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Well, it's not a groundbreaking political scandal, but we do have the latest and greatest on the U.S. weapons trade, the politics of the judicial branch, cybersecurity, and the future of the Turko-American relationship. And we do it just for the appreciation.
- Guns kill people. The United States trains and gives weapons to 75 percent of the nations we fight with, which seems stupid. Even worse: More than half of the nations that receive weapons from us are human rights abusers. It wasn't always this way. The New America Foundation looks at the Bush administration's weapons trade legacy in a new report that recommends President-elect Obama undertake a new policy within six months of his inauguration. The report shows that since 2001, Bush brought 50 new states into gun trade agreements with the U.S. and tripled our weapons-related monetary investment in just the past few years. New America says that Obama needs to move the arms budget out of the Pentagon's control; require reporting on the amount of money and the types of weapons exchanged in our military assistance programs; and create new standards, based on support for human rights, for bringing nations into the weapons-trade fold. -- CP
- Apolitical judicial branch? [PDF] With several U.S. Supreme Court appointments looming on the horizon, the DePaul Law Review published a study revealing a correlation between the political preferences of law clerks and the Justices they work for. Based on original survey data from over 500 former clerks, the study shows that, beginning in the early '90s, justices increasingly selected clerks with similar ideological credentials to their own. The authors suggest that this increasingly partisan process may limit the ability of justices to craft compromise positions during the decision-making process. -- DH
- LifeLock for government and business [PDF]. A new Center for Strategic and International Studies report outlines a comprehensive approach for the incoming administration to secure what it considers to be one of the most vulnerable and vital national and economic security entities: cyberspace. The report proffers recommendations for addressing cybersecurity threats while also maintaining respect for privacy and civil liberties. Notably, the report proposes creating a new cyberspace office in the Executive Office of the President to "begin the work of building an information-age government based on the new, more collaborative organizational models found in business."-- SW
- Istanbul, Constantinople. The Center for American Progress argues that Turkey's unique geopolitical position cannot be underestimated. The invasion and occupation of Iraq and the United States' seeming insensitivity to militant Kurdish separatism in Turkey have eroded the decades-long alliance between the two countries -- Turks today have a less favorable opinion of the United States than do Russians, Chinese, or Pakistanis. The U.S. should forge a new partnership with Turkey on many fronts, initiating a bilateral dialogue to formulate and advance a common set of interests and objectives for the Middle East, the energy crossroads of the Caucasus region, and its growing role in European affairs. Top priorities include cooperation with Turkey to address the threat posed by the Kurdistan Workers Party, stabilizing Iraq, addressing Iran's evolving role, developing Turkey's capacity as an energy conduit, and continuing active support of Turkey's membership in the European Union. -- ZA
-- TAP Staff
