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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.

Haiti President Jovenel Moïse Assassinated at Home, Official Says

Wednesday, July 7, 2021

Categories: ASCF News Terrorism

Comments: 0

Source: https://www.wsj.com/articles/haiti-president-jovenel-moise-assassinated-at-home-official-says-11625654496?mod=hp_lead_pos10

President Jovenel Moïse, who was narrowly elected in 2016, refused to leave office in February, arguing that his term lasted another year. PHOTO: JEAN MARC HERVE ABELARD/SHUTTERSTOCK

Haitian President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated in an attack on his residence, the country’s interim prime minister said on Wednesday, plunging the unstable Caribbean nation into fresh political turmoil.

A group of assailants entered the residence toward 1 a.m. local time on Wednesday, shooting the president and wounding the first lady, who has been hospitalized, interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph told Radio Television Caraibes.

“I call on the public to remain calm,” the prime minister said.

Mr. Joseph said the attackers spoke Spanish but remained unidentified. Haiti is a French-speaking country.

The country, the poorest in the Western Hemisphere, has been roiled by violent protests, economic contraction brought by the pandemic and security concerns since Mr. Moïse, who was narrowly elected in 2016, refused to leave office in February, arguing that his term lasted another year. Opposition leaders accused Mr. Moïse of turning into an autocrat.

The 53-year-old president, a former banana plantation manager who calls himself “Banana Man,” also launched an effort to rewrite Haiti’s Constitution to give the presidency more power. Among other things, the changes would allow the president to run for a second term, greater control over the armed forces and legal immunity from actions taken while in office.

Mr. Moïse had postponed a referendum due in late June on a new constitution amid rising criticism, including from the U.S. The referendum was postponed until September, when new presidential elections are scheduled.

Haiti has been increasingly unstable in the past few years, plagued by rising lawlessness and gang violence amid a shrinking economy. The country has had six prime ministers over the past four years.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki told CNN that the killing was a “horrific crime” and that the U.S. was “ready and stand by them to provide any assistance that’s needed.” She added that the U.S. is still gathering specifics and that the embassy and State Department will be in close touch.

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