Event Archives: 2013

As footage of rocket attacks in Israel and Gaza once again fill television screens around world, we are reminded of how flammable the Israeli/Palestinian issue remains today. Former New York Times Chief Correspondent Patrick Tyler argues in his new book, Fortress Israel, that the pervasive influence of Israel's military establishment has overwhelmed every competing institution, especially those devoted to diplomacy and negotiation. As a result, political leaders find themselves with few diplomatic options in the long term struggle with the Arabs.

The first presidential campaign since the 2010 Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision resulted in the most expensive election season ever. Anonymous and unaccountable donors poured in unprecedented amounts of money. While new media, newspapers and radio collected some of this money, the lion’s share ended up in the bank accounts of television broadcast companies. For months the public was bombarded with a tsunami of ads from political campaigns, Super PACs and other shadowy groups—ads that in many cases were only loosely connected to the truth. 

Contemporary policy issues require purposeful analysis and expert judgment. But today’s governments, both state and federal, too often rely on outdated ways to collect and sort quality information. The Internet, mobile technology, and Big Data have made this process even harder by creating an information overload.  In order to serve the needs of America in the 21^st Century, elected leaders must have access to knowledge tools to explain context, sort substance from sentiment, filter for quality, and forecast implications.