Media

27 June 2007

In a recent profile on Hugo Chavez for the US Air Force, Dr. Jerrold Post describes the Venezuelan President as driven by insecurity, "malignant narcissism" and the need for adulation. "He has been acting increasingly messianic and so he is likely to either get the constitution rewritten to allow for additional terms or eventually declare himself president-for-life," says the Chief Scientist in Political Psychology at the Center for Advanced Defense Studies (CADS) in a Reuters interview. "To keep his followers engaged, he must continue outrageous and inflammatory attacks."

19 June 2007

Center for Advanced Defense Studies (CADS) Fellow Dr. Richard Weitz writes about growing tensions between Russia and the US over a US-sponsored proposed missile defense shield in Eastern Europe in a Washington Post commentary. Speaking about Russian President Vladimir Putin's proposal to instead develop a joint US-Russian ballistic missile defense (BMD) facility in Azerbaijan, Weitz suggests that "At most, the offer might induce the United States to abandon its efforts to deploy BMD assets in Poland and the Czech Republic. At the least, it could help to stabilize relations between Russia and many NATO countries, which had deteriorated in recent months due largely to the BMD dispute."

4 May 2007

"Given the general lack of transparency, high level of corruption, and underdeveloped legal codes in Central Asia, the Japanese government is finding it difficult to encourage private-sector investment in the region," writes Dr. Richard Weitz in a Eurasianet commentary highlighting Japan's growing diplomatic push in the region.

18 April 2007

Reflecting on the Virginia Tech killings perpetrated by university student Seung-Hui Cho, in what amounted to the largest school shooting in US history, Dr. Jerrold Post contrasted suicide mass killers like Mr. Cho with suicide bombers. Suicide bombers are chosen for their mental stability, while rampage killers are typically mentally troubled, said Post, Chief Scientist in Political Psychology at the Center for Advanced Defense Studies (CADS). Suicide bombers are usually directed by a commander, and believe in a fundamental sense they are acting to save the world, he added in a New York Times interview.

15 April 2007

The Center for Advanced Defense Studies is soliciting contributions for the next issue of Defense Concepts, its quarterly publication. In line with the Center's mission, Defense Concepts promotes research in the fields of information sciences, cognitive studies and information security. Topics of interest include: information interoperability, cognitive studies, cyber security and information assurance, information operations, counterterrorism and global security.