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.

ASCF News

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.

U.S. to review Houthi terrorist label, says Blinken

Friday, January 22, 2021

Categories: ASCF News Terrorism National Preparedness

Comments: 0

U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration will quickly revisit the designation of Yemen’s Houthi rebels as terrorists and end support to the devastating Saudi offensive on the country, his pick for Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, said on Tuesday.

At his confirmation hearing, Mr. Blinken said he would “immediately” review the outgoing Trump administration’s labelling of the Iran-linked insurgents, fearing the move was worsening a humanitarian crisis.

“At least on its surface, (the designation) seems to achieve nothing particularly practical in advancing the efforts against the Houthis and to bring them back to the negotiating table while making it even more difficult than it already is to provide humanitarian assistance to people who desperately need it,” Mr. Blinken told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

President Donald Trump’s administration announced the move on January 11.

Mr. Trump has been a staunch ally of Saudi Arabia, offering U.S. logistical help and military sales for its six-year campaign to dislodge the rebels who have taken over much of the neighbouring country.

Mr. Blinken said that the Saudis have “contributed to what is by most accounts the worst humanitarian situation anywhere in the world”.

“The Houthis bear significant responsibility for what’s happened in Yemen, but the way the campaign has been conducted has also contributed significantly to that situation. And so our support should end,” Mr. Blinken said.

The United Nations and aid groups have warned the terrorist designation risks worsening the plight of a country where millions depend on aid to survive. The designation took effect on Tuesday, with the Houthis warning that they would respond to any action against them.

“We are ready to take all necessary measures against any hostile act,” they said in a statement. On Wednesday, hundreds of supporters of the Houthi rebels took to the streets of the capital Sanaa to protest against the terror designation.

“We’ve come out to say the United States is the mother of terrorism and doesn’t have the right to classify anyone as terrorist,” a demonstrator said.

Hizam al-Assad, a member of the Houthis’ political office, condemned “the continued aggression against the Yemeni people by U.S. administrations”.

Photo and Link: www.thehindu.com/news/international/us-to-review-houthi-terrorist-label-says-blinken/article33620426.ece

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