News Roundup Archive

Thursday, July 7, 2011

USIP's Science, Technology & Peacebuilding Roundup

United States Institute of Peace

 

Center of Innovation: Science, Technology and Peacebuilding

Weekly News Roundup, June 30 - July 6, 2011

Table of Contents

**Click here to subscribe to USIP's Media, Conflict and Peacebuilding News Roundup,
which includes a special section on Internet and social media.**


Physicist: I Can Predict Insurgent Attacks, Thanks to the 'Red Queen'
Modern warfare is a messy, erratic, complicated business, defined by the unpredictability of the next insurgent or terrorist attack. But apparently, all that chaotic violence is nothing a physicist can't figure out. In a paper published last week in Science, researchers present an equation to describe how fatal attacks escalate - whether it's a suicide bombing in Lebanon or an insurgent attack in Kabul.
See the full article (Wired, Lena Groeger, 7/5/11)
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Cisco Said to Aid China in Installing Massive 'Peaceful Chongqing' Surveillance System
A network of over 500,000 cameras designed for massive video surveillance across the Chinese city of Chongqing is in the works, according to the Wall Street Journal. Several companies, including American-based Cisco Systems, will help the country build the system, which is called "Peaceful Chongqing" and is nominally meant to help prevent crime. However, the Journal reports that human rights activists are worried that the system, which will cover 400 square miles, could be capable of suppressing political dissident within the Chongqing municipality.
See the full article (Huffington Post, Amy Lee, 7/5/11)
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Global Race on to Match US Drone Capabilities
At the most recent Zhuhai air show, the premier event for China's aviation industry, crowds swarmed around a model of an armed, jet-propelled drone and marveled at the accompanying display of its purported martial prowess. Little is known about the actual abilities of the WJ-600 drone or the more than two dozen other Chinese models that were on display at Zhuhai in November. But the speed at which they have been developed highlights how US military successes with drones have changed strategic thinking worldwide and spurred a global rush for unmanned aircraft.
See the full article (Washington Post, William Wan and Peter Finn, 7/4/11)
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Iran Showcases Homegrown Arms in War Games
Iran's latest war games have featured the predictable blaze of missile tests and an unexpected peek at underground launch silos. There's one bit of military showmanship, though, that ties it all together: Promoting the Made in Iran label. Boasting about homegrown defense technology is growing louder as Iran claims U.N. sanctions cannot blunt efforts to keep pace with America's Gulf allies - led by Saudi Arabia - that are awash in Pentagon weaponry and taking an increasingly tough line against Tehran.
See the full article (AP, Ali Akbar Dareini, 7/4/11)
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Drought in East Africa the Result of Climate Change and Conflict
Prolonged drought in the Horn of Africa is the immediate cause of the severe food crisis already affecting around 10 million people in parts of Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Somalia. Rains have failed over two seasons, with a strong La NiƱa event having a dramatic impact across the east coast of Africa. How far the current conditions, classified by the UN as "pre-famine" - one step down from "catastrophe" - can be attributed to climate change is not clear.
See the full article (Guardian, Felicity Lawrence, 7/4/11)
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Foreign Policy: Google Searches for Peace
Google Ideas, the Silicon Valley giant's self-proclaimed "think/do tank," just wrapped up its Summit Against Violent Extremism in Dublin. The conference, as the identity of its host would seem to imply, was heavily focused on the power of technology to combat radicalism. Former militants and aggrieved mothers can dissuade youth from joining violent groups; competing networks can distract them; and outlets for positive activism can channel their energy toward more productive ends.
See the full article (NPR, William McCants, 7/1/11)
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China Repeals Controversial Technology Trade Rule that Prompted US, European Complaints
China has repealed a policy favoring Chinese producers in government purchases of computers and other technology that triggered complaints by foreign companies and governments that it violated free trade. The Finance Ministry announcement was the second time in a month that Beijing repealed a technology policy after complaints by its trading partners.
See the full article (AP, 6/30/11)
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USIP's Media, Conflict & Peacebuilding Roundup

United States Institute of Peace

 

