On July 12, 2025, a fire tore through the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. It consumed the historic Grand Canyon Lodge, multiple staff residences, the visitor center, and even the water treatment plant. As a passionate hiker who has hiked rim to river to rim, I felt the loss in my chest like […]
Each year on June 29, communities across Europe gather to honor one of the continent’s most vital natural corridors: the Danube. Celebrated as Danube Day, this date commemorates the 1994 signing of the Danube River Protection Convention, a moment that marked the beginning of sustained international cooperation along the river’s 2,800-kilometer journey. From the Black
Celebrating Danube Day: A River That Binds Us All Read More »
On June 25, 2025, NASA leadership convened an agency-wide town hall to address the fallout from the proposed FY2026 budget. The atmosphere was tense. With a nearly 50% cut to the agency’s science division, the message was clear: missions will be canceled, programs will be dissolved, and thousands of civil servants and contractors will be
After the Town Hall: Is NASA Losing Its Leadership, and With It, America’s Space Power? Read More »
On May 29, 2025, the European Commission unveiled its Strategic Approach to the Black Sea, a long-anticipated roadmap that repositions this once-overlooked region at the heart of European and global security planning. For years, Romania and its neighbors have argued that the Black Sea is not a peripheral space but a strategic frontier where security,
In a stunning shift in U.S. space priorities, the 2026 presidential budget proposal calls for a 50 percent cut to NASA’s science programs. Among the casualties is one of the most ambitious robotic missions ever conceived: the Mars Sample Return (MSR). This mission, a decades-long international collaboration, was set to bring back Martian soil and
Cancelling Mars Sample Return Is a Risk to Future Astronauts Read More »
In a move that has sent ripples through the scientific community, the Trump administration’s proposed 2026 budget seeks to slash NASA’s funding by approximately 24%, reducing it from $24.8 billion to $18.8 billion. This significant reduction threatens to derail several key programs, most notably the Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission, while paradoxically aiming to accelerate
The Cost of Retreat: How NASA’s Budget Cuts Jeopardize America’s Space Leadership Read More »
Last week, I had the opportunity to present at the Blended Intensive Programme on Cybersecurity Strategies in the Era of Artificial Intelligence, hosted by Babeș-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. The programme brought together researchers and students from across Europe to examine how artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping the cybersecurity landscape. My contribution, titled “The New
The New Frontier: Reflections on Space Security and AI at Babeș-Bolyai University Read More »
Ronald Reagan, in one of his final speeches as president, reflected on the unique character of the United States and its relationship to the rest of the world. He shared, “A man wrote me and said: ‘You can go to live in France, but you cannot become a Frenchman. You can go to live in
In the imagined future of Star Trek, April 5, 2063, marks a moment of profound transformation: humanity’s first contact with an alien species. On this date, Zefram Cochrane’s successful warp flight attracts the attention of a Vulcan survey vessel, initiating a diplomatic encounter that fundamentally alters Earth’s place in the cosmos. Celebrated annually by Star
In 2025, global security is no longer a distant concern for policymakers alone: it has become a deeply personal and omnipresent dimension of daily life, shaping everything from food prices to digital freedoms. Traditionally understood in terms of military power and deterrence, security has expanded to encompass climate resilience, cyber integrity, public health, and human
Global Security in 2025: A World on Edge Read More »
