Technology - Related

Significant Cyber Events

ian — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

A list of significant cyber events since 2006.

Last modified on January 19, 2012.

Critical Questions for 2012

ian — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500

From international security and regional study to global challenges, CSIS experts will address many of the world's most difficult policy concerns and critical questions in 2012. To kick off the new year, we asked 25 of our scholars to identity what worries them most and what are the biggest opportunities in their respective areas of study.

Entrepreneurship in India: The Next Wave

jdunton — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

When thinking about entrepreneurship in India, it is hard not to focus on names like Tata, Ambani, Premji, and Murthy. These pioneers of Indian industry have not only globalized Indian business firms, but they have also helped to pave the way for a new generation of entrepreneurs.

China in Space: Implications of the Space Module Docking

ktimlin — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0500

This piece was orignially published in China - U.S. Focus on November 15, 2011

PacNet #57 - Social Media: Building Mutual Trust Between China and Japan

bMizuno — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Social media offers a powerful platform for building mutual trust and understanding; used effectively, it could help change, for the better, Japan’s image among the Chinese.

Biofortification: A Partial Solution to Global Malnutrition

sherry — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

In September, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization reported that food prices are 26 percent higher than a year ago and that the prices for staple grains, the main foods for the world’s poor, are 36 percent higher than 12 months ago.

Using Earth Observation Data to Improve Health in the United States

jdunton — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Earth observations enable us to monitor and predict key environmental phenomena and events that can affect our health. Earth observation data can be incorporated into models to help detect, monitor, or predict disease, providing policymakers with the opportunity to control an epidemic, respond more quickly to disease outbreaks, and act to prevent or mitigate the occurrence of disease.

Addressing Japan's Healthcare Challenges with Information Technology

jdunton — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Japan is facing the long-term policy challenge of an aging society, which requires increasing amounts of healthcare, both high acuity care and long-term chronic care.

Indo-U.S. Space Cooperation: Aiming Higher

NLombardo — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Indo-U.S. space cooperation may not yet be in orbit, but it certainly is in the boost phase. At the end of their Strategic Dialogue Joint Statement, issued on July 19 in New Delhi, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton included a status report on the recently concluded meeting in Bangalore of the U.S.-India Space Working Group.

Information Sharing in 2011 and Beyond: Remaining Challenges and Opportunities

sherry — Thu, 14 Jul 2011 00:00:00 -0400

This summer, the CSIS Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Program begins its second annual year-long series on information sharing in security and counterterrorism, sponsored by IBM. Last year’s events examined information sharing from a range of perspectives.

Capacity and Resolve

jdunton — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The last decade has seen the United States involved in two wars, an ongoing worldwide struggle against terrorism, and more recently a severe economic recession. This period has exposed two great structural challenges facing the United States. First, in a globalized world, vectors of prosperity quickly become vectors of insecurity. And second, the center of gravity in world affairs is shifting to Asia.

The Significance of the Frontier: Why Privacy and Cybersecurity Clash

ian — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

The internet diminishes privacy. Perhaps it will ultimately destroy it. The effect of digital technology on an individual’s ability to control personal data raises serious concerns, but does disappearing privacy also mean the end of civil liberties? Not necessarily, and understanding how to preserve political liberties while privacy shrinks is an essential task for the digital future.

Technological Advancement: The Choice Before Us

ian — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400

Marshall Foch, commander of Allied Forces in World War I, is said to have remarked when he fi rst saw an airplane in 1911, that “airplanes are interesting toys, but of no military value.” Foch, like most others, did not recognize the destructive potential of the new technology or how it would change military and strategic calculations.

Protecting Privacy Through Cybersecurity

ktimlin — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0400

If the internet is ever to be a safer, and in fact more private environment for the millions of Americans who use it, national cybersecurity mission will be one of the means by which it becomes so. To this end, it is critical that we reconcile privacy and cybersecurity in a way that gives all citizens equal confidence in the way our government protects information and in the way our gover

Pacific Partners

jdunton — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0500

The United States and New Zealand are natural “Pacific Partners.” The two countries share fundamental values and overwhelming common interests. Their views align on appropriate norms and modalities for ensuring the Asia-Pacific region can prosper in a positive and peaceful environment. It is timely for a good relationship to be elevated to another level.

