Micah Zenko

Politics, Power, and Preventive Action

Zenko covers the U.S. national security debate and offers insight on developments in international security and conflict prevention.

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Showing posts for "Space Policy"

You Might Have Missed: Military Intervention, Drones, and al-Qaeda.

by Micah Zenko
An explosion after airstrikes by NATO-led forces during fighting against Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan (Courtesy Reuters/Parwiz Parwiz). An explosion after airstrikes by NATO-led forces during fighting against Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan (Courtesy Reuters/Parwiz Parwiz).

The FAA Reauthorization Act, which President Obama is expected to sign, also orders the Federal Aviation Administration to develop regulations for the testing and licensing of commercial drones by 2015. Read more »

You Might Have Missed: The Iranian Nuclear Threat, Freedom Rankings, and More

by Micah Zenko
A soldier investigates the crater caused by an explosion at the site of a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, in November 2011 (Courtesy Reuters/Mohammad Ismail). A soldier investigates the crater caused by an explosion at the site of a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, in November 2011 (Courtesy Reuters/Mohammad Ismail).

The political uprisings that have swept the Arab world over the past year represent the most significant challenge to authoritarian rule since the collapse of Soviet communism … A total of 26 countries registered net declines in 2011, and only 12 showed overall improvement, marking the sixth consecutive year in which countries with declines outnumbered those with improvements. While the Middle East and North Africa experienced the most significant gains—concentrated largely in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya—it also suffered the most declines, with a list of worsening countries that includes Bahrain, Iran, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Syria and Saudi Arabia, two countries at the forefront of the violent reaction to the Arab Spring, fell from already low positions to the survey’s worst-possible ratings. Read more »

The Danger of Space Debris

by Micah Zenko

 

A Minotaur 1 rocket, carrying the Operationally Responsive Space 1 (ORS 1) satellite, lifts off from Wallop Island, Virginia in this undated handout photograph provided June 30, 2011. ORS 1 will support the military's intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance needs by hosting an innovative sensor system. REUTERS/Thom Baur/Orbital Sciences/Handout

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