United States

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Will “sequestration” affect U.S. education, especially in the STEM fields?

Asked by Mariecor Ruediger

American policymakers have long been concerned about the eroding U.S. advantage in educating science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) students. With much of the assembly work for lucrative high-technology products having moved to Asia, future U.S. prosperity depends increasingly on innovating new products and techniques—innovation that requires training (or importing) a new generation of scientists and engineers.

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What is Obama’s “grand” foreign policy strategy?

Asked by Zahra Fatima, from Quaid-e-Azam University, Islamabad

"Grand strategy" is defined as a coherent plan to use diplomatic, military, and economic instruments in certain ways to achieve national, overarching objectives. Grand strategies are usually identified by simple labels such as "containment," "détente," or "engagement and enlargement." In reality, international politics is complicated, and a democratic political system at home imposes constraints from public opinion, mobilized interest groups, and Congress.

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Audio

The Future of U.S. Space Policy

Speakers: Scott Pace and Robert Walker
Presider: James Fallows

Scott Pace and Robert Walker discuss U.S. space program budget cuts, the indefinite cancellation of U.S.-government-sponsored human space exploration, and the rise of private sector activity in the area.

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Video

The Future of U.S. Space Policy

Speakers: Scott Pace and Robert Walker
Presider: James Fallows

Scott Pace and Robert Walker discuss U.S. space program budget cuts, the indefinite cancellation of U.S.-government-sponsored human space exploration, and the rise of private sector activity in the area.

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Transcript

The Future of U.S. Space Policy

Speakers: Scott Pace and Robert Walker
Presider: James Fallows

Scott Pace and Robert Walker discuss U.S. space program budget cuts, the indefinite cancellation of U.S.-government-sponsored human space exploration, and the rise of private sector activity in the area.

See more in United States, Space

Primary Sources

President Obama's Statements on Boston Marathon Bombing Investigation

President Obama gave a speech on April 15, 2013, after explosions went off near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. In a second speech on April 16, he said the case will be investigated as an "act of terrorism" and on April 19, he discussed the federal and local coordination in locating and taking into custody one of the suspects and in collecting intelligence.

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How does Russia challenge U.S. diplomatic efforts in the Middle East?

Asked by Elias El Mrabet, from Universite Libre de Bruxelles

Russia today may have less influence in the Middle East than previously, but it continues to have a stake in the region's stability and sees it as an area in which it has important national interests, often at variance with U.S. goals and objectives.

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Article

Law and Ethics for Autonomous Weapon Systems: Why a Ban Won’t Work and How the Laws of War Can

Authors: Matthew C. Waxman and Kenneth Anderson

Grounded in a realistic assessment of technology, Matthew C. Waxman and Kenneth Anderson outline a practical alternative with which to evaluate the use of autonomous weaponry that incorporates codes of conduct based on traditional legal and ethical principles governing weapons and warfare.

See more in United States, Defense/Homeland Security, Cybersecurity, Defense Strategy, Intelligence, National Security and Defense, Wars and Warfare, Space, Technology and Foreign Policy, U.S. Strategy and Politics