Is the Shale Forecast Curve Hyperbolic, or Exponential?
Kate Mackenzie / Financial Times Alpha
The US shale gas production boom took everyone by surprise — apparently that includes George Mitchell himself, who was credited for sparking the shale gas production surge on his death last month. Yet the variety of output from different shale gas plays is also taking some by surprise.
Drones: Actually the Most Human Form of Warfare Ever
Michael W. Lewis / The Atlantic
How better targeting and surveillance can reduce the number of civilian casualties.
Tesla Crash Test: Does Record Safety Rating Mean Electric Cars are Safer?
David J. Unger / Christian Science Monitor
Tesla crash test for Model S gives upstart car company something to rave about. The Tesla crash test by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showed it to be among the safest cars ever.
UN to Meet Over Reports of Hundreds Killed in Syria Chemical Weapons Attack
Richard Engel, Alastair Jamieson, and Ghazi Balkiz / NBC News
The U.N. Security Council is to hold an emergency session Wednesday over reports from Syria’s opposition that hundreds of civilians – including many women and children – have been killed in chemical weapons attacks.
Bradley Manning Sentenced to 35 Years in WikiLeaks Case
Nick Renaud-Komiya / The Independent
US soldier Bradley Manning has been jailed for 35 years for passing a trove of military and diplomatic secrets to the WikiLeaks website. The military judge at Fort Meade in Maryland convicted the 25-year-old last month of 20 offences, including six violations of the Espionage Act. He could have been sentenced to 90 years in prison.
Real Energy Independence: Making Oil No Longer “Strategic”
Julie Hammond / CFA Institute
We need more researchers like Anne Korin, co-director of the Institute for the Analysis of Global Security, to set the record straight in Washington and around the globe about our nation’s so called “dependency” on foreign oil. There are some big misconceptions among politicians, the media, and the public about our reliance on Middle East oil, Korin told the audience at the Financial Analysts Seminar. Korin’s two visionary books, Turning Oil into Salt and Petropoly, clearly explain where the real problems lie with regard to our country’s use of petroleum products and present innovative solutions that are well within our grasp.
Don’t Buy the Cyberhype: How to Prevent Cyberwars From Becoming Real Ones
Martin C. Libicki / Foreign Affairs
These days, most of Washington seems to believe that a major cyberattack on U.S. critical infrastructure is inevitable. In March, James Clapper, U.S. director of national intelligence, ranked cyberattacks as the greatest short-term threat to U.S. national security. General Keith Alexander, the head of the U.S. Cyber Command, recently characterized “cyber exploitation” of U.S. corporate computer systems as the “greatest transfer of wealth in world history.” And in January, a report by the Pentagon’s Defense Science Board argued that cyber risks should be managed with improved defenses and deterrence, including “a nuclear response in the most extreme case.”
ASP Recent Publications
FACT SHEET: Academic Exchange: A Pillar of Public Diplomacy
This fact sheet outlines the national security benefits of academic exchange, highlights the types of government sponsorship programs, and explores the metrics surrounding these exchanges.
FACT SHEET: Iranian Ballistic Missiles
Though initiated with a great dead 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.
On Our Flashpoint Blog
Fusion Power: Search for the Ultimate Energy Source, by Steve Dean
Andrew Holland
Dr. Steven O. Dean, one of the leading voices on fusion energy, has a great book out about the history of fusion, “Search for the Ultimate Energy Source.” The book is a comprehensive history of the American Fusion Energy Program.
Champions of Change: Nominate a Veteran Working on Clean Energy and Climate Protection
Andrew Holland
The White House is asking for nominations to their “Champions of Change” program for veterans working on building resilience to climate change and moving to mitigate climate change by deploying clean energy sources.
BGen Steve Cheney Interviewed on Climate Change and National Security
Nicholas Cunningham
ASP’s CEO Brigadier General Stephen Cheney, USMC (Ret.) participated in a kickoff of Climate Week NYC on July 16, 2013 in New York. While in New York, Gen. Cheney was interviewed by A.M. Best TV on how specifically climate change creates national security risks around the world.
The Promise of Advanced Biofuels
Andrew Holland
One of the best ways to reduce our oil use is to develop biofuel replacements. Corn ethanol has gone a long way—it now makes up 10% of the U.S. fuel supply. However, it has also gone about as far as it can go due to the upcoming “blend wall.” Today, companies like KiOR, Virent, and many others are moving forward with the next generation of biofuels.
ASP in the News
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.
