Jonathan Dowdall
I am a defence and security affairs journalist based in Brussels, Belgium. I write articles for PolicyMic covering European defence and security affairs, NATO, the EU and beyond. For more articles and analysis, follow me on Twitter: @jd_report
started following Tom Rollins, Georgi Ivanov, 7 months ago
NATO's summit in Chicago is a major gathering for global defense and security policy. Expect important announcements on Afghanistan, a soft touch on European defense spending and more cyber news.
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Many members of Congress, and key decision makers hold dual citizenship. This is not against the law, but it should be, as there could be possible political conflicts of interest.
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The director of Restrepo showed why photography is essential in the fight for peace around the world.
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The hubris of the Chinese regime has destroyed lives and the environment along the Yangtze River.
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America's rise to a major world power in the late 19th century shows that even as China becomes the number one economy, its foreign policy ambitions will be modest.
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The politics of marijuana legislation and the monopolistic interests of Big Oil have conspired together to ban a useful resource that could be a huge economic boon for American agriculture: hemp.
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Girls Around Me uses public information from Facebook and Foursquare to locate women. It is time for young people to realize the dangers of making information about themselves public.
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A new poster circulating in jihadist chat rooms has raised alarm that Al Qaeda is potting a major attack on New York City to avenge the death of Osama Bin Laden.
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New British legislation allowing the government to monitor emails and website visits has sparked a fierce debate on the balance between online privacy and public safety.
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- 2 months ago
The Queen recently gave a special address inside the house of parliament to start her diamond jubilee celebrations. Why does this undemocratic institution receive no condemnation from the U.S.?
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- 2 months ago
For these simple five reason, George Zimmerman is guilty of manslaughter and he should be arrested and put on trial by Florida police.
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With drones, paratroopers, and surface to air missiles, the London 2012 Olympics security operation is one of the worst excesses resulting from the war on terror.
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The box office hit 'Hunger Games,' grossed $155 million in its opening weekend. Here's what is says about America.
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When defense is private, wars and waste are eliminated.
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China plans to put its first aircraft carrier into service by the end of the year, signaling it seeks increased military cooperation with countries in the Middle East, to the ire of Washington.
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The negative stereotypes about women's work ethic keep them from advancing in their careers. Society does not encourage women to become leaders in the workforce.
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Liberals have targeted conservative firebrand Rush Limbaugh, but he was fully in his First Amendment rights to speak out against Sandra Fluke.
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While Greece (literally) burns, the euro zone's head honchos seethe with childish delight, blaming the PIIGS for their own woes.
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- 3 months ago
![Free Fadi Quran: Palestinian Nonviolent Youth Activist Fadi Quran Arrested and Assaulted by Israeli Army [Updated]](/articles/4656/s_photo.png)
Palestinian nonviolent youth activist, PolicyMic pundit, and my close friend Fadi Quran was violently assaulted and arrested in Palestine on Friday. Yesterday was his 24th birthday.
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Movies and video games have long been used in military recruitment, Act of Valor will be no different.
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Current and past prohibitions show us that a War on Drugs will not and cannot succeed. It is time to adopt a policy that will raise money, reduce harm, and disenfranchise criminals.
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It’s becoming clearer that Iran will attack Israel preemptively, not the other way around.
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Predictions that drone usage is about to increase dramatically are over-hyped. Practical spending, air traffic control and utilitarian constraints will soon see drone growth level out.
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Are international readers more sophisticated than their American counterparts?
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If millennials can be a bit more strategic and consistent in our foreign, security, and defense policy than the last generation, the choices we make could do more good than harm to our world.
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With the UK in a volatile economic situation it makes sense to cut foreign aid to India, especially if that is what the Indians themselves want.
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In this modern age where women in combat have already proven their ability to face extremely harsh and uncompromising positions, it is absurd to assume that women cannot handle front-line jobs.
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After vetoing a UN resolution to force al-Assad to step down, Russia takes on the position of negotiator, but they need to be firm with Syria, not accomodating.
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Although the show’s plot follows how survivors of a zombie apocalypse struggle to survive amidst both zombies and each other, it is also a crash course in some fundamental economic concepts.
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As the U.S continues its "pivot" towards Asia in defense affairs, Europe is being asked to pick up the slack in its military spending.
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Frederick Kagan, one of the Republican’s foremost national security experts, lambasted President Obama's defense strategy, a sign that the GOP is out of touch on national security issues.
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With aid from other countries and a stronger police force, India will quell terrorism and return to its former state of peace under Gandhi.
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Recent calls for a Scottish referendum on independence highlight the growing force of peaceful, democratic separatist politics in Europe.
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Stories are often used to help explain complex foreign policy problems. But if the stories we use to justify positions are too simple, our policy can become misguided.
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The DoD's new strategic guidance document seems to predominantly focus on budget cuts and China. But it also sheds light on the future of the War on Terror, and a U.S withdrawal from Europe.
