In This Story
From Small Wars Journal:
Hezbollah’s Global Networks and Latin American Cocaine Trade
The group’s influence in Latin America can be traced back to the most recent wave of Arab migration to the region, which coincided with the Lebanese Civil War. Currently, an estimated 18 million Latin Americans can trace their ancestry to the Arab region.
—Mahmut Cengiz and Camilo Pardo-Herrera
From the Washington Post:
Amid the Debt Ceiling Madness, a Lonely Voice of Sanity Emerges
So it fell to Rep. Jared Golden, a pro-choice, pro-gun Democrat from a Trump district in the backwoods of Maine, to venture a reasonable plan to tame runaway budget deficits. Neither party would like it, but I think most Americans could accept it. In other words, an artful compromise.
—Steven Pearlstein
From the National Post:
Closing Roxham Road Loophole a Benefit to All Migrants
This “new deal” is good news for migrants and for the continent overall. In lieu of border disorder, it affirms three fundamental principles of a sustainable migratory system: the orderly processing of documented migrants, due process and the rule of law, as well as the efficient and effective use of scarce public resources.
—Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera, et al.
From the Columbus Dispatch:
If Katrina Johnson ‘Resigned’ Why Is Ohio State Going to Keep Paying Her?
The trustees have created a perfect storm. Not only have they refused to provide any degree of transparency regarding the reasons for President Johnson's early departure, but it appears that they have violated their own duly adopted and published bylaws--the core governing documents of the university.
—Judith Wilde and James Finkelstein
From the Hill:
Radical Populism’s Challenge to Democracy: It’s Not Just US
Populism is driven by resentment of elites.
—Bill Schneider
From American City and County:
Facing Up to Facial Recognition
It’s worth noting that while some states have passed laws to restrict the use of facial recognition technology by law enforcement, there currently is no state that has outright banned the technology and at the local level, about a dozen cities have either banned or restricted the use of facial recognition.
—Alan R. Shark
From U.S. Naval Institute:
Submarines Will Reign in a War with China
China’s naval modernization has been remarkable in its scope and success. The one curious and consistent exception has been high-quality nuclear submarines.
—PhD Student Mike Sweeney
From Federal Times:
Congress Is Gearing Up for Fight Over U.S. Arms Transfers
U.S. arms transfers are a foreign policy tool over which the executive branch has curiously managed to claim almost all authority. In fact, Congress has never successfully stopped an arms sale. While the president has the power to veto any legislation from Congress, the legislature has no ability to veto the president.
—Jordan Cohen, et al.
From Homeland Security Today:
Cocaine Networks Merge with Fentanyl Trafficking Between the Middle East and Central America
In conclusion, existing networks will apparently continue to transfer cocaine from Latin America to Turkiye and merge with other types of drugs, including fentanyl, demanded in both regions. The U.S. needs to cast a big lens on these networks and routes.
—Mahmut Cengiz
From the Richmond Times-Dispatch:
Youngkin Is Wrong: Schools Should Embrace AI, Not Ban It
Instead of conveniently banning these tools outright, we should embrace the potential they offer and develop guidelines to ensure their responsible use in education.
—David Ramadan
From the Hill:
Why Would the Saudis Normalize Relations with Iran? The Answer May Surprise You
Another motive Riyadh may have in pursuing normalization with Tehran is to distance itself from Israel’s virulently anti-Iran prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the possibility of Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities — which Netanyahu has threatened.
—Mark N. Katz
From the Hill:
Gun Rights Voters, Move Over: With Abortion, Women and Youth Have Discovered Single-Issue Voting
The message from gun rights activists and pro-choice activists is the same: You can’t take rights away from people without provoking a fierce political backlash.
—Bill Schneider
From 19FortyFive:
The Biden-Yoon Summit: An Opportunity to Chart a New Alliance Course
It is time for the U.S. and its ally South Korea to execute a political warfare strategy that flips the conventional wisdom by seeking unification first, and then denuclearization. The international community must realize that the only way to end nuclear threats and human rights abuses is through unification of the Korean peninsula.
—PhD Student Matthew Ha, et al.
From the Wall Street Journal:
Twenty Years After the War, Iraq Needs U.S. Support
While Americans are fixated on their past, Iraqis are increasingly focused on their future. The U.S. should follow suit and turn the page on history, choosing instead to engage on ideas that will enable the long-term success of its ties with the nation.
—TraCCC PhD Grad Bilal Wahab
From the Richmond Times-Dispatch:
Budget Brinksmanship, Again? Blame Time Constraints
It is not realistic or even wise to expect such important work to be finished under a truncated timeline implied by Virginia’s antiquated part-time legislature.
—Mark J. Rozell
From Small Wars Journal:
The Myth of the Mexican ‘Cartels’
In fact, we are not strictly talking about cartels, because their members do not negotiate peacefully, nor do they establish agreements to control supply—and hence prices—in order to maximize profits. On the contrary, they violently fight among themselves for the control of territories and drug markets (known as plazas).
—Guadalupe Correa-Cabrera