Archive for October 2002

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[eccr] 3 Final Publications Posted by PIRP, Harvard U.

Sun Oct 27 12:52:52 GMT 2002


Title: 3 Final Publications Posted by PIRP, Harvard U.

Greetings,

We would like to announce the posting on our website of 3 new papers.

Butcher, Joseph, David Sulek, Erin MacDougall, Katie Hines, Anna Kertesz, and David Svec
Digital Democracy: Voting in the Information Age
[95 pages; October 2002/Research Report]

On Election Night in November of 2000, the United States was spellbound by one of the most controversial moments in its history. Over the next days and weeks, events in Florida offered both riveting political theater as well as illumination of ordinarily transparent electoral processes. Serious flaws in the electoral system were exposed: poorly designed ballots, old and faulty voting machines, inadequately trained poll workers, and disparate types of voting equipment and means of voter access, which often varied from precinct to precinct. In the aftermath, policymakers and legislators faced the difficultly of determining how best to reform the U.S. electoral system. The prospects for reform were complicated by several factors, in particular, the competing interests and equities of federal, state, and local jurisdictions and policymakers and the high costs of acquiring new voting equipment and training poll workers. One issue within this debate was the use of advanced technol ogies, specifically Internet technologies and applications, as an alternative to the traditional polling booth. At the time of this election, experiments with Internet voting were already under way but questions remained. This study of Internet voting examines five broad issues: access, security, privacy, technology, and civic participation. Each of these is important in its own right, but four practical considerations are key to moving toward a digital democracy: (1) Policymakers, legislators, technologists, and others need to consider Internet voting holistically. Along with technical issues of Internet security, reliability, and scale are equally complex issues related to U.S. voting customs, electoral procedures, election law, budgetary constraints, questions of fairness, and federalism. (2) A distinction needs to be made between Internet voting and election reform. Events in Florida in 2000 captured public attention, but the push toward Internet voting had begun before t he public knew of the “butterfly ballot” or “hanging chad,” and this technology gives rise to issues related to, though not identical with, those involved in election reform. (3) Each of the five issues identified in this study--access, security, privacy, technology, and civic participation--will need to be examined in light of electoral tensions that the framers of the Constitution (and later thinkers) tried to balance. And (4), the problems encountered in 2000, along with increased interest in and experimentation with Internet voting, may yield constructive results. ISBN 1-879726-83-6 P-02-7
You can link directly to the Acrobat PDF version of this item.  It can be downloaded or printed at:
http://pirp.harvard.edu/pubs_pdf/butcher/butcher-p02-7.pdf


Faughn, Anthony W.
Interoperability: Is It Achievable?
[61 pages; October 2002/Research Report]

During the invasion of Grenada in 1983, shortfalls in interoperability among U.S forces, publicized by the press, became catalysts for later legislation and changes in policy, guidance, and procedures, as well as for attempts to resolve issues that had blocked the long road toward joint interoperability. To those within the services, and perhaps especially to those outside, it has seemed nearly incredible that interoperability problems persisted fifteen years later in Kosovo. The issue has not gone unrecognized. Joint Vision 2020 (2000) mandates interoperability; the CINCs of the unified and specified commands, the four service chiefs, and members of Congress all espouse its importance. How did these problems evolve? Why are commanders-in-chief and service staffs still concerned with interoperability? Interoperability is also a key building block of “information superiority.” In the absence of hard documentation on which to draw, this report presents an accessible account of the major issues associated with achieving interoperability. ISBN 1-879716-84-4 P-02-6
You can link directly to the Acrobat PDF version of this item.  It can be downloaded or printed at:
http://pirp.harvard.edu/pubs_pdf/faughn/faughn-p02-6.pdf


Clemons, Dean R.
Interlocking Stakes in NATO Security: A Primer on Investment, Dual-Use Technologies, and Export Control for the Military Leader in NATO
[46 pages; October 2002/Research Report]

War and human life have been coupled since before antiquity. Ares, the Greek god of war, wielding fist and sword, battled with immortals and mortals alike. More recently, as economies and politics have become increasingly interdependent--globalized--Janus, the Roman deity of doorways and passageways who faces two directions at once, has begun to take center stage, looking at both international stability and security. This study examines globalization from the perspectives of several interlocking stakes: international military and commercial investment; dual-use technologies; and export control. As a primer on these stakes for the rising military leader within the North Atlantic Treaty, the study elucidates the issue of cooperation vs. competition intrinsic to NATO and the European Union as these organizations seek together to increase transatlantic security. The enormous potential of dual-use technologies is examined, with a focus on the angst of military leaders about incre asing dependence on technologies widely available commercially to both friend and foe. Last, the competing demands of openness of markets and of international security involved in those two stakes lead to consideration of the economic instrument of export control of technologies. To be successful in future conflicts, the military leader of tomorrow will need to be fluent not solely in military affairs as well as in the languages of economics and politics. Like globalization, coalition warfare is here to stay. Although interoperability of both systems and organizations remains desirable, competing demands of national economies pose significant challenges to achieving it. Although military operations may prove inevitable, the military leader will need to learn to leverage investment, dual-use technology, and export control laws to mitigate actual bloodshed. ISBN 1-879716-82-8 P-02-5
You can link directly to the Acrobat PDF version of this item.  It can be downloaded or printed at:

http://pirp.harvard.edu/pubs_pdf/clemons/clemons-p02-5.pdf


Feedback of any kind is always welcome.

Sincerely,


Anthony G. Oettinger
John C. B. LeGates
(617)495-4114 - Phone
(617)495-3338 - FAX
Anthony G. Oettinger
John C. B. LeGates
(617)495-4114 - Phone
(617)495-3338 - FAX

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