Center for Strategic Communication

Al Jazeera America Promises a More Sober Look at the News

Brian Stelter / New York Times

When the cable news channel begins broadcasting on Tuesday, “there will be less opinion, less yelling and fewer celebrity sightings,” its chief says.

On Friendly Waters: China’s Healthcare Diplomacy in South Asia

Farisa Khalid / Conflict & Security

These past two months the Chinese Navy’s Type 920 Hospital Ship, a vast 14,000 ton floating hospital called “The Peace Ark,” docked in major cities of South Asia providing key medical services.

U.S., allies were near a deal for peaceful end to Egypt crisis

Anne Gearan & Colum Lynch / Washington Post

Its own influence diminished, the U.S. sought help from rich Gulf states to influence both sides in the crisis.

New demands for reform of NSA spy programs

Ellen Nakashima / Washington Post

Some lawmakers called Friday for greater transparency in the surveillance operations of the National Security Agency, while U.S. officials stressed that any mistakes committed by the agency were not intentional. The contrasting reactions came after The Washington Post reported that the NSA violated rules or overstepped its legal authority thousands of times in recent years.

Benghazi aftershocks affecting US policy in Egypt

Bradley Klapper / AP

The specter of Benghazi is affecting U.S. policy in coup-wracked Egypt. The attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi that killed the American ambassador and left three other Americans dead was cited as a reason for closing some 20 American embassies and consulates this month in the face of an al-Qaida threat. And U.S. officials say Benghazi also is playing heavily into the Obama administration’s deliberations on how to respond to the growing unrest in Egypt, the Arab world’s most populous country.

Task Force: coasts should prepare for rising seas

David Caruso & Meghan Barr / AP

Coastal communities should assume floods are going to happen more frequently and realize that spending now on protective measures could save money later, according to a report issued by a presidential task force charged with developing a strategy for rebuilding areas damaged by Superstorm Sandy. Most of the report’s 69 recommendations focus on a simple warning: plan for future storms in an age of climate change and rising sea levels. It calls for development of a more advanced electrical grid and the creation of better planning tools and standards for storm-damaged communities.

ASP Recent Publications

FACT SHEET – Iranian Ballistic Missiles

Though initiated with a great deal of foreign assistance, Iran is increasingly capable of developing and improving its own ballistic missile technology. This fact sheet provides a useful inventory of the ballistic missiles and space delivery vehicles that the Islamic Republic of Iran deploys and has developed.

FACT SHEET – America’s Infrastructure: Challenges and Opportunities

For decades the American infrastructure has been allowed to decay. Poor quality of wireless broadband access, deteriorating roads, unsafe bridges, and power interruptions are all indicators of a lack of investment in infrastructure. This fact sheets details come of the challenges and opportunities ahead for America’s infrastructure.

FACT SHEET- American Competitiveness and National Security

The security of our nation inherently depends upon the strength of our ability to compete in the global market place while simultaneously raising living standards at home.

U.S. Public Diplomacy Towards Iran

This report explores several types of public diplomacy aimed towards Iran, and looks into some of the challenges and potential of these programs as part of an overall strategy for addressing U.S. national security interests.

ASP in the News
Andrew Holland in RealClearEnergy: The Promise (& Peril) of Advanced Biofuels

Andrew Holland’s article, “The Promise (& Peril) of Advanced Biofuels” was published by the Christian Science Monitor and RealClearEnergy on August 12, 2013.

ASP’s Andrew Holland Cited in Washington Post

Brad Plumer of The Washington Post’s WonkBlog wrote an interesting article on the ongoing academic research on the link between climate change and violence, and linked to a blog post written by ASP’s Andrew Holland.

Paul Rockower in the Huffington Post: The Public Diplomacy of Free France During WWII

ASP Adjunct Fellow Paul Rockower’s piece on Free France’s public diplomacy during WWII has subsequently appeared in the Huffington Post.