Praescient Analyst Dominic Lisanti published a piece with Critical Threats Project Analyst Katherine Zimmerman on the changing landscape of transnational jihad. In particular, they focus on the new battlefront of Mali. They write that the arrest of two Americans headed for West Africa “may reveal a shift in popular destinations for those looking to participate… Read more »
In the aftermath of last month’s presidential election, the media has increasingly focused on both campaigns’ use of big data technology to track, target, and persuade potential voters. According to Ethan Roeder, Data Director for the Obama campaign, “what’s really new in politics today is not the data itself but how campaigns make sense of… Read more »
On this day, December 7, 1941, two waves of Japanese planes bombed the United States of America; 183 planes hit Ford Island and 170 planes hit the naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawai’i. This great nation suffered the loss of a total of 2,350 people. Also, a total of 9 ships were sunk, and 21… Read more »
In February 2006, Allan Lichtman — a political scientist and professor at American University who specializes in predicting US presidential elections — surveyed the country’s political landscape, looking at a very particular set of issues from a narrow angle: pure performance, the only thing that influences voter decision. A year earlier, a contentious fight over… Read more »
The McCain Institute for International Leadership at Arizona State University is committed to advancing leadership based on security, economic opportunity, freedom and human dignity in the United States and around the world. To focus on innovative ways to overcome challenges in the fields of humanitarian affairs, human rights, and national security; the Institute started the… Read more »
2012 DCWeek’s keynote speakers dominated the Warner Theater stage on last Wednesday night, bringing undeniable energy (and admitted nerdiness) to downtown DC. Mayor Vincent Gray kicked off the event with a compelling speech about the rapidly evolving landscape for technologists and entrepreneurs in the nation’s capital. The vision he presented resonated with many in attendance:… Read more »
The Washington DC Metro region is quickly becoming the East Coast hub of technology innovation. Comparisons to the burgeoning startup scene in Silicon Valley ten years ago are now commonplace. However, tech companies inside the beltway play by a very different set of rules compared to their more relaxed counterparts in sunny California. Where the… Read more »
This week Hurricane Sandy tore through the East Coast, hitting New Jersey and New York City especially hard. As first responders and government officials continue to rescue stranded people and restore power and basic services to neighborhoods, various tech companies have stepped in and used Big Data software to gain a better understanding of the… Read more »
Terrible atrocities are a sobering part of daily life for people located in conflict zones. 67% of the world’s atrocities since 1945 have occurred in the context of an armed conflict, according to Alex J. Bellamy of the Stanley Foundation. Due to the high level of danger in these regions, obtaining reliable information needed to… Read more »
Neil Armstrong, the American NASA scientist who was the first person to walk on the moon, once said, “I am, and ever will be, a white socks, pocket protector, nerdy engineer.” Not all employees at Praescient are Armstrong types. Praescient was founded by a group of former military leaders, software engineers and entrepreneurs who shared… Read more »