Diario geostrategico, 28 ottobre 2021
Buona lettura !
The Science of Where Magazine’s interviews:
– Inside the ethics of artificial intelligence: for a decentralized approach. The Science of Where Magazine meets James Brusseau, Philosopher, Pace University
– L’intelligenza artificiale contro le discriminazioni sul lavoro. The Science of Where Magazine incontra Keith Sonderling, Commissioner del U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
– Per Italia e Germania, il futuro è nelle nuove tecnologie. Intervista esclusiva con l’Ambasciatore d’Italia a Berlino, Armando Varricchio
– Gathering strenght, gathering storms. Visions on artificial intelligence. The Science of Where Magazine meets Michael Littman and Peter Stone
Today’s Choice:
– Gurjit Singh, ORF: An emergency meeting of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers (AMM) on 15 October sought to restore order in its ranks. It focused on the recalcitrance of Myanmar to abide by the ASEAN Five-Point Consensus of August. The AMM did not attempt to bridge the conflicting views on the Australia-UK-USA(AUKUS) alliance. These show immense divergence amongst a generally well-knit ASEAN community. – The ASEAN disunity over AUKUS
Afghanistan:
– ORF: Nearly 75 days after the Taliban seized full control of Afghanistan, the economic and political situation in the country is already pulling Western states back into dealing with the new regime. Reports state that the European Union may reopen its mission in Kabul within weeks, and the United States (US) is close to a deal with Pakistan to operate “over the horizon”military capacity in Afghanistan. – The US-Taliban deal on Afghanistan is not a ‘model’
– UN News: Foreign Ministers from Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan participated in the meeting held in Tehran, with their Russian and Chinese counterparts joining by video, according to media reports. – Act swiftly and with determination on Afghanistan, UN chief urges
Australia-Vietnam-AUKUS:
– Hai Hong Nguyen, The Strategist: That only a handful of people in Canberra knew that the AUKUS pact was being negotiated is a minor concern for those living on China’s borders. Any discussion about how AUKUS is perceived in the region should take in the view from Vietnam, which sees the agreement involving Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States as self-evidently in Australia’s national interest. Hanoi sees AUKUS as both a trilateral security alliance and a vehicle to enable Australia to acquire nuclear-powered submarines using technology provided by the UK and US. It does not have a problem with that. – Australia can count on Vietnam to support AUKUS
Bangladesh:
– Pinak Chakravarty, ORF: The explosion of communal violence during the auspicious Durga Puja season in Bangladesh surprised the government. It is now clear that the violence was perpetrated by Islamist fanatics, most probably belonging to Shibir, the youth wing of the pro-Pakistani Islamist party, the Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI). The Jamaat attained notoriety by collaborating with the Pakistani army in committing genocide during the war of liberation in 1971. Members of two other Islamist organisations, the Islami Andolon and the Hefazet, are also suspects. – Decoding the rising Islamist threat in Bangladesh
Belarus-India:
– Yuri M Yarmolinsky, ORF: The next round of political consultations between the Foreign Ministries of Belarus and India will take place in Minsk on November 1st, following a three-year break caused, among other things, by COVID restrictions. This event is a good occasion to make sure our countries are on the same page and to ponder over the features and future of their bilateral relationship. The diplomatic relations between Belarus and India were established in 1992 – next April, we will mark the 30th anniversary. – “The Great Game” 2.0: Belarus & India: The Way Forward
Benin:
– Chisom Peter Job, Al Jazeera: One afternoon in September 2018, Fatima Ismail found out she was pregnant after a friend told her to do a test. Aged 21 and fearful of what people would think, Ismail decided to get an abortion. “It’s simple, I wasn’t ready for a child, and the father wasn’t either,” she recalled. “I went to the hospital for another test, and after the doctor confirmed that I indeed was pregnant, I asked ‘for a second option’.” – ‘Letting women decide’: Activists hail Benin abortion vote
China:
– Global Times: Shanghai will push forward a digital yuan pilot program, which will cover a number of sectors including offline and online payment and public transport, in order to promote the development of new financial technology, according to the five-year development plan for digital transformation released by the Shanghai government. – Shanghai pushes forward digital yuan program, expands usage to promote financial technology
– Global Times: The growth rate of industrial profits for Chinese enterprises above a designated size accelerated in September, as profits of industrial enterprises maintained a strong growth trend over the third quarter with over 70 percent of the industries exceeding their pre-epidemic profit levels, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) revealed on Wednesday. – China’s industrial profits up 44.7% over first three quarters as growth accelerates in Sep
– Yang Sheng and Leng Shumei, Global Times: Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged efforts to break new ground in the development of the country’s military weaponry and equipment, and contribute to the realization of the goals set for the centennial of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the Xinhua News Agency reported on Tuesday.
Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), made the remarks at a military conference on weaponry and equipment-related work, which was held in Beijing on Monday and Tuesday. – President Xi calls to break new ground in weaponry, equipment development, assigns relevant missions in 14th Five-Year Plan
China-Africa:
– Malancha Chakrabarty, ORF: One of the most important developments of the decade of 2000s was the rapid growth of China’s trade, investment, and official financial flows to Africa. Although there was a tremendous growth in China’s trade and investment links with the African continent, the most striking feature of the China–Africa relationship was Chinese finance for infrastructure development. China committed nearly US $153 billion to African public sector borrowers between 2000 and 2019. Chinese finance to Africa was predominantly channeled through the China Development Bank and the China EXIM Bank, and Chinese companies built vital infrastructure including roads, railways, ports, etc. – China and Africa—Is it the end of the honeymoon period?
China-ASEAN-USA:
– Global Times: For the first time in four years, the US President took part in a virtual summit with leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) on Tuesday. But the meeting has been widely viewed as the latest move in Washington’s attempt to cajole the bloc back into its containment campaign against China. – US’ attempt to sow discord won’t break solid China-ASEAN ties
China-Japan:
– Xu Keyue and Xing Xiaojing, Global Times: Experts from China and Japan urged for the early resumption of high-level defense exchanges on Tuesday at the 17th Annual Beijing-Tokyo Forum to help ensure strategic regional stability. They also held discussions on recent hot issues, including the Taiwan question, hypersonic technology, maritime security and cyberspace security. – Experts at Beijing-Tokyo Forum call for early resumption of high-level defense exchanges
Fiji:
– Mere Nailatikau, The Interpreter: The 101-page document appeared quietly on the Fiji Bureau of Statistics website in early September. But almost immediately, the 2019-2020 Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES) Main Report, with a preface by then Chief Executive of the Bureau Kemueli Naiqama, garnered attention on two counts. First, its revised methodology for measuring poverty – technically informed by the World Bank and University of Bristol and aligned with global and Pacific standards. Second, its breakdown of poverty and population statistics by ethnicity. – The promise and peril of statistics in Fiji
Global Topics-Climate Change-Climate Diplomacy-Climate Justice-COP26-Ecological Transition:
– Jane McAdam, The Interpreter: A long-awaited report released last week in the United States by the Biden administration recommends a new legal pathway for humanitarian protection for people facing serious threats to their life because of climate change. The US has a compelling national interest to strengthen protection for people displaced by the impacts of climate change, it notes. The White House report also recognises that migration is not only “an important form of adaptation to the impacts of climate change”, but sometimes “an essential response”. It acknowledges that permanent, and not just temporary, pathways are needed. – Protecting people who lose their homes to climate change
– Global Times: While commending China for its actions in recent years to combat climate change in a speech on Monday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on China to set “ambitious” goals to combat the environmental crisis in the run-up to the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) to be held Glasgow, the UK. – GT Voice: West can’t use climate issues as weapon against China in Glasgow
Global Topics-Democracy:
– Ben Scott, The Interpreter: The future of US democracy seemed in the balance when, in mid-2019, candidate Joe Biden promised to host a “Summit for Democracy” within his first year office. His win didn’t dispel those fears. The 6 January Capitol riot prompted declarations that the Summit was needed more than ever. The White House put revitalising democracy “the world over” at the heart of its Interim National Security Guidance, released in March. – How to save the Summit for Democracy
Global Topics-Pandemic-Jobs:
– UN News: The agency is projecting that global hours worked this year will be 4.3 per cent below pre-pandemic levels, the equivalent of 125 million full time jobs. This is a dramatic revision of the projection made in June, of 3.5 per cent or 100 million full-time jobs. The eighth edition of the ILO Monitor: COVID-19 and the world of work also warns of a “great divergence” between developed and developing countries, saying it will persist without concrete financial and technical support. – Pandemic impact on jobs, worse than expected: ILO