Center of Innovation: Media, Conflict and Peacebuilding

Weekly News Roundup, June 30 - July 6, 2011

Media and Journalism

Internet and Social Media

What's New from PeaceMedia

**Click here to subscribe to USIP's Science, Technology and Peacebuilding News Roundup.**


Media and Journalism

Pakistan's Spies Tied to Slaying of a Journalist
Obama administration officials believe that Pakistan's powerful spy agency ordered the killing of a Pakistani journalist who had written scathing reports about the infiltration of militants in the country's military, according to American officials. New classified intelligence showed that senior officials of the spy agency, the Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence, directed the attack on him in an effort to silence criticism, two senior administration officials said.
See the full article (New York Times, Jane Perlez and Eric Schmitt, 7/4/11) *NYT sign-up may be required to view the full article
Click to read about USIP's upcoming event "The Quest for India-Pakistan Normalization" on July 12 at 1:00pm. You can also watch the live webcast! [Return to top]

Sudan Targets and Tortures Journalists to Prevent Reporting
The Sudan government is using an array of underhand legal methods to detain journalists and to halt the publication of independent newspapers. According to the New York-based press freedom watchdog, the Committee to Protect Journalists, the Sudanese authorities "aggressively" target individual journalists and publications through "contrived legal proceedings, politicised criminal charges, and confiscations."
See the full article (Guardian, 7/4/11)
Click to read about USIP's upcoming event "The Birth of the Republic of South Sudan" on July 14 at 2:00pm. You can also watch the live webcast! [Return to top]

British Journalist's Iraq Kidnapper Jailed 15 Years
An Iraqi court handed down a 15-year jail term on Saturday to a man it convicted of taking part in the abduction of a British journalist in 2008, a judiciary spokesman said. Spokesman Abdel Sattar al-Beriqdar did not identify the convict by name but said the court had sentenced him for the armed kidnapping of Richard Butler, who was seized with his translator and held hostage for two months.
See the full article (AFP, 7/2/11)
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French Journalists Held Hostage by Taliban Return Home
Two French journalists held hostage by the Taliban in Afghanistan for 18 months have arrived in France, flying into an airport near Paris. Cameraman Stephane Taponier and reporter Herve Ghesquiere were freed in circumstances that remain unclear. The pair were kidnapped with Afghan colleagues near Kabul in December 2009 while on assignment for French TV.
See the full article (BBC, 6/30/11)
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Internet and Social Media

Britain Needs to be on the Side of Internet Access Across the World
Harvard professor Joseph Nye talks of a world changed by the shifting distribution of power from West to East and the growing dispersal of power from state to citizens. Before visiting the region, I was somewhat skeptical of the extravagant claims made about social media's role in the revolutions. But having visited Tunisia and spoken to activists there, I no longer think you can understand what happened without analysing the role that social media played.
See the full article (Huffington Post, Douglas Alexander, 7/5/11)
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Spreading the Word: Syria's Digital Revolution
An oppressive regime, a brutal military and little promise of change: Unlike the Egyptian and Tunisian revolutions, the uprising in Syria has faced seemingly insurmountable odds from the very beginning. "The Syrians right now have actually discovered the power of their voice, and the power of numbers," Radwan Ziadeh, executive director of the Syrian Center for Political and Strategic Studies in Washington DC, said. That power, say many protestors, is thanks in part to digital technology.
See the full article (Deutsche Welle, Sumi Somaskanda, 7/5/11)
[Return to top]

Foreign Policy: Google Searches for Peace
Google Ideas, the Silicon Valley giant's self-proclaimed "think/do tank," just wrapped up its Summit Against Violent Extremism in Dublin. The conference, as the identity of its host would seem to imply, was heavily focused on the power of technology to combat radicalism. Former militants and aggrieved mothers can dissuade youth from joining violent groups; competing networks can distract them; and outlets for positive activism can channel their energy toward more productive ends.
See the full article (NPR, William Mccants, 7/1/11)
[Return to top]

 

What's New from PeaceMedia

Arab Media Resource Center
This resource center has been created to provide governments, NGOs, journalists and media professionals in the Arab world with practical tools and information to assist in carrying out their work. With a focus on facilitating collaboration and media professionalism, this collection includes handbooks, links to relevant organizations and forums, and informative guides to upholding various international journalism standards.
Visit PeaceMedia
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