The Tweaker: The Real Genius of Steve Jobs by Malcolm Gladwell in The New Yorker. According to this celebrated essayist on science and society, innovation requires not only a genius but also a context of other inventive “tweakers” whose inspirations feed off each other.  This insight about the process comes in his review of the magisterial biography, "Steve Jobs," by Walter Isaacon. Recommended by European Affairs. (11/23)

On November 2, 2011, The European Institute hosted a luncheon discussion with Chris Fonteijn, Chairman of Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC).  Mr. Fonteijn presented the regulatory challenges that both BEREC and Member States must tackle in order to achieve the Digital Single Market, as well as his perspective on BEREC's 2012 work program and the prospects for transatlantic cooperation on the Digital Agenda.   Chris Boam, Director, International Regulatory Affairs & Public Policy at Verizon Communications moderated the discussion.

On October 20, 2011, S. Decker Anstrom, Head of the U.S. Delegation to the 2012 World Radiocommunication Conference, which will be held early next year in Geneva stressed that the greatest priority for the U.S. and the conference as a whole would be spectrum allocation, which both the US and Europe consider key to stimulating sustainable economic growth. Mr. Anstrom also detailed additional U.S. priorities, while emphasizing the importance of transatlantic cooperation and the significant presence of shared interests between the U.S. and the EU.

Unmanned Aerial Warfare: Flight of the Drones in The Economist. This major survey of pilotless aircraft concludes that their growing capabilities may revolutionize warfare.  But the American near-monopoly on unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) will spark their proliferation among nations and also non-state actors (including terrorists), according to Coming Soon: The Drone Arms Race by Scott Shane in The New York Times. Recommended by European Affairs. (10/11)

On October 4, 2011, The European Institute held a seminar in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Energy, European Commission and Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s EU-Japan-U.S. Trilateral Critical Materials Initiative.  The Honorable David Sandalow, U.S. Assistant Secretary of Energy for Policy and International Affairs, The Honorable Reinhard Bütikofer, Vice Chair of the European Parliament’s Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance and Member of the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, European Parliament; and His Excellency Ichiro Fujisaki, Ambassador of Japan to the United States presented keynote remarks.  Panelists included: Gwenole Cozigou, Director for chemicals, metals, mechanical, electrical, construction industries and raw materials, DG Enterprise and Industry at the European Commission; Herbert von Bose, Director for Industrial Technologies, DG Research and Innovation at the European Commission; Cyrus Wadia, Senior Policy Analyst, Environment and Energy Division at the U.S. Office of Science and Technology Policy; Charles Cogar, Legislative Director for U.S. Representative Mike Coffman; Komei Halada, Managing Director for the Center for Strategic Natural Resources at the Japanese National Institute for Materials Science; Keiichi Kawakami, Deputy Director General, Manufacturing Industries Bureau at the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry; Stephen Collocott, Group Leader, Novel Alloys, Magnetics and Drives at Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization; Anil Arora, Assistant Deputy Minister, Minerals and Metals Sector, Natural Resources Canada; Alain Rollat, Technology Development Manager for Rhodia Rare Earth Systems; Maurits Van Camp, Coach, Recycling and Extraction Technology Platform, Umicore; and Jim Sims, Vice President for Corporate Communications at Molycorp.  The discussion was moderated by The Honorable Bart Gordon, Partner at K&L Gates LLP.