News Roundup Archive

Friday, May 3, 2013

USIP's Science, Technology & Peacebuilding Roundup

United States Institute of Peace

 

Center of Innovation: Science, Technology and Peacebuilding

Weekly News Roundup, April 25 - May 1, 2013

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.**


State Department Hopes It Can Find Peace Among Data
The State Department is using cutting-edge data gathering technology to help keep the peace in some areas and keep violence from flaring in others, saving both physical and fiscal costs of conflict. CSO analyzes "large data sets" as well as "civil society" generated data -- essentially the sum of patterns, human behaviors, electronic signals, social media elements and everything tangible that creates masses of technological and non-technological data.
See the full article (CNN, Tara Kangarlou, 5/1/13)
Click to read "'Big Data,' Text Messages Can Aid, Not Drive Conflict Prevention," an Olive Branch Post by Viola Gienger.
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China Cyberspies Outwit U.S. Stealing Military Secrets
Among defense contractors, QinetiQ North America (QQ/) is known for spy-world connections and an eye- popping product line. Its contributions to national security include secret satellites, drones, and software used by U.S. special forces in Afghanistan and the Middle East. QinetiQ's espionage expertise didn't keep Chinese cyber- spies from outwitting the company.
See the full article (CNN, Michael Riley and Ben Elgin, 5/1/13)
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Who's Afraid of Cyberoptimism?
I am critical of a strain of optimism that's long been associated with the Internet, which hopes that digital technologies will expose us to opinions and perspectives from around the world and inexorably lead to increased cooperation and understanding. If we wanted to improve communication and cooperation between people in different parts of the world, we cannot naïvely hope that the Internet will solve our problems. Instead we would need to make conscious efforts to shape our tools and systems to increase intercultural communication.
See the full article (Foreign Policy, Ethan Zuckerman, 4/29/13) *Foreign Policy sign-up may be required to view the full article
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Entering a Resource-shock World
Two nightmare scenarios - a global scarcity of vital resources and the onset of extreme climate change - are already beginning to converge and in the coming decades are likely to produce a tidal wave of unrest, rebellion, competition and conflict. To appreciate the power of this encroaching catastrophe, it's necessary to examine each of the forces that are combining to produce this future cataclysm.
See the full article (Al Jazeera, Michael Klare, 4/28/13)
Click to read "Natural Disasters as Threats to Peace," a USIP Special Report by Frederick S. Tipson.
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U.S. Response to Bank Cyberattacks Reflects Diplomatic Caution, Vexes Bank Industry
The United States, concerned that Iran is behind a string of cyberattacks against U.S. banking sites, has considered delivering a formal warning through diplomatic channels but has not pursued the idea out of fears that doing so could escalate hostilities, according to American officials. At the same time, the officials said, the disruptive activity against the Web sites has not yet reached a level of harm that would justify a retaliatory strike.
See the full article (Washington Post, Ellen Nakashima, 4/27/13)
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Is the Specter of a 'Cyber Cold War' Real?
The epidemic of cyber-burglary and trade secret theft coming out of China is leading many technology and industrial multinationals to not only ask this question but to discuss avoiding hiring Chinese scientists, engineers and executives for key positions -- or at least determine ways to isolate them from core company systems.
See the full article (Atlantic, James McGregor, 4/27/13)
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North Korea Embraces 3G Service
Almost two million North Koreans now use the country's only 3G network, reports a blog dedicated to technology news in North Korea. The service can only be used to make voice calls, and all international calls are banned. North Koreans only have access to a very limited, state-run set of internet pages.
See the full article (BBC, 4/26/13)
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Welcome to the Age of Big Drone Data
Lt. Gen. Larry D. James is the Air Force's deputy chief for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, giving him the flying service's drone portfolio. During a rare public talk yesterday in Washington, James let on that "sustainment" of the drone fleet is the human problem of managing the absolutely enormous amount of data that its Predators, Reapers, Global Hawks and Sentinels generate.
See the full article (Wired, Spencer Ackerman, 4/25/13)
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Dubai Firm Agrees $2.8 Million Fine Over Syria Sanctions-busting
A Dubai distribution company has agreed to pay a $2.8 million civil penalty for shipping embargoed U.S. devices to the Syrian government to monitor and control internet traffic. The U.S. has had a long-standing trade embargo against Syria, which is in the midst of a bloody uprising, and uproar ensued when it first emerged in 2011 that the country was using U.S. technology to monitor its own citizens.
See the full article (Reuters, 4/25/13)
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Click here to subscribe to USIP's Media, Conflict and Peacebuilding News Roundup,
which includes a special section on Internet and social media.

