Diario geostrategico, 12 novembre 2021
Buona lettura !
The Science of Where Magazine’s interviews:
– The road to the “new normal” and the role of the G20. The Science of Where meets Priyadarshi Dash. Associate Professor at Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), New Delhi, he has 14 years of experience in policy research on trade, investment, infrastructure and fintech issues in the context of G20, IORA, BIMSTEC and Indo-Pacific
– Governo dei dati tra geopolitica e tutela del cittadino. The Science of Where Magazine incontra Ivana Bartoletti, Global Chief Privacy Officer a WIPRO Technologies e Visiting Policy Fellow presso l’ Università di Oxford
– Tecnologia e responsabilità: uno snodo decisivo. The Science of Where Magazine incontra Federico Cabitza, Università di Milano-Bicocca
– 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:
– Elizabeth Mrema, WEF: Designing, building and managing cities to be nature-positive is a key component of the battle against climate change. A nature-positive approach means addressing municipalities’ financial, as well as physical, infrastructure. The resourcefulness of informal settlements could be a source of solutions for this transition. – If the world’s 1 million cities were nature-positive, we could tackle climate change
ASEAN-Pandemic:
– Shubhankar Kashyap and Anushka Bhattacharya, East Asia Forum: ASEAN has been vital for achieving cooperation and economic growth in Southeast Asia. But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, health security has become the primary concern shaping its regional aspirations. The human and economic devastation caused by COVID-19 is unparalleled, despite the region experiencing several economic and health crises before. The region’s key sectors, including tourism, retail and manufacturing, took a big hit. Yet ASEAN stepped aside and let its member states combat the virus independently. – ASEAN’s divided response to COVID-19
Australia-Quantum Technologies-Defense-Military:
– Aimee Chanthadavong, ZDNet: The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) previously projected that Australia’s emerging quantum technology sector would generate over AU$4 billion in annual revenue and support 16,000 jobs by 2040. This sector is set to become so significant that Australia’s chief scientist Dr Cathy Foley recently told the audience of the virtual Collaborate Innovation 2021 event that it’s one industry the country needs to prioritise to remain globally competitive. – Quantum technologies are now part of the military’s future roadmap
Azerbaijan:
– Orkhan Baghirov, The Jamestown Foundation: Late last month (October 26), Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, together inaugurated the Fuzuli International Airport, in Azerbaijan’s recently liberated city of Fuzuli, in Karabakh. This is the first airport built by Azerbaijan in the areas retaken as a result of last year’s Second Karabakh War (September 27–November 9, 2020); and its construction took only eight months. President Erdoğan became the first foreign head of state to land at Fuzuli International Airport (Hurriyet Daily News, October 26). – The Karabakh Air Gate Opens: Future Prospects for Fuzuli Airport
China:
– Zhaoyong Zhang, East Asia Forum: The trend of the Chinese renminbi (RMB) rising against the US dollar reached a three-year high in May 2021. This signalled an end to the currency’s depreciation in response to the Trump administration’s trade war with China. Whether the current rally in RMB will be maintained remains a hotly debated topic, especially given the current COVID-19 pandemic-related global economic recovery and the long-term headwinds to China’s growth. – Will the Chinese renminbi keep rising?
