Winning Hearts & Minds

BRICS emerging economies to expand co-operation on internet & security

"Edward's Snowden's revelations about US cybersnooping appear to be pushing its rivals closer together as China and other major emerging economies agree to expand co-operation on internet security. The consensus to emerge from a meeting of senior security officials from Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa shows a broad desire to carve out their own turf in cyberspace and reduce reliance on American technology. The bloc is already collaborating on the BRICS cable, a US$1.5 billion marine fibre optic cable linking the BRICS countries and the US with 21 countries in Africa. It is due to begin service in mid-2015." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBRICS emerging economies to expand co-operation on internet & security

Obama met with tech executives privately to discuss government surveillance

"President Barack Obama quietly met with the CEOs of Apple Inc, AT&T Inc as well as other technology and privacy representatives on Thursday to discuss government surveillance. Google Inc computer scientist Vint Cerf and civil liberties leaders also participated in the meeting, along with Apple’s Tim Cook and AT&T’s Randall Stephenson, Politico said late Thursday, citing sources familiar with the matter. The closed-door meeting followed another private session on Tuesday between top Obama administration officials, industry lobbyists and privacy advocates, Politico reported, adding that the latest meeting 'was organized with greater secrecy.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama met with tech executives privately to discuss government surveillance

Massive jump in people who renounced US citizenship last quarter

"We come to view our nationalities rather ironically as a big piece of our core individuality. I am an American. I am a Canadian. I am an Austrian. Instead of– I am a human being. It has taken decades… centuries even… to reach this point. So the fact that more and more people are making the gut-wrenching decision to ditch their US passports is truly a powerful trend. So what’s driving it? Taxes… and the search for liberty. For many, their tax bills constitute a financial breaking point. Particularly for people who spend most of their time outside of the United States and are constantly hamstrung by worldwide taxation and information disclosures." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMassive jump in people who renounced US citizenship last quarter

Van Jones rips Obama’s ‘ridiculous’ denial of domestic spying operations

"Van Jones, a former White House special advisor, blasted President Barack Obama on Wednesday for cracking down on whistleblowers. 'First of all, we do have a domestic spying program, and what we need to be able to do is figure out how to balance these things, not pretend like there’s no balancing to be done.' 'He said that if somebody like Snowden wanted to be a whistle-blower, they could have gone ahead. Well, hold on a second, sir. That is — you are right now prosecuting more whistleblowers – not only than any American president, that every American president combined!'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingVan Jones rips Obama’s ‘ridiculous’ denial of domestic spying operations

Fears of NSA surveillance hurting the U.S. cloud computing industry

"American technology businesses fear they could lose between $21.5bn and $35bn in cloud computing contracts worldwide over the next three years, as part of the fallout from the NSA revelations. Some US companies said they have already lost business, while UK rivals said that UK and European businesses are increasingly wary of trusting their data to American organisations, which might have to turn it over secretly to the National Security Agency. The ITIF survey found that of those outside the US, 10% had cancelled a project with a US-based cloud computing provider, and 56% would be 'less likely' to use a US-based cloud computing service." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFears of NSA surveillance hurting the U.S. cloud computing industry

Marine who urinated on dead Taliban fighters in 2011 receives reduced rank as punishment

"Sergeant Robert Richards was the last of eight Marines to be punished in connection with the incident, which took place on July 27, 2011, during a counterinsurgency operation in Helmand Province in Afghanistan. The videotape showed four Marines wearing camouflage combat uniforms urinating on three corpses as one of the Marines joked, 'Have a nice day buddy.' The video became public in early 2012 and was one of a series of offensive incidents at the time that roused Afghan ire and led to heightened tensions between Washington and Kabul." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMarine who urinated on dead Taliban fighters in 2011 receives reduced rank as punishment

What Egypt Tells Us About U.S. Foreign Aid

"What do Angola, Cambodia, Chad, Haiti, Laos, Somalia, Sudan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Yemen and Zimbabwe have in common? They all receive U.S. foreign aid and, according to Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index, boast some of the most corrupt governments in the world—strong-arm governments in most cases. If money can’t buy the United States influence, it’s also not buying America a lot love. According to a recent Pew poll, in Egypt, Jordan and Pakistan only 16, 14 and 11 percent of their respective populations have a favorable view of the United States. Egypt is a clarion call to stop throwing good money after bad." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhat Egypt Tells Us About U.S. Foreign Aid

Anti-government protest rallies thousands in Tunisia

"Tens of thousands of protesters marched peacefully in the Tunisian capital on Tuesday evening demanding the resignation of the Islamist-led coalition government as the political crisis in the north African country grew. Around 40,000 people took to the streets of Tunis, according to police, while opposition leaders put the protest figures between 100,000 and 200,000. They waved Tunisian flags and chanted slogans against the moderate Islamist movement Ennahda that heads a three-part government coalition. The protesters were largely middle-class Tunisians from the capital, according to the Sunday Times." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAnti-government protest rallies thousands in Tunisia

De Facto Hash Truce in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley

"The Lebanese government will not attempt to eradicate marijuana fields blooming across the country's Bekaa Valley, Beirut's Daily Star reported Friday. Sources said it was because of the fragile security situation in the area near the border with Syria and because the government had been unable to live up to pledges to provide financial compensation to farmers whose crops were destroyed last year. They are also up against Bekaa Valley marijuana farmers in no mood to see their livelihood messed with. 'In the absence of alternatives, we will break the hands and legs of anyone who dares destroy our crops,' one of the region's biggest growers said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDe Facto Hash Truce in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley

Veteran civil rights leader: Snowden acted in tradition of civil disobedience

"John Lewis, a 73-year-old congressman and one of the last surviving lieutenants of Martin Luther King, said Snowden could claim he was appealing to 'a higher law' when he disclosed top secret documents showing the extent of NSA surveillance of both Americans and foreigners. When it was pointed out to Lewis that many in Washington believed that Snowden was simply a criminal, he replied: 'Some people say criminality or treason or whatever. He could say he was acting because he was appealing to a higher law. Many of us have some real, real, problems with how the government has been spying on people.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingVeteran civil rights leader: Snowden acted in tradition of civil disobedience