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A Latin American embargo against Falklands ships is raising spectres of Britain's 1982 war with Argentina. Yet whilst a surprise war is unlikely, a diplomatic confrontation is looming.
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Video games provide a degree of sophistication and depth when analyzing conflict and politics that matches, if not surpasses, other art forms.
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Security pundits tout the idea that today's world is more complex, but global defense and security has always been this complicated.
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With President Obama's shift in strategic focus to Asia, the U.S defense debate must extend beyond simply the need to cut spending.
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The scale of risk associated with the few terror events that do happen is disproportionate to the level of danger associated to them by officials.
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European militaries are moving slowly towards meaningful pooling and sharing of military equipment. This could radically boost Europe's military effectiveness.
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European militaries are rapidly decreasing their armored vehicle fleets, a necessary cost saving measure, but with some risks.
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Will tighter legal rules for software manufacturers help to secure cyber-space?
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The EU's latest crisis manegment simulation shows ambition, but can such a complex institution really produce results under pressure?
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In Europe, various symbols are used on the 11th of November to commemorate the war-time dead. Some have criticized the trivialization of these symbols — but respect for veterans can be complex.
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The EU is traditionally a generous humanitarian aid donor, but as its new diplomatic service gets up and running, aid agencies may discover an uncomfortable conflict of interests.
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Some argue that contemporary language to describe war is a form of "spin" used to hide a gruesome reality. Yet war has always involved a distinct and sometimes complex specialist vocabulary.
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Recent Chinese and U.S. anti-satellite missile tests highlight an upcoming arms race in space. However, the fragility and mutual benefits of space technology makes this unlikely.
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Britain's defense secretary has resigned in disgrace. Since this position has constantly changed hands, it has made military reform and working relationships with the U.S. difficult.
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Italy's military is short on cash and over-stretched. An injection of new ideas and some courageous policy decisions could turn this around.
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In America's death penalty debate, we should look at how Europe resolved its own anxieties about justice.
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Regulating our behavior in cyberspace is neither a sign of weakness nor convincing proof America will lose the upcoming "cyberwar."
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As the financial crisis deepens, some analysts have predicted it could cause war. But while social unrest will certainly increase, Europe lacks a "cost-benefit" equation for war.
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Declining budgets and political in-fighting are not the only story of European defense cooperation. The EU has some meaningful reform efforts that could improve Europe's defense picture.
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By trying to move towards a centralized European Union military, France, Germany, and Poland are lining up for a major policy battle against Britain.
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The British Labour opposition party's criticism of armed forces cuts have been shallow and used for cheap political gain.
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Our own computers can contribute to serious national security incidents in cyber space.
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The size and cost of securing the cyber domain is beyond the reach of governments — the private sector must be our front line for cyber security.
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European defense spending is at an all time low — but we must not forget that governments have conciously chosen this path.
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Statistically, agricultural fertilizers play a much bigger role in terrorism than high profile weapons such as missiles, and should be the focus of State Dept. policing efforts.
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- 10 months ago
Western society's view on war has been significantly altered over the years through the media and our own "cultural memory."
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Poland, Germany, and France want to form an EU military high command, but this is a pipe dream.
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Despite cost concerns, the Royal Navy should continue to push ahead with this important military project.
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Despite NATO's best efforts, Russia still believes Europe and the U.S. want to harm their interests.
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Obama's Afghan speech will put pressure on European allies to "head for the exit," an impulse that must be resisted.
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Germany has an ambitious military reform plan to increase military effectiveness. However, contradictory national pacifist impulses and a NATO military commitment complicate the issue.
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Robert Gates' final speech in Europe has issued a blunt warning about the future of NATO. Whatever your views of the alliance, Gates has made clear the potential for U.S. disengagement.
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The French decision to sell military ships to Russia will lead to tensions among France's allies still haunted by the Soviet era.
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Despite U.S policymakers recent attempts, we are a long way from full defining the distinction between cybercrime and cyberattacks.
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- 12 months ago
The debate over China's "superpower" status is detracting from a more meaningful debate on its terrible human rights record and foreign policy problems.
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The European Union may seem hypocritical by accessing China's cheap products while banning the export of hi-tech weapons, but this in fact reflects a pro-democracy bias in its foreign policy.
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Some private military and security companies have been allowed to live within a shady legal gray area. An upcoming U.N. backed initiative to regulate this sector should be welcomed.
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U.S. commentators have mistaken a luke-warm European reaction to the Osama raid as "anti-Americanism." However, Europe simply has its own terrorist problems to deal with.
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European defense companies are making in-roads into the Asian market, supplanting U.S. companies such as Boeing along the way.
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Budget cuts in Holland have severely curtailed any Dutch ambitions at remaining a prominent NATO or EU military actor. This will affect future "coalitions of the willing."
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As nearly 200 pages of previously undisclosed material come to light, we are reminded of how poorly the Zimmerman trial has been treated by both the media and the public.
Jonathan Dowdall Sure -- you're wrong.