What would the most destructive and costly cyberattack in history look like? The Department of the Treasury is exploring a federal mechanism for providing relief capital to the insurance industry in the event of a major cyber catastrophe. While the prospect of a cyber incident sinking the insurance industry and leaving society exposed is intensely remote, it highlights an underlying problem with our understanding of the destructive capacity of cyberattacks—hyperbole. If the terror attacks...

Chinese Unconventional Threats in the Era of Great Power Competition: Would China ever take a page from Iran’s playbook and cultivate relationships with violent extremist organizations (VEOs)? Despite its seeming improbability, the increasingly assertive actions of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in Southeast Asia raise this compelling question. This article explores when, where, and how the PRC might use VEOs to further its political, military, and economic goals. An analysis of...

On February 24, 2022, Putin formally announced Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In his remarks, Putin attempted to justify his actions in part by citing the UN Charter and the right to self-defense. Putin’s argument was unpersuasive in a legal sense and widely condemned by the international legal community. Nonetheless, his attempt demonstrated Russia’s intent to present distorted interpretations of the law to create an illusion of legitimacy for the invasion. Since his speech, the Russian...

In September 2001, operatives for Procter & Gamble were caught diving in dumpsters outside a Unilever facility in Chicago in search of documents and other discarded items containing confidential information about Unilever’s hair care products business. To avoid litigation and the negative publicity that often accompanies such disputes, the companies quietly reached a negotiated settlement where Procter & Gamble agreed to not use any of the information obtained. This early example...

The heroes who stormed the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944, eighty years ago today, faced a rainstorm of gunfire as they disembarked from their landing crafts. Over 4,000 lost their lives in the initial landings, which nevertheless succeeded in establishing an Allied beachhead in Adolf Hitler’s Atlantic Wall.