In the News

Potomac Institute for Policy Studies Senior Fellow Amb. David Smith warns that a new geopolitical dynamic among some emerging nations is complicating US attempts to halt Iran's nuclear ambitions.  Writing in the Georgian magazine Tabula before the recent UN Security Council sanctions vote, Amb. Smith noted that a cooperative agreement struck among leaders of Iran, Turkey and Brazil signals a world in which emerging countries "are flexing their muscles and beginning to mold the future," regardless of what Washington thinks.  Adds Smith, "Washington appears not to understand that Iran wants nuclear weapons not as dangerous toys but as geopolitical tools to undermine American superpower, a prospect that Russia and China relish." Click below to read the full article.

Attachments:

Tabula_6_7_10.pdf

76 Kb

Potomac Institute for Policy Studies Senior Fellow David Kay, Ph.D., says new sanctions against Iran approved by the UN Security Council are weak. Although President Obama has praised the Security Council for its decision, Dr. Kay believes that congratulations are not quite warranted. In an interview with The Washington Times, the former IAEA chief nuclear weapons inspector says the sanctions actually represent "a victory for the Iranians." Click here to read the Washington Times web article.

Potomac Institute for Policy Studies Center for Environmental Economics and Ethics Director James Tate, Ph.D. says the BP oil spill will continue to impact wildlife in the area for decades to come. Dr. Tate has commented extensively to media on the spill's devastating effects.  In a recent interview with Voice of America, he expressed frustration with the lack of adequate technology to address the crisis. Click here to read the VOA web article and listen to Dr. Tate's radio interview.

The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies is pleased to announce that Anthony J. "Tony" Tether, Ph.D., has joined the Institute as a member of the Board of Regents.  Dr. Tether served as Director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) of the Department of Defense from 2001 to 2009.  As Director, Dr. Tether was responsible for management of the Agency's projects for high-payoff, innovative research and development.
 
Commenting on the announcement, Potomac Institute for Policy Studies Chairman and CEO Michael Swetnam said, "Dr. Tether is one of the most distinguished science and technology policymakers to have served our government in the past several decades.  The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies is privileged to have his advice, guidance, and support." 

Read more: Former DARPA Director Joins Board of Regents

Col. J.D. Canty, USMC (Ret.) is a Research Fellow at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies' Center for Emerging Threats and Opportunities (CETO).  In the June issue of the Marine Corps Gazette, he tackles the hot-button issue of climate change.  Canty writes, "As the challenge looms - and despite organizational misgivings - the Marine Corps will find itself as the Nation's torchbearer for rapid response to an ever-increasing litany of consequences - real or otherwise - arising from global warming and other climate change matters." Click below to read the full article. Reprinted courtesy of the Marine Corps Gazette. Copyright retained by the Marine Corps Gazette.

Attachments:

CantyJune2.pdf

540 Kb

James Tate, Ph.D., Director of the Institute's Center for Environmental Economics and Ethics, is closely monitoring developments in the BP oil spill.  In comments to The Boston Globe, Dr. Tate notes that we should have been better prepared for such a disaster.  Dr. Tate is a former Science Advisor to the Secretary of the Interior and a noted naturalist who says all the ramifications of the spill are almost impossible to predict, even as the crisis is already wreaking serious environmental damage.  Click here to read the article in The Boston Globe.