security studies by hosting pre- and postdoctoral research fellows. Full Article
ter Rami Khouri's interview on Aljazeera TV discussing the appointment of the new Lebanese government. By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Jan 22, 2020 Jan 22, 2020Rami Khouri's interview on Aljazeera TV discussing the appointment of the new Lebanese government amidst continuing protests and clashes with police. Full Article
ter Lebanon has formed a controversial new government in a polarised, charged atmosphere, and protesters are not going to be easily pacified by its promises, explains Rami Khoury. By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Jan 22, 2020 Jan 22, 2020The fourth consecutive month of Lebanon's unprecedented political and economic crisis kicked off this week with three dramatic developments that will interplay in the coming months to define the country's direction for years to come: Escalating protests on the streets, heightened security measures by an increasingly militarising state, and now, a new cabinet of controversial so-called "independent technocrats" led by Prime Minister-designate Hassan Diab. Seeking to increase pressure on the political elite to act responsibly amid inaction vis-a-vis the slow collapse of the economy, the protesters had launched the fourth month of their protest movement, which had begun on 17 October last year, with a 'Week of Anger', stepping up their tactics and targeting banks and government institutions. Full Article
ter What Allies Want: Reconsidering Loyalty, Reliability, and Alliance Interdependence By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Apr 12, 2020 Apr 12, 2020Is indiscriminate loyalty what allies want? The First Taiwan Strait Crisis (1954–55) case suggests that allies do not desire U.S. loyalty in all situations. Instead, they want the United States to be a reliable ally, posing no risk of abandonment or entrapment. Full Article
ter Class Notes: Harvard Discrimination, California’s Shelter-in-Place Order, and More By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 19:21:40 +0000 This week in Class Notes: California's shelter-in-place order was effective at mitigating the spread of COVID-19. Asian Americans experience significant discrimination in the Harvard admissions process. The U.S. tax system is biased against labor in favor of capital, which has resulted in inefficiently high levels of automation. Our top chart shows that poor workers are much more likely to keep commuting in… Full Article
ter Letter from London on the coronavirus: An order to stay apart brought us together By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Apr 2, 2020 Apr 2, 2020Dear America, In London there is much talk of a new “spirit of the Blitz” in the face of another deadly threat to us all. But 80 years on, that spirit is expressing itself very differently. When the Luftwaffe bombs fell, to continue with normal life was an act of patriotic defiance. Now as COVID-19 spreads, to continue with normal life is an act of punishable deviance. Full Article
ter Selective Wilsonianism: Material Interests and the West's Support for Democracy By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Apr 9, 2020 Apr 9, 2020Analysis of the West's differing responses to Ukrainian and Armenian mass movements reveal that, contrary to the popular Wilsonian narrative, the West assists democratic movements only when that assistance coincides with its material interests. Full Article
ter So Do Morals Matter in U.S. Foreign Policy? I Asked the Expert. By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Apr 24, 2020 Apr 24, 2020In his new book, Do Morals Matter? Presidents and Foreign Policy from FDR to Trump, Joseph S. Nye developed a scorecard to determine how U.S. presidents since 1945 factored questions of ethics and morality into their foreign policy. In an interview, Henry Farrell asked him a few questions to get to the heart of his findings. Full Article
ter So Do Morals Matter in U.S. Foreign Policy? I Asked the Expert. By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Apr 24, 2020 Apr 24, 2020In his new book, Do Morals Matter? Presidents and Foreign Policy from FDR to Trump, Joseph S. Nye developed a scorecard to determine how U.S. presidents since 1945 factored questions of ethics and morality into their foreign policy. In an interview, Henry Farrell asked him a few questions to get to the heart of his findings. Full Article
ter An Interview with Bruce Schneier, Renowned Security Technologist By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Apr 1, 2020 Apr 1, 2020Bruce Schneier discusses current security technology concerns with The Politic's Eric Wallach. Full Article
ter So Do Morals Matter in U.S. Foreign Policy? I Asked the Expert. By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Apr 24, 2020 Apr 24, 2020In his new book, Do Morals Matter? Presidents and Foreign Policy from FDR to Trump, Joseph S. Nye developed a scorecard to determine how U.S. presidents since 1945 factored questions of ethics and morality into their foreign policy. In an interview, Henry Farrell asked him a few questions to get to the heart of his findings. Full Article
ter Why Bernie Sanders Will Win in 2020, No Matter Who Gets Elected By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Apr 28, 2020 Apr 28, 2020Stephen Walt writes that even though Bernie Sanders is out of the presidential race, the time has come for many of the policies that he promoted: Universal Healthcare; Democratic Socialism; Income Redistribution; and Foreign Policy. Full Article