India:
– Vardan Kabra, ORF: 30 years ago, in 1991, a major financial crisis allowed for reform that liberalised the Indian economy, and led to India’s resurgence in the world. Today, the Indian education system is facing a crisis of unprecedented magnitude due to the pandemic, but this crisis too presents an opportunity to reform and liberalise the sector, resulting in a higher quality of education for all Indian children. – Liberalisation of private schools is necessary for all Indian children to be educated
– Bilal Kuchay, Al Jazeera: Last week, Hindu right-wing forces in India forced a leading firm to withdraw its festive season advertisement after it featured a couple of words from the Urdu language, which in the popular imagination in the country is a “Muslim language”. The company, FabIndia, issued an advertisement for Diwali – a significant Hindu festival that falls next month – showcasing its latest collection of clothes. The text at the top read: “Jashn-e-Rivaaz”. – Hate campaign in India against Urdu for being a ‘Muslim’ language
Indo Pacific:
– Yatharth Kachiar and Priya Vijaykumar Poojary, The Interpreter: Although a substantive movement has developed aiming to contain China – AUKUS being only the most recent example, adding to the reconstituted Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad, as well as a newly-launched Indo-Pacific strategy by the European Union – these efforts are each standalone. Their primary focus is the security architecture of the Indo-Pacific. In this regard, these efforts suffer two major limitations: they are fragmented and lack a substantive economic dimension. – AUKUS? Quad? FOIP? A fragmented approach cannot counter China
Japan:
– Yusaku Yoshikawa, East Asia Forum: On 10 August 2021, the Immigration Services Agency of Japan (ISA) published its final report on the recent death of a young female detainee from Sri Lanka in an immigration detention facility. The report admits that the ISA failed to understand her poor health conditions and did not take appropriate medical measures. – Japan’s intensifying refugee debate
Lebanon:
– Kareem Chehayeb, Al Jazeera: Supporters of the Christian Lebanese Forces party have blocked roads and highways to protest against the military intelligence decision to summon party leader Samir Geagea to give testimony on the deadly Beirut clashes earlier this month. The protesters closed off roads that led to Geagea’s residence in the northern town of Maarab on Wednesday. – Lebanese Forces supporters protest party leader’s summoning
Madagascar:
– Al Jazeera: Amnesty International has urged Madagascar’s government and the rest of the world to step up relief efforts for the island nation’s drought-hit south. More than a million people on Madagascar’s parched southern tip are on the brink of famine and some are already dying, the global rights watchdog said in a report on Wednesday released ahead of the United Nations’ climate conference in Glasgow, Scotland. – Amnesty urges urgent relief for ‘deep hunger’ in south Madagascar
Pakistan:
– Ahsan I Butt, Al Jazeera: In an interview with Turkish media aired on October 1, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan revealed that his government is in talks with the Pakistan Taliban (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP). Following a period of relative dormancy, the TTP has been significantly more active this year. Khan admitted that Islamabad is offering the group a number of rewards – from political amnesty to prisoner releases – in return for laying down arms. – Imran Khan’s talks with the Pakistan Taliban will not bring peace
Russia:
– Charu Sudan Kasturi, Al Jazeera: Raymond D’Costa woke up soaked in sweat. It was midnight and the power was out in his neighbourhood in Bangalore, India’s third-largest city. When it returned, the voltage was so low that the ceiling fan barely moved. A fresh outage took away even that whiff of comfort. – Energy crunch: Russia could reap windfalls as other nations reel
Sudan:
– UN News: “The warming of their relations was visible in Abyei, where most of the threats to the community were of a criminal nature, not of military nature”, Jean-Pierre Lacroix briefed Council Members.The area was accorded special administrative status in 2004, and a UN Interim Security Force, UNISFA, operates there to provide support for local policing, and the deployment of armed forces, in accordance with a 2011 Agreement. – Peacekeeping chief encouraged by ‘warming’ relations between Sudan and South Sudan over Abyei
– Al Jazeera: The African Union (AU) has said it suspended Sudan from all its activities after the country’s military overthrew the civilian-led transitional government in a coup. The African Union Political Affairs Peace and Security on Wednesday tweeted the news of the suspension, an expected move typically taken in the wake of military coups. – African Union suspends Sudan over coup
