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.

Venezuela parliament authorizes Guaido to use frozen regime funds

Friday, February 28, 2020

Categories: ASCF News Emerging Threats National Preparedness

Comments: 0

Venezuela's opposition-controlled National Assembly on Thursday authorized its leader Juan Guaido to take control of around $80 million in assets frozen outside the country due to sanctions against President Nicolas Maduro.

Guaido can now set up a trust overseen by the Organization of American States to take control of accounts blocked in the United States and belonging to the top Venezuelan regime figures and the state oil company, lawmaker Alfonso Marquina told AFP.

The law authorizing the move states that the cash should pay social expenses in the South American country, which is in the grip of a five-year recession that has seen millions of Venezuelans suffer shortages of basic necessities.

More than four million people have fled the country due to the economic crisis, according to the United Nations.

The law aims to "strengthen international relations" and support a "transitional government" led by Guaido, the text said.

Guaido launched a challenge to Maduro's authority in January 2019 by using his position as parliamentary speaker to declare himself acting president.

Parliament had branded Maduro a "usurper" over his controversial 2018 re-election in a poll widely denounced as rigged.

Guaido has been recognized by more than 50 countries, including the US, but Maduro retains the support of the powerful military and has resisted calls to make way for "free and transparent elections."

In November 2019, parliament authorized Guaido to use $3.5 million of frozen accounts to represent the state abroad.

The regime-controlled Supreme Court declared the National Assembly in contempt in 2016 and has since annulled its every decision.

The government has also recognized a rival claimant to Guaido's position as parliament speaker.

Luis Parra, an opposition lawmaker accused of corruption, declared himself the new speaker in January as troops prevented Guido from entering the legislature to stand for re-election in a vote he was expected to win.

The assembly has been prevented from sitting in the Legislative Palace since then and has held sessions elsewhere.

Photo: © Kenzo TRIBOUILLARD Venezuela's opposition leader Juan Guaido will be in control of $80 million dollars of regime assets blocked by the US

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