CHINA WATCHCornell University: Chinese Students Walk Out after Uyghur Student Asks About Genocide By Asim Kashgarian Published 23 March 2022 The campus of Cornell University offered a demonstration of the divide between Chinese authorities and the nation’s Uyghur minority, when Chinese students staged a walkout after an Uyghur student asked a speaker – Rep. Elissa

EMP THREATUltrafast Devices to Protecting the Grid from EMPs Published 23 March 2022 Scientists from Sandia National Laboratories have announced a tiny, electronic device that can shunt excess electricity within a few billionths of a second while operating at a record-breaking 6,400 volts — a significant step towards protecting the nation’s electric grid from an

TORNADOESTornadoes, Climate Change Make Dixie the new Tornado Alley By Ernest Agee Published 23 March 2022 Studies do show tornadoes getting more frequent, more intense and more likely to come in swarms. Moreover, studies show that, statistically, there is an emergence of another center of tornado activity in the Southeast, centered around Alabama. Oklahoma still

PLANETARY SECURITYUn-Earthing Planetary Defense Published 23 March 2022 This summer, NASA will launch its first mission to a metallic asteroid, 16 Psyche, located in the main asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. Previous missions have explored rocky and icy asteroids, but Psyche’s composition is widely believed to consist of a considerable amount

KREMLIN COUP?What Are the Chances of a Kremlin Coup? By Jamie Dettmer Published 22 March 2022 Russia experts are divided over the question of whether Vladimir Putin is facing a genuine risk to his power. A minority view is emerging among some Kremlin watchers that Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s days are numbered. Other seasoned Kremlin

PERSPECTIVE: NUCLEAR ESCALATIONThe Smaller Bombs That Could Turn Ukraine into a Nuclear War Zone Published 22 March 2022 The nuclear weapons in the arsenals of Russia and NATO countries have much smaller yields than the large bombs built during the Cold War. These warheads are even smaller than the bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

NUCLEAR ESCALATIONHistory Never Ended: Ukraine and the Risk of Nuclear Escalation By Malcolm Davis Published 22 March 2022 Putin has issued implicit and explicit nuclear threats, and has also raised the specter of chemical weapons. Together, these threats imply that Putin may seek deliberate escalation in order to limit NATO’s options. Putin’s assumption may be

DRONE WARFAREDrone Warfare Is Increasingly Sophisticated, Deadly By Jim Hanchett Published 22 March 2022 Policymakers, legislators and military strategists must prepare for the consequences of other countries and actors such as the Islamic State using unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, in the Ukraine-Russia conflict and others. Policymakers, legislators and military strategists must prepare for the consequences

COMMUNICATION FAILURECommunication Breakdown: How Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine Bogged Down By Sergei Dobrynin and Mark Krutov Published 22 March 2022 Military fortunes can swing quickly, in even major offensives like the one launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24 to “demilitarize” and subdue Ukraine, but many Western military experts suggest that the Kremlin

ARGUMENT: RISKY GAMBITThe False Promise of Arming Insurgents: America’s Spotty Record Warrants Caution in Ukraine Published 22 March 2022 Covertly coming to the aid of Ukrainian insurgents may appear to be the prudent choice for U.S. policymakers facing an array of unattractive options, but history suggests that this would be a risky gamble. The United