Cybersecurity Two Years Later

jdunton — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500

When CSIS published Securing Cyberspace for the 44th Presidency two years ago, cybersecurity was not a major issue for public policy. Along with the work of many others, our first report helped to change this. However, the new energy in the national dialogue on cybersecurity has not yet translated into sufficient progress.

Does China's New J-20 Stealth Fighter Have American Technology?

ktimlin — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0500

China’s military sent a signal to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates when it unveiled its new J-20 stealth fighter rolling up and down a runway just before his visit. We do not actually know how stealthy the J-20 is, but aviation experts were generally surprised that China was able to develop this advanced an aircraft as quickly as it did.

WikiLeaks and Free Flow of Information on the Internet

mentman — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

There is a delicious irony in the fact that it is now the so-called liberal democracies that are clamouring to shut WikiLeaks down. . . . Given what we now know, that [ January 21, 2009] Clinton speech reads like a satirical masterpiece.

--John Naughton, Guardian.co.uk1

Oversight for Cybersecurity Activities

ktimlin — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0500

In the absence of consensus on how to balance privacy with the need for government cybersecurity measures, a fallback approach has been to rely on intelligence oversight practices as a possible model for oversight in the cybersecurity realm.

A Human Capital Crisis in Cybersecurity

ecurran — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0500

"The cyber threat to the United States affects all aspects of society, business, and government, but there is neither a broad cadre of cyber experts nor an established cyber career field to build upon, particularly within the Federal government."

Seizing the Wireless Advantage: Conference Proceedings

ian — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400

On September 15, 2010 the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) hosted a one-day conference to better understand various perspectives on the future of the Electro-Magnetic Spectrum (EMS). The event brought together key stakeholders from the across the government, industry, and academia, with two intended outcomes.

DIIG Current Issues No. 22: Rare Earth Elements

gsanders — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400

On 23rd September 2010, exports of rare earth elements (REEs) from China to Japan apparently stopped due to a dispute over maritime boundaries. This use of economic leverage to influence policy raised concerns about the impact of China’s strategic hold on these precious metals.

Thresholds for Cyberwar

ian — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0400

There is a broad range of hostile or malicious action in cyberspace – crime, espionage, attacks, and political action. The identity of those who engage in these actions can be indeterminate, and these activities, at some level, often overlap. This does not justify, however, a similar blurring and imprecision in our discussions of cyber conflict.

A Few Thoughts on the National Security Implications of the U.S. And Global Commercial Space Launch Industry

ian — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The Administration recently released the President’s new National Space Policy. CSIS subsequently hosted senior Administration officials, who noted that the new policy builds on and only slightly modifies the space policies of previous Administrations. Administration officials, however, clearly stated that without the commercial space industry, America would have no space capabilities.

National Security and the Commercial Space Sector

ian — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

This report examines the relationship between U.S. national security and the commercial space sector, with specific focus on the current state of the space launch industry and launch market. Building on a CSIS annotated briefing released in 2008, entitled “Health of the U.S.

Protecting Lives and Data

mentman — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

This week brings a critical test for the transatlantic security partnership. The European Parliament will vote on a revised agreement with the United States on tracking terrorist finances using financial data unique to the Belgium-based Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT). The vote is about more than restoring data-sharing.

South Asia Monitor: Calling on Mobile Banking: Financial Inclusion in Rural India - July 1, 2010

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The mobile phone revolution is sweeping across India and has the potential to dramatically transform the lives of the nation’s rural poor. An estimated 8 million rural Indians who own mobile phones do not have access to banks. This gap is only widening.

Cross-Domain Deterrence and Credible Threats

dzheng — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The concept of deterrence rests on a series of assumptions about how potential opponents recognize, interpret and react to threats of retaliation. The fundamental assumption is that a correct interpretation by opponents will lead them to reject certain courses of action as too risky or too expensive.

Earth Observation for Climate Change

ian — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Until this year, America’s civil space policies—and the budgets that derive from it—were shaped to a considerable degree by the political imperatives of the past and by the romantic fiction of spaceflight.

Cyber War and Competition in the China - U.S. Relationship

dzheng — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 00:00:00 -0400

These are remarks delivered at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations on May 13, 2010.

National Security and the Commercial Space Sector

gsanders — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0400

In this DRAFT report, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) examines the relationship between U.S. national security and the commercial space sector, with specific focus on the current state of the space launch industry and launch market. Building on a CSIS annotated briefing released in 2008, entitled Health of the U.S.