– Hao Tan, Elizabeth Thurbon, John Mathews, Sung-Young Kim, East Asia Forum: On 21 September 2021, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced at the UN General Assembly that ‘China will not build new coal-fired power projects abroad’. Despite the lack of detail — such as how the declaration will affect projects at different stages of financing — China’s new position has been widely lauded in the international community. – China closes the door to coal
China-ASEAN:
– Ken Heydon, East Asia Forum: China’s global value chain (GVC) links with ASEAN are both less dominant and more beneficial than they appear at first sight. But there are major challenges ahead for ASEAN. With ASEAN public opinion seeking more alignment with the United States and less with China, ASEAN’s GVC dependence on China might be seen as a cause for concern. – ASEAN supply chain links with China and the perils of decoupling
China-USA:
– Richard C. Bush, David Dollar, Ryan Hass, Jamie P. Horsley, and Shuxian Luo, Brookings: As U.S.-China tensions rise and news and developments regarding the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and U.S.-China relations are never far from the headlines, the interest in and necessity to better understand China and the Chinese government’s perspective continues to increase. Below, Brookings experts offer recommendations and thoughts on where to find official Chinese government documents, in Chinese and English, as well as reliable information and analysis on Beijing’s perspectives and policies, and what they read to gain insight into contemporary China. – Where Brookings experts read about China
COP26-Climate Action-Climate Change-Ecological Transition:
– Lucrezia Reichlin, Project-Syndicate: This year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow has brought a marked shift in focus from the responsibilities of governments to the power of the private sector. If national governments cannot find a way to reconcile their interests and commit to collective action, can the private sector pick up the slack? – Accounting for Climate Change
– Zeke Hausfather, Piers Forster, Carbon Brief: On the one hand, reports proclaim boldly that limiting global warming to below 2C might finally be in reach. On the other, critics complain that modest improvements on country commitments amount to little more than “blah blah blah”. The reality is more nuanced. There has been progress made in flattening the curve of future emissions through both climate policies and falling clean energy costs. At the same time, the world is still far from on track to meet Paris Agreement goals of limiting warming to 1.5C or “well below” 2C. – Analysis: Do COP26 promises keep global warming below 2C?
Cyber Security:
– Georges De Moura, Lydia Kostopoulos, WEF: The success of any organization’s digital transformation depends not only on technology, but also on human capital. Malicious actors are increasingly targeting the weakest link in tech systems: the human beings who interact with them. Businesses need to focus on upskilling staff in this area, raising awareness of cybersecurity, and using mentoring. – Here’s why closing the skills gap is key to digitalization
– Jonathan Greig, ZDNet: IT professionals have seen increased cyber risk over the last 12 months, according to a survey from cybersecurity company Armis. Armis and Censuswide spoke with 400 IT professionals working in healthcare organizations across the US as well as 2,030 general respondents, finding that nearly 60% of IT respondents had dealt with a ransomware incident at their organization over the last year. – Healthcare security: IT pros warn of vulnerable HVAC systems, imaging machines, check-in kiosks and more
– Danny Palmer, ZDNet: Cyber attacks targeting vulnerabilities in virtual private networks (VPN) are on the rise, and many organisations are struggling to protect their networks. The Covid-19 pandemic forced many businesses to suddenly move to higher levels of remote working than before, with many organisations dealing with it for the first time. – Businesses don’t know how to manage VPN security properly – and cyber criminals are taking advantage
Digital Transformation-Emerging and Disruptive Technology:
– Abhinav Chugh, WEF: The dawn of the quantum computing age brings with it many potential new risks – including those related to security. Government agencies and industry groups have expressed a growing sense of urgency when it comes to transitioning to a quantum safe future. Cyber security expert Jaya Baloo explains why and how we need to protect our economies in case of a quantum future. – Quantum computing will lead to new risks for cyber security
Ethiopia:
– Al Jazeera: International diplomatic efforts are under way to try to end the fighting in Ethiopia. Envoys from African countries and the United States have held meetings with Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Tigrayan leaders. Abiy has been locked in a year-long battle with Tigrayan rebels, who have threatened to seize the capital, Addis Ababa. A humanitarian crisis is also spiralling in the northern Tigray region, with only a fraction of aid getting in. So who, if anyone, can mediate the crisis to prevent the country from falling into civil war? – Who can resolve Ethiopia’s conflict?
Europe:
– Sebastian Sprenger, Defense News: European Union defense ministers are slated to consider on Nov. 16 a new proposal for beefing up the European Defence Agency’s role in breeding technology innovation for the bloc’s armed forces. EDA Chief Executive Jiří Šedivý gave a glimpse of the upcoming mission during a panel discussion at the Spanish FEINDEF