The Potomac Institute for Policy Studies is pleased to announce that Michael W. Powers has been named a Senior Fellow of the Institute. Mr Powers most recently served as the Technical Director for Geospatial Research and Engineering within the US Army Engineer Research and Development Center.

Commenting on the appointment, Institute Chairman and CEO Michael Swetnam noted,"Mike Powers is one of the finest technologists this country has ever produced. His many years in managing and directing government research make him a very valuable addition to the Institute. I am proud to have known him for two decades and look forward to many more years to come."

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Dr. Tawfik Hamid is Chair for the Study of Islamic Radicalism at the Potomac Institute for Policy Studies. In a column for the Jerusalem Post, he analyzes the results of the recent Egyptian elections. Amid concerns that the country could be taken in the direction of increased religious fundamentalism in government, Dr. Hamid writes that, to the contrary, "the latest results of the Egyptian presidential elections lend support to the notion that a secular president will rule the country."  Click here to read the article in full. 

Potomac Institute for Policy Studies Senior Fellow Amb. David Smith (Ret.) is the Director of the Potomac Institute Cyber Center.  He is a cyber security and cyber policy analyst, a former US arms negotiator, and an expert on Russian cyber capabilities.  In an interview with the news website Internet Evolution,  he commented on the Russian government's use of Twitter to blast US ambassador Michael McFaul. Smith, who has written and lectured extensively about the Putin regime's efforts to manipulate  new media, says he's skeptical that the Twitter tactics will have much effect in this case. Click here to read the story in full.

Senior Vice President of Academic Programs and Research Jamie Barnett, Jr., RDML USNR (Ret.), says the nation's obesity crisis is "a train wreck" that is doing serious harm not only to citizens' health but also to our national security.  RDML Barnett serves on the executive advisory council for Mission: Readiness, a group of retired military officers dedicated to combating obesity and health problems in the young. He spoke at a May 23 Washington, DC event hosted by National Journal. Click here to read more.