A Note on the Laws of War in Cyberspace

dzheng — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0400

There is some disagreement as to whether we can apply the existing legal framework for warfare to cyber conflict or whether a new legal framework is needed. This debate conflates two separate issues: can the existing legal framework be applied to cyber conflict and is the existing framework adequate.

Government Open Source Policies

Fri, 16 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0400

This is the seventh update to the CSIS Open Source Policy survey. The survey tracks governmental policies on the use of open source software as reported in the press or other media.

Government Open Source Policies

ian — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0400

Educating Globally Competent Citizens

jdunton — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 00:00:00 -0400

It is increasingly difficult for leaders to act in the short term in ways that will yield positive, long-term results. Instant information flows are bringing planning horizons closer and closer to the present; pressures from multiple stakeholders are eroding prospects for consensus. Are we preparing our students, the next generation of leaders, for this kind of flat world?

Google and China

ian — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400

China is feeling on top of the world these days. Peoples Daily recently ran an article with the headline “Collective Decision-making Eclipses Rowdy Democracy.” It is not hard to guess to whom “rowdy democracy” refers. There is more to this than China’s own growth.

The Electrical Grid as a Target for Cyber Attack

dzheng — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400

The electrical power grid has gotten much attention in the last few yars as a potential target for cyber attack. This paper reviews the reasons why.

The Cyber War Has Not Begun

dzheng — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500

Expanded attention to cybersecurity is a good thing, but it seems that it is difficult to discuss this topic without exaggeration. We are not in a ‘cyber war’. War is the use of military force to attack another nation and damage or destroy its capability and will to resist. Cyber war would involve an effort by another nation or a politically motivated group to use

Commentary on the Augustine Committee Report on the Future of Human Space Exploration

pfrank — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0500

After many months of speculation, numerous meetings, articles, and suggestions, the Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee (aka the Augustine Committee) has released its reports providing options to the administration for consideration in plotting the course of human exploration through the rest of the decade and beyond.

Costs of an International Lunar Base

ian — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Following the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, a presidentially appointed committee is preparing its final report reviewing U.S. plans for future space exploration. In its summary report, the commission has suggested an exploration option that drops the goal of returning to the moon and building a base there, something that has been a centerpiece of U.S.

Twenty Important Controls for Effective Cyber Defense and FISMA Compliance

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Securing the United States against cyber attacks has become one of the nation’s highest priorities. To achieve this objective, networks, systems, and the operations teams that support them must vigorously defend against external attacks.

Globalization and the American Worker

jdunton — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Globalization and the American Worker is a path-breaking work on economic policy in a global age. It debunks the myths that clutter the political debate over globalization, focusing instead on the hard challenges the United States faces in building a stronger economic future.

Read My Tweet on Iran

jdunton — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Technology creates new sources of power. Network technologies diffuse power. New networking technologies erode traditional means of political control and create new kinds of politics. The effect can be immediate—as when Falun Gong supporters used e-mail to organize simultaneous demonstrations across China.

Cybersecurity Commission Comparison Chart

ian — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400

This chart compares the recommendations of the White House 60-day cyberspace policy review with the recommendations issued by the CSIS Cybersecurity Commission in their report Securing Cyberspace for the 44th Presidency.

Cybersecurity Policy Review Recommendations Comparison Chart

sherry — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0400

The Future of NASA

ian — Thu, 21 May 2009 00:00:00 -0400

President Barack Obama is about to appoint a new NASA administrator. NASA, while still the world leader in civil space, is facing daunting challenges.

Q1: How can NASA restore the spirit of innovation, discovery, and global leadership while satisfying the political constituency of the national space program?

Innovation and Cybersecurity Regulation

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0400

The market has failed to secure cyberspace. A ten-year experiment in faith-based cybersecurity has proven this beyond question.

A new Federal approach to cybersecurity will fail if it does not elicit actions that the private sector will not otherwise perform.

Foreign Policy Opportunities for NASA

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Events of the past month have startlingly illustrated the globalization of space.

Smart Power in U.S.-China Relations

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0500

U.S.-China ties could have a greater impact on international affairs than any other relationship.

America's Self-Destroying Air Power

Mon, 23 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0500

An updated Burke Chair report entitled America’s Self-Destroying Air Power: Becoming Your Own Peer Threat examines the impact of a crisis in aircraft procurement on tactical, strategic, and enabling capabilities of U.S. air power. It draws on recent government and other reports to describe the problems in U.S. aircraft procurement and their impact on U.S.