With Iran’s physical presence expanding through Iraq and Syria, and a lack of military forces in place to stop it, Hudson Institute will examine the realities of Iran’s objectives at a forum April 26. “With no military forces broadly obstructing Iran’s strategic movement in the region, the country’s influence continues to grow unchecked and could […]
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Long-Term Syria Strategy Remains Elusive
For the second time in a year, President Trump took military action to punish Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for his use of chemical weapons against his own people. However, the U.S.’s long-term strategy for moving forward in Syria remains unclear. The Trump administration is recalibrating Syrian policy as it relates to Assad’s use of chemical […]
Castro’s Cuba Likely Continues Under Díaz-Canel
For the first time in nearly 60 years, a Castro will not lead the island nation of Cuba, as Fidel’s brother Raúl stepped down and new President Miguel Díaz-Canel was confirmed April 19. What happens next in Cuba is, of course, a matter of speculation. But Latin America observers still offered some insight this week […]
Syria Unchanged Since Chemical Attack
Last weekend, the U.S., France and the U.K. carried out a series of military strikes in Syria designed to destroy or at least diminish Syria’s ability to use chemical weapons. This military action was taken in response to the chemical attack on the civilian residents of Douma that occurred a week ago. Syria’s ruling regime […]
Immigrants ‘Better Educated, but Not Better Off’
Though immigrant education levels have dramatically increased over the past decade, immigrants’ socioeconomic status is virtually unchanged, according to a report by the Center for Immigration Studies. “The share of newly arrived immigrants with at least a college degree increased from 34 percent in 2007 to 49 percent in 2017; and the share without a […]
Trump Outlines Syria Attack in Letter to Congress
President Donald Trump sent a letter to the speaker of the House of Representatives and the president pro tempore of the Senate April 15 outlining his actions taken April 13 to strike suspected chemical weapons locations in Syria. “The targets of the combined operation were a scientific research center installation, a storage facility, and a […]
What Happens in a Chlorine/Sarin Gas Attack?
Administration officials said April 14 that the poison gas attack in Douma, Syria, April 8 was most likely a chlorine gas attack, with additional evidence pointing to the use of the nerve agent sarin. Though the issue of chemical attacks is one that often strikes terror, particularly to vulnerable populations around the globe, what does […]
Massive Dark Net has Both Shady and Bright Spots
As Mark Zuckerberg faced Congress about the good and bad aspects of Facebook’s decidedly open-web presence, cybersecurity expert Gabriel Weimann revealed that there are good, as well as bad, aspects of the “dark net” in an interview with the Woodrow Wilson Center. Weimann, a public policy fellow at the Wilson Center’s Middle East and Science […]
Six Icebreakers Key To USCG Success, Report Says
The U.S. Coast Guard needs six operational icebreakers to meet ongoing challenges at the poles, particularly with Russia and China seeking to increase their influence, according to an April 9 report from The Heritage Foundation by James Di Pane. Currently, the Coast Guard fields just two icebreakers—Polar Star (heavy) and Healy (medium). A third heavy […]
U.S. Should Pressure Regimes Whose People Flee
Sometime in mid-March—reminiscent of early 1800s America when covered wagons formed wagon trains for the long trek west—a group of Hondurans fled their country hoping to find a new life in America. According to them and their supporters, their intent is to escape a dangerous environment in which their lives and the lives of their […]