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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, April 25 - May 1, 2013

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

The 10 Worst Countries for Journalists
Each year at this time, Freedom House issues a report on the state of global media freedom. The overall findings for 2012 were bleak: Just 14 percent of the world's population lives in societies that enjoy vibrant coverage of public affairs, a legal environment that undergirds a free press, and freedom from intrusion by the government or other political forces.
See the full article (Foreign Policy, Arch Puddington, 5/1/13) *Foreign Policy sign-up may be required to view the full article
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As Power of Media Rises, the Deadliest Year for Journalists
May 3rd marks World Press Freedom Day. While we pause to honor those journalists who have been killed or imprisoned, it is important to realize the growing role media play in global politics and the changes that are redefining what it means to be a journalist. According to the International Press Institute, 133 journalists were killed in 2012, the deadliest year on record.
See the full article (Huffington Post, David Hoffman, 5/1/13)
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Veteran Italian War Correspondent Missing in Syria
An Italian journalist has been missing in Syria for 20 days, his newspaper La Stampa says. Domenico Quirico, 62, an experienced war reporter, entered Syria from Lebanon on 6 April saying he would be out of touch for a week. The conflict in Syria has made it one of the most dangerous places for journalists to work in.
See the full article (CNN, 4/29/13)
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Iraq Sunni Unrest Prompts TV Channel Licence Suspension
Iraqi authorities have suspended the licences of 10 satellite channels because of a rise in sectarian unrest. Al-Jazeera TV and Sharqiya are among the channels accused of "inciting violence". A ban has been imposed on their operations across Iraq. More than 170 people have been killed in less than a week and PM Nouri Maliki has spoken of a "wave of sectarianism" in Iraq that began abroad.
See the full article (BBC, 4/28/13)
Click to read about USIP's upcoming event "Amidst Iraq's Turmoil: What Can We Do?" on May 4 at 2:00pm.
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In North Korea, the State-run News Agency is the Weapon of Choice
A massive wire service, known as the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), serves as the primary mouthpiece for the North's authoritarian government, lauding upticks in factory production, documenting the arrival of floral baskets for the ruling Kims and occasionally warning about possible nuclear strikes on neighbors.
See the full article (Washington Post, Chico Harlan, 4/28/13)
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Mexican Journalists March to Protest Violence Against Reporters
Mexican journalists on Sunday marched in the capital and several other states to protest violence that has claimed the lives of co-workers and silenced news media in parts of the country. Chanting "Justice!" and "Solution!" the journalists demanded government authorities investigate a string of murders, kidnappings and threats suffered by reporters and media workers in recent years.
See the full article (Los Angeles Times, Tracy Wilkinson, 4/28/13)
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Internet and Social Media

How to Defeat Cyber Jihad
A great paradox of the conflict with al Qaeda is that the terrorists make such skillful use of 21st century information technology. Whether to tell their story of a sacred mission to reduce the shadow cast by American power over the Muslim world, to motivate recruits to join the jihad, or to provide a form of "distance learning" in terrorist tradecraft, al Qaeda operatives have made extensive use of cyberspace-based connectivity.
See the full article (Foreign Policy, John Arquilla, 4/29/13) *Foreign Policy sign-up may be required to view the full article
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Surrounded by Somali Militants, American Jihadi Live-Tweets His Standoff
Omar Hammami's enemies appear to be closing in on him. The most wanted American jihadi in Somalia survived a Thursday assassination attempt only to tweet today that his former allies in al-Qaida's Somali affiliate are stepping up their efforts to wipe him out. Hammami is a 28-year-old Alabaman who has been waging jihad in Somalia since 2006.
See the full article (Wired, Spencer Ackerman, 4/29/13)
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How Terror Can Breed Through Social Media
The days of would-be terrorists needing to travel to far-off camps to make contacts and learn how to build bombs is rapidly receding. Social media forums like Twitter and Facebook provide a ready made Rolodex of sources -- dig further online, mine those contacts further, gain admission to private chat forums and eventually you will find instructions for bomb making.
See the full article (CNN, Dan Rivers, 4/28/13)
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The Great Potential (and Challenges) of Citizen Videos Uncovering News
Media consolidation, industry cutbacks, and political repression are among the threats to reporting on and by independent and diverse perspectives around the world. The videos we see on a regular basis from across the globe illustrate the potential of citizen reporters to not only document under-reported stories, but to do so from corners of the globe that have long been inaccessible to reporters as well as human rights investigators and aid groups.
See the full article (PBS, Madeleine Bair, 4/24/13)
Click to read about USIP's upcoming event "Protecting the Future: Professional Standards in Humanitarian and Human Rights Work" on May 9 at 9:30am.
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What's New from PeaceMedia

"Somali Youth Participation In Conflict Mitigation" - Somali Development Trust
Somali Development Trust trained six Somali civil-society organization leaders on how to produce and edit a short documentary film on peace and conflict. This short documentary, which was produced and edited by three of the Somali youth leaders, addresses the clan-related conflicts that occur in Somalia.
See the full video
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Click here to subscribe to USIP's Science, Technology and Peacebuilding News Roundup.

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