ter The Terms They Are A-Changin'...: Watching Cloud Computing Contracts Take Shape By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Tue, 01 Mar 2011 13:45:00 -0500 EXECUTIVE SUMMARYMany web services are examples of cloud computing, from storage and backup sites such as Flickr and Dropbox to online business productivity services such as Google Docs and Salesforce.com. Cloud computing offers a potentially attractive solution to customers keen to acquire computing infrastructure without large up-front investment, particularly in cases where their demand may be variable and unpredictable, as a means of achieving financial savings, productivity improvements and the wider flexibility that accompanies Internet-hosting of data and applications. The greater flexibility of a cloud computing service as compared with a traditional outsourcing contract may be offset by reduced certainty for the customer in terms of the location of data placed into the cloud and the legal foundations of any contract with the provider. There may be unforeseen costs and risks hidden in the terms and conditions of such services. This document reports on a detailed survey and analysis of the terms and conditions offered by cloud computing providers. The survey formed part of the Cloud Legal Project at the Centre for Commercial Law Studies (CCLS), within the School of Law at Queen Mary, University of London, UK. Funded by a donation from Microsoft, but academically independent, the project is examining a wide range of legal and regulatory issues arising from cloud computing. The project's survey of 31 cloud computing contracts from 27 different providers, based on their standard terms of service as offered to customers in the E.U. and U.K., found that many include clauses that could have a significant impact, often negative, on the rights and interests of customers. The ease and convenience with which cloud computing arrangements can be set up may lull customers into overlooking the significant issues that can arise when key data and processes are entrusted to cloud service providers. The main lesson to be drawn from the Cloud Legal Project’s survey is that customers should review the terms and conditions of a cloud service carefully before signing up to it. The survey found that some contracts, for instance, have clauses disclaiming responsibility for keeping the user’s data secure or intact. Others reserve the right to terminate accounts for apparent lack of use (potentially important if they are used for occasional backup or disaster recovery purposes), for violation of the provider’s Acceptable Use Policy, or indeed for any or no reason at all. Furthermore, whilst some providers promise only to hand over customer data if served with a court order, others state that they will do so on much wider grounds, including it simply being in their own business interests to disclose the data. Cloud providers also often exclude liability for loss of data, or strictly limit the damages that can be claimed against them – damages that might otherwise be substantial if a failure brought down an e-commerce web site. Although in some U.S. states, in E.U. countries and in various other jurisdictions the validity of such terms may be challenged under consumer protection laws, users of cloud services may face practical obstacles to bringing a claim for data loss or privacy breach against a provider that seems local online but is, in fact, based in another continent. Indeed, service providers usually claim that their contracts are subject to the laws of the place where they have their main place of business. In many cases this is a US state, with a stipulation that any dispute must be heard in the provider’s local courts, regardless of the customer’s location. Perhaps the most disconcerting discovery of the Cloud Legal Project’s survey was that many providers claimed to be able to amend their contracts unilaterally, simply by posting an updated version on the web. In effect, customers are put on notice to download lengthy and complex contracts, on a regular basis, and to compare them against their own copies of earlier versions to look for changes. The cloud computing market is still developing rapidly, and potential cloud customers should be aware that there may be a mismatch between their expectations and the reality of cloud providers' service terms, and be alive to the possibility of unexpected changes to the terms. Downloads Download the Full Paper Authors Simon BradshawChristopher MillardIan Walden Image Source: Natalie Racioppa Full Article
ter Bridging Transatlantic Differences on Data and Privacy After Snowden By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Tue, 20 May 2014 07:30:00 -0400 “Missed connections” is the personals ads category for people whose encounters are too fleeting to form any union – a lost-and-found for relationships. I gave that title to my paper on the conversation between the United States and for Europe on data, privacy, and surveillance because I thought it provides an apt metaphor for the hopes and frustrations on both sides of that conversation. The United States and Europe are linked by common values and overlapping heritage, an enduring security alliance, and the world’s largest trading relationship. Europe has become the largest crossroad of the Internet and the transatlantic backbone is the global Internet’s highest capacity route. [I] But differences in approaches to the regulation of the privacy of personal information threaten to disrupt the vast flow of information between Europe and the U.S. These differences have been exacerbated by the Edward Snowden disclosures, especially stories about the PRISM program and eavesdropping on Chancellor Angela Merkel’s cell phone. The reaction has been profound