Russia’s military-industrial complex is offering an ominous weapons system in the international arms market called the Club-K cruise missile system. It consists of a quadruple launcher for Club cruise missiles hidden inside an innocuous-looking cargo container that serves as cover for the missiles’ Transporter-Erector-Launcher (TEL) and the control cabin, where two operators would handle the satellite communications and the missiles’ targeting and launching. The Club missiles are known by NATO as the SS-N-27 “Sizzler.” Fittingly, the marketing name given to the system is “Pandora’s Box.” The container-looking weapon system can … More

Last week President Barack Obama praised Presidents Yayi of Benin, Condé of Guinea, Issoufou of Niger and Ouattara of Côte d’Ivoire as models of Africa’s democratic progress. Since gaining their independence, many African countries have suffered poor governance and widespread instability due, in part, to the unwillingness of African leaders to leave office or support free and fair elections. President Obama’s remarks imply that African leadership has turned a new leaf and that democracy is enjoying wider support among the region’s leaders. This optimism is premature. As measured by Freedom … More

Catching you up on clips, commentary and news of the day. Sign up for the daily email update from Scribe. House passes Boehner’s Budget Control Act – Amanda Carey It’s time for an American renaissance – Robert Moffitt After Oslo: Lessons For The United States – James Jay Carafano Voters receive questionable robocalls – M.D. Kittle The Budget Crisis and American Power – George Melloan Wrapped in red tape – Diane Katz A poor definition of poverty – Robert Rector Everyone’s a criminal in Uncle Sam’s eyes – Bob Barr TSA … More

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen will be in the People’s Republic of China for much of the next week to engage in talks with his counterparts from the People’s Liberation Army. His visit comes amidst a thaw in U.S.–Chinese military-to-military relations, capped by the visit of General Chen Bingde, chief of the Chinese general staff. The Chinese have long seen military-to-military contact as a U.S. “ask”—particularly since 1999, when Congress imposed legal restrictions on precisely what sort of information could be shared. Therefore, Admiral Mullen’s … More

On June 28, 2010, the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board—a three-judge panel charged with conducting licensing hearings for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)—rejected the Department of Energy’s motion to withdraw the license application to move forward with opening Yucca Mountain, the geologic repository meant to store our nation’s used nuclear fuel. Before the board’s decision can become final, however, the NRC must vote on whether or not to accept it. The problem is that NRC chairman Gregory Jaczko refuses to allow the vote to take place. This is extraordinarily problematic. … More

After proclaiming a cease-fire, Colonel Muammar Qadhafi’s regime cynically ordered its troops to attack Benghazi, the leading rebel stronghold, in defiance of the U.N. Security Council resolution prohibiting attacks on civilians. The regime hopes to consolidate control in Libya’s second-largest city before the U.N.-backed military forces can begin counter-attacks. Once entrenched in the city, Qadhafi’s…

On January 14, the White House unveiled further liberalization of its Cuba policy. New changes alter rules to allow easier American citizen visits, permit non-family remittances (up to $500 per quarter), and broaden the number of U.S. airports able to send charter flights to Cuba. The measures, the White House trumpeted, “will increase people-to-people contact;…

The American Values Network has released a new online ad aimed at pressuring the Senate to pass the New START nuclear arms agreement with Russia in the upcoming lame duck session of Congress. The ad is a carbon copy of President Lyndon Johnson’s 1964 “Daisy” ad, which equated a vote for Barry Goldwater with a…

Without the willingness to accept punishment, one’s reliance upon civil disobedience to right a wrong perpetrated by government or other offending entity is a self-delusional contrivance.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Chairman Gregory Jaczko has ordered his staff to stop the review of the nuclear materials repository at Yucca Mountain. Aside from the harmful policy implications of this action, the chairman seems to be moving forward without any authority to do so.
President Obama has made it clear that he supports terminating the…