Syria:
– UN News: Geir Pedersen reported on the sixth session of the Committee’s so-called “Small Body”, which he convened last week in Geneva. The hope was that the 45 men and women – who represent the Syrian government, opposition and civil society – would draft a text that would help support a peaceful future for their country after more than a decade of war. – Syria: Progress still possible, following ‘disappointment’ over constitutional talks
Taiwan:
– Al Jazeera: China has again said that Taiwan has “no right” to join the United Nations, a day after the United States voiced support for the island’s “meaningful participation” at the organisation. The back-and-forth comes days after Taiwanese officials spoke with US officials about Taiwan’s desire to have a role at the UN. – China says Taiwan ‘has no right’ to join UN, after US nod
USA:
– Marcela Escobari, Brookings: Today’s labor shortages make it an auspicious moment for companies ready to measure and improve labor conditions. To do so, corporate boards and management need a clear way to manage retention by understanding its link to job quality. – 6 job quality metrics every company should know
– Martha Ross, Lili Allen, Annelies Goger, Avni Nahar, Brookings: The $1.9 trillion
American Rescue Plan (ARP) may have entered—and quickly exited—national consciousness six months ago, but its effects are only beginning to be felt at the state and local level. The rescue plan allotted $330 billion to support state and local fiscal recovery, with the first outlay released in May 2021 and the second by May 2022. State and local leaders are working in real time to deploy these dollars to stabilize their budgets and respond to COVID-induced disruptions. American Rescue Plan funds can jump-start stalled opportunities for youth
USA-China:
– Al Jazeera: Top US General Mark Milley has called China’s recent hypersonic missile test “very close” to a Sputnik moment. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in an interview with Bloomberg TV called “the test of a hypersonic weapon system” – first reported by the Financial Times last week – a “very significant technological event that occurred”. – Top US general: China missile test ‘very close’ to Sputnik moment
– Malcolm Davis, The Strategist: A pair of reports in the Financial Times have set the defence community abuzz with the suggestion that China has tested a new hypersonic glide vehicle, possibly with a fractional orbital bombardment system, or FOBS. Two possible tests—one potentially as early as 27 July and a second on 13 August—involved a Chinese Long March 2C orbital launch vehicle blasting off and flying a south polar trajectory into low-earth orbit. The rocket released a hypersonic glide vehicle that circled the globe in low polar orbit before de-orbiting and landing several kilometres from its target. China claims that it was a test of a spaceplane under its Tengyun program, but the nominated date of 16 July doesn’t match up with the launch activity observed later that month and in August. – Can US missile-defence systems handle China’s new missiles?
– Yang Sheng and Guo Yuandan, Global Times: Former US ambassador to China J. Stapleton Roy said that the situation in the Taiwan Straits has reached a dangerous level, and the US should take action to make China confident that the US supports the “one-China policy,” as he is concerned that the two countries are facing the worst situation since they established diplomatic ties 42 years ago. – Convince China that US supports ‘one-China policy’: ex-US envoy
USA-China-Australia:
– James Curran, East Asia Forum: The spectre of Donald Trump stalks Joe Biden’s White House and other corridors of power in Washington. A recent Iowa poll showed that Trump would win the state comfortably if a poll were held now, despite a disapproval rating of 99 per cent among Democrats. Trump’s popularity there is higher now than when he was President. The Trumpian legacy animating Biden’s trade policy was also on full display in a recent headline speech by US Trade Representative Katherine Tai. On 4 October, Tai presented the findings of the administration’s comprehensive review of the US–China trade relationship. – Australia still caught up in Biden’s China blame game
West Bank:
– Al Jazeera: Zuhdi Hassan has farmed his land in Salfit governate in the Israeli-occupied West Bank for decades, but this year has been especially bad for him. Like other Palestinian olive farmers struggling to harvest their crops largely due to Israeli settler attacks, movement restrictions and poor rainfall, the 57-year-old faces financial trouble this season. – Settler attacks leave Palestinian farmers with financial losses