enough to give momentum to calls for suspension of the “Safe Harbor” agreement that facilitates transfers of data between the U.S. Europe; and Chancellor Merkel, the European Parliament, and other EU leaders who have called for some form of European Internet that would keep data on European citizens inside EU borders. So it can seem like the U.S. and EU are gazing at each other from trains headed in opposite directions. My paper went to press before last week’s European Court of Justice ruling that Google must block search results showing that a Spanish citizen had property attached for debt several years ago. What is most startling about the decision is this information was accurate and had been published in a Spanish newspaper by government mandate but – for these reasons – the newspaper was not obligated to remove the information from its website; nevertheless, Google could be required to remove links to that website from search results in Spain. That is quite different from the way the right to privacy has been applied in America. The decision’s discussion of search as “profiling” bears out what the paper says about European attitudes toward Google and U.S. Internet companies. So the decision heightens the differences between the U.S. and Europe. Nonetheless, it does not have to be so desperate. In my paper, I look at the issues that have divided the United States and Europe when it comes to data and the things they have in common, the issues currently in play, and some ways the United States can help to steer the conversation in the right direction. [I] "Europe Emerges as Global Internet Hub," Telegeography, September 18, 2013. Authors Cameron F. Kerry Image Source: © Yves Herman / Reuters Full Article
ter The Military Dynamics of the Syrian Civil War and Options for Limited U.S. Intervention By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Mon, 12 Aug 2013 09:00:00 -0400 The crisis in Syria continues with no end in sight, and in the Saban Center's latest Middle East Memo, Breaking the Stalemate: The Military Dynamics of the Syrian Civil War and Options for Limited U.S. Intervention, Saban Center Senior Fellow Kenneth Pollack argues that until there is a breakthrough on the battlefield, there will be no breakthroughs at the negotiating table. In his paper, Pollack lays out the military advantages and disadvantages of both the opposition and the regime's forces, and looks at how different opportunities for U.S. intervention can affect those critical dynamics. This analysis provides a much-needed counterpoint to the debate over the possible cost of U.S. options in Syria with an analysis of their likely impact on the conflict. Highlights include: The strengths and weaknesses of the opposition, including: greater numbers, a history of deprivation of political power, the aid of Islamist militias affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafist groups, and support from Arab and Western countries. The strengths and weaknesses of the regime, including: motivation to defend against a determined majority, a geographic advantage, the remnants of the Syrian armed forces, help of foreign contingents like Hizballah, and the support of foreign countries like Iran and reportedly Russia and China. Options for U.S. interventions to break the stalemate, including: Training and equipping the opposition. Stopping the resupply of the regime in order to diminish its ability to generate firepower. Attacking regime infrastructure targets, such as military bases, power-generation plants and transportation choke points like bridges. Establishing and maintaining a no-fly zone. Engaging in a tactical air campaign against regime ground forces. Downloads Download the paper Authors Kenneth M. Pollack Image Source: © George Ourfalian / Reuters Full Article
ter On April 13, 2020, Suzanne Maloney discussed “Why the Middle East Matters” via video conference with IHS Markit. By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Mon, 13 Apr 2020 20:46:08 +0000 On April 13, 2020, Suzanne Maloney discussed "Why the Middle East Matters" via video conference with IHS Markit. Full Article
ter NATO and outer space: Now what? By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Wed, 22 Apr 2020 12:20:26 +0000 At the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) December 2019 Leader’s Summit in London, leaders acknowledged that technology is rapidly changing the international security environment, stating: “To stay secure, we must look to the future together. We are addressing the breadth and scale of new technologies to maintain our technological edge.” Leaders also identified outer space… Full Article
ter Webinar: What role will the Army play in great power competition after COVID-19? By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Wed, 22 Apr 2020 13:43:31 +0000 Two years after the National Defense Strategy was published, it’s time to take stock of where the Army stands. On an immediate level, the age of COVID-19 presents the Army with an unprecedented set of challenges. From ensuring high levels of readiness to keeping up recruitment, the pandemic has forced the Army to adapt quickly… Full Article
ter Destroying trust in the media, science, and government has left America vulnerable to disaster By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Fri, 01 May 2020 15:34:28 +0000 For America to minimize the damage from the current pandemic, the media must inform, science must innovate, and our government must administer like never before. Yet decades of politically-motivated attacks discrediting all three institutions, taken to a new level by President Trump, leave the American public in a vulnerable position. Trump has consistently vilified the… Full Article
ter Leaving all to younger hands: Why the history of the women’s suffragist movement matters By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 11:30:00 +0000 The campaign to win passage of the 19th Amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote stands as one of the most significant and wide-ranging moments of political mobilization in all of American history. Among other outcomes, it produced the largest one-time increase in voters ever. As important as the goal of suffrage was, the struggle… Full Article
ter Removing regulatory barriers to telehealth before and after COVID-19 By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Wed, 06 May 2020 16:00:55 +0000 Introduction A combination of escalating costs, an aging population, and rising chronic health-care conditions that account for 75% of the nation’s health-care costs paint a bleak picture of the current state of American health care.1 In 2018, national health expenditures grew to $3.6 trillion and accounted for 17.7% of GDP.2 Under current laws, national health… Full Article
ter Introducing Techstream: Where technology and policy intersect By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 09:00:01 +0000 On this episode, a discussion about a new Brookings resource called Techstream, a publication site on brookings.edu that puts technologists and policymakers in conversation. Chris Meserole, a fellow in Foreign Policy and deputy director of the Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technology Initiative, explains what Techstream is and some of the issues it covers. Also on… Full Article
ter Class Notes: Harvard Discrimination, California’s Shelter-in-Place Order, and More By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 19:21:40 +0000 This week in Class Notes: California's shelter-in-place order was effective at mitigating the spread of COVID-19. Asian Americans experience significant discrimination in the Harvard admissions process. The U.S. tax system is biased against labor in favor of capital, which has resulted in inefficiently high levels of automation. Our top chart shows that poor workers are much more likely to keep commuting in… Full Article
ter The Hutchins Center Explains: Budgeting for aging America By webfeeds.brookings.edu Published On :: Mon, 21 Dec 2015 12:16:00 -0500 For decades, we have been hearing that the baby-boom generation was like a pig moving through a python–bigger than the generations before and after. That’s true. But that’s also a very misleading metaphor for understanding the demographic forces that are driving up federal spending: They aren’t temporary. The generation born between 1946 and 1964 is the beginning of a demographic transition that will persist for decades after the baby boomers die, the consequence of lengthening lifespans and declining fertility. Putting the federal budget on a sustainable course requires long-lasting fixes, not short-lived tweaks. First, a few demographic facts. As the chart below illustrates, there was a surge in births in the U.S. at the end of World War II, a subsequent decline, and then an uptick as baby boomers began having children. Although the population has been rising, the number of births in the U.S. the past few years has been below the peak baby-boom levels, possibly because many couples chose not to have children during bad economic times. More significant, fertility rates–roughly the number of babies born per woman during her lifetime–have fallen well below pre-baby-boom levels. Meanwhile, Americans are living longer. In 1950, a man who made it to age 65 could expect to live until 78 and a woman until 81. Social Security’s actuaries project that a man who lived to age 65 in 2010 will reach 84 and a woman age 86. Put all this together, and it’s clear that a growing fraction of the U.S. population will be 65 or older. The combination of longer life spans and lower fertility rates means the ratio of elderly (over 65) to working-age population (ages 20 to 64) is rising. As the chart below illustrates, the ratio will rise steadily as more baby boomers reach retirement age–and then it levels off. Simply put, this doesn’t look like a pig in a python. So what do these demographic facts portend for the federal budget? In simple dollars and cents, the federal government spends more on the old than the young. More older Americans means more federal spending on Social Security and Medicare, the health insurance program for the elderly. On top of that, health care spending per person is likely to continue to grow faster than the overall economy. The net result: 85 percent of the increase in federal spending that the Congressional Budget Office projects for the next 10 years, based on current policies, will go toward Social Security, Medicare and other major federal health programs, and interest on the national debt. Restraining future deficits and the size of the federal debt mean restraining spending on these programs or raising taxes–and probably both. One-time savings or minor tweaks won’t suffice. Nor will limiting the belt-tightening to annually appropriated spending. The fundamental fiscal problem is not coping with the retirement of the baby boomers and then going back to budgets that resemble those of the past. The fundamental fiscal problem is that retirement of the baby boomers marks a major demographic transition for the nation, one that will require long-lived changes to benefit programs and taxes. Editor's Note: This post originally appeared on The Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire on December 18, 2015. Authors Louise SheinerDavid Wessel Full Article
