Frank Lopapa

Bio

Graduate of the John C. Whitehead School of Diplomacy and International Relations, specializing in International Security and Global Negotiation and Conflict Management. Guest contributor to international affairs magazine Diplomatic Courier. When not writing about security issues for Policy Mic, I cover Italian soccer for Forza Italian Football, among other places.
BLS October Jobs Numbers: Why Did the Unemployment Rate Go Up?
By Frank Lopapa
A bevy of statistics have come out recently painting a picture of the current state of the U.S. economy, with the latest unemployment numbers being the most scrutinized. The numbers largely suggest that the economy is still barely out of stagnation…
4 Hollywood Celebrities Who Hate the NSA As Much As You Do
By Frank Lopapa
Last week, the Electronic Frontier Foundation released a star-studded promotional video ahead of the anti-NSA "Stop Watching Us protest" that took place in Washington D.C. on Oct. 26. Prominent figures such as Rep. John Coyners (D-Mich.),…
How Sleeping Air Force Officers Left Nuke Facilities Open to Terrorists
By Frank Lopapa
Like a scene out of a spoof spy movie, the Air Force officers in charge of activating the launch codes on nuclear armed missiles left a blast door open at least twice when one of crew members inside fell asleep. Blast doors help prevent terrorist…
Botched Execution Leaves Iranian Man Hanging Twice
By Frank Lopapa
An Iranian man who survived his execution has been ordered to go through the process again after he was found alive a day later in the morgue. The man in question, 37-year-old Alireza, had been arrested and charged with smuggling crystal meth into…
Egypt News: U.S. Finally Gets Around to Cutting Aid
By Frank Lopapa
The Obama administration has decided to drastically cut foreign aid to the Egyptian government after months of deliberating and slowly tapering off aid in light of violent crackdowns by the government over the past few months. A large percentage of…
Russia's Military Admits It Can't Defend Against Alien Attacks, So We're All Doomed
By Frank Lopapa
If you believe aliens exist, you should be worried that Russia's Aerospace Defense Troops admitted they are vulnerable to such attacks, at least according to Sergei Berezhnoy, deputy chief of Titov Main Test and Space Systems Control Center. In…
Millions Shop Online For Obamacare As the GOP Fights to Take It Away
By Frank Lopapa
On the first day people without health insurance could apply for Obamacare, the online healthcare exchange site received over 10 million unique hits, even though systemic glitches made access to the site impossible for many users. Here are some of…
Al-Shabab Terrorists Behind Kenyan Mall Attack May Have Escaped Through An Underground Tunnel
By Frank Lopapa
Although Kenyan authorities claimed that they were able to kill five terrorists in the al-Shabab mall attack, new reports have emerged that the militants may have escaped the mall through an underground tunnel. After several days of sifting through…
Krokodil in America: What You Need to Know About the New Drug
By Frank Lopapa
A synthetic drug from Russia has reached the United States for the first time after reports of two cases involving the drug were discovered in Phoenix. Desomorphine, usually referred to by its street name krokodil, was first discovered a decade ago…
Hassan Rouhani's Dreams For a Nuclear Weapon-Free World Are Just That
By Frank Lopapa
At a high-level meeting on nuclear disarmament held during the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani spoke about the ills of nuclear weapons, and stated that nations should work towards nuclear disarmament…
Kenya Terror Attack Retaliation Would Be a Huge Mistake
By Frank Lopapa
The attack on the Westgate Mall in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi by Somalia-based terrorist organization Al-Shabaab shows that the group has reemerged after internal fighting and a newly-forged alliance with Al-Qaeda earlier this year. The group has…
The Interview That Should Give You Hope For U.S.-Iran Relations
By Frank Lopapa
In an interview with President of Iran Hassan Rouhani on NBC, the newly elected leader's tone shifted away from the antagonistic style of former president Mahmoud Ahmedinejad. Rouhani shared a conciliatory message by pledging that he doesn't want…
Iran's Secret Skyscraper Was in the Heart Of NYC For Decades
By Frank Lopapa
A New York City skyscraper owned by the Iranian government since the 1970s has been seized by the United States government, which will send the money to "the victims of Iranian-sponsored terrorism." The building itself is estimated to be worth…
Jonathan Ferrell: This Black Man is the Latest Innocent to Be Killed By Trigger-Happy Cops
By Frank Lopapa
An unarmed 24-year-old man was shot by police in North Carolina on Saturday morning after running towards officers after his car had crashed. Jonathan Ferrell had initially ran to the nearest house for help; unfortunately, the homeowner called the…
Delayed International Respose to Syria is Toothless
By Frank Lopapa
With talks of Syria handing over its chemical weapons cache, the exact location of the weapons remains a mystery. This poses a stumbling block for any progress to be made between Damascus, Moscow, and Washington. The scattering of these weapons…
Syria War News: Americans Are Getting Involved Whether the Government Likes It Or Not
By Frank Lopapa
When an internal conflict morphs into one with regional interests and implications, it shouldn't come as a surprise when the conflict turns into a proxy war, as we are seeing in Syria, and have seen in places like Iraq in the past decade,…
Colorado Issues Drone-Hunting Licenses, But Arrests People For Using Them
By Frank Lopapa
The increased use of drone strikes abroad and the expansion of American surveillance programs at home have triggered concern that domestic drone surveillance may happen in the not-too-distant future. As such, the residents of Deer Trail, Colo. have…
U.S. Drones Bombing Pakistan While Congress Debates Bombing Syria
By Frank Lopapa
With all the talk now squarely focused on Syria, the American drone campaign rumbles on. Another drone strike in Pakistan struck a compound in the border town of Dargah Mandi in North Waziristan, killing at least seven suspected militants who were…
Syria Latest: Why U.S. Intel Couldn't Predict Sarin Attack
By Frank Lopapa
American intelligence agencies reportedly had pieces of intelligence that foresaw the alleged chemical weapons attack in Syria, but failed to process the information in time, according to new reports. The intelligence gathered included satellite…
The Key to Ending Terrorism is Definitely Not Drones
By Frank Lopapa
When drones were first used to fight the War on Terror, they were advertised as a safe and effective way of taking out enemy combatants without putting the lives American soldiers at risk. It was warfare conducted with a joystick. The legal,…