Alan W. Dowd is a Senior Fellow with the American Security Council Foundation, where he writes on the full range of topics relating to national defense, foreign policy and international security. Dowd’s commentaries and essays have appeared in Policy Review, Parameters, Military Officer, The American Legion Magazine, The Journal of Diplomacy and International Relations, The Claremont Review of Books, World Politics Review, The Wall Street Journal Europe, The Jerusalem Post, The Financial Times Deutschland, The Washington Times, The Baltimore Sun, The Washington Examiner, The Detroit News, The Sacramento Bee, The Vancouver Sun, The National Post, The Landing Zone, Current, The World & I, The American Enterprise, Fraser Forum, American Outlook, The American and the online editions of Weekly Standard, National Review and American Interest. Beyond his work in opinion journalism, Dowd has served as an adjunct professor and university lecturer; congressional aide; and administrator, researcher and writer at leading think tanks, including the Hudson Institute, Sagamore Institute and Fraser Institute. An award-winning writer, Dowd has been interviewed by Fox News Channel, Cox News Service, The Washington Times, The National Post, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and numerous radio programs across North America. In addition, his work has been quoted by and/or reprinted in The Guardian, CBS News, BBC News and the Council on Foreign Relations. Dowd holds degrees from Butler University and Indiana University. Follow him at twitter.com/alanwdowd.

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Scott Tilley is a Senior Fellow at the American Security Council Foundation, where he writes the “Technical Power” column, focusing on the societal and national security implications of advanced technology in cybersecurity, space, and foreign relations.

He is an emeritus professor at the Florida Institute of Technology. Previously, he was with the University of California, Riverside, Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute, and IBM. His research and teaching were in the areas of computer science, software & systems engineering, educational technology, the design of communication, and business information systems.

He is president and founder of the Center for Technology & Society, president and co-founder of Big Data Florida, past president of INCOSE Space Coast, and a Space Coast Writers’ Guild Fellow.

He has authored over 150 academic papers and has published 28 books (technical and non-technical), most recently Systems Analysis & Design (Cengage, 2020), SPACE (Anthology Alliance, 2019), and Technical Justice (CTS Press, 2019). He wrote the “Technology Today” column for FLORIDA TODAY from 2010 to 2018.

He is a popular public speaker, having delivered numerous keynote presentations and “Tech Talks” for a general audience. Recent examples include the role of big data in the space program, a four-part series on machine learning, and a four-part series on fake news.

He holds a Ph.D. in computer science from the University of Victoria (1995).

Contact him at stilley@cts.today.

Are Iranian backed proxies satisfied with Iran’s retaliation for the death of Soleimani?

Friday, January 10, 2020

Categories: ASCF Articles

Comments: 0

By Joy Votrobek, Sr. Research Analyst for ASCF

January 9, 2020

President Trump addressed the nation on Wednesday regarding Iran’s missile response in retaliation for the death of Soleimani. No American casualties were reported, and Trump indicated the U.S. doesn't intend on any further escalation. Tehran also expressed contentment with the missile strikes that hit two Iraqi bases housing U.S. troops, even though there were no American casualties. However, will this satisfy Iranian backed proxies, such as Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthi’s? Some proxies may not feel the missile strikes in Iraq were enough to avenge the death of Soleimani. If further retaliation comes, it may come from the proxies, acting on their own or for Tehran. Hezbollah proxies have been in the United States backyard for some time.

Hezbollah has been very prominent in South America for some time. In 2003, Hezbollah was making millions of money laundering in the tri-border region of Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil. A local television station indicated Hezbollah proxies were ready to strap on bombs and attack the U.S. in a moment’s notice (H.Res 435). In 2006, Iran expressed interest in helping Venezuela with a nuclear program (H.Res 435). Before becoming Vice President of Venezuela under Maduro, Tareck El Alssami was head of the passport agency. This position allowed him to issue hundreds of Venezuelan passports for Hezbollah as well as Iranian Revolutionary Guards. El Alssami's father was reportedly an Islamic jihad supporter, and close friend of the Shia led, "Iraqi Resistance" (Rodil, 2017). Today, Hezbollah operates in collaboration with the FARC as well as Mexican drug cartels. Hezbollah appears to thrive in nations around the globe without the resources or political will to enforce the law against illegal trafficking and money laundering. In most cases, Hezbollah works with a local cartel or a criminal organization, making money for all parties involved.

References:

H.Res. 435 – 110th Congress: Expressing concern relating to the threatening behavior of the Iranian regime and its leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and the activities of terrorist organizations sponsored by that regime in Latin America. www.GovTrack.us. 2007. January 8, 2020 from https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/110/hres432.

Rodil, Martin (March 20, 2017). "Venezuelan VP Tareck El Aissami IS Bad News." Forbes online. Retrieved on January 8, 2020, at https://www.forbes.com/sites/realspin/2017/03/20/venezuelan-vp-tareck-el-aissami-is-bad-news/#77fe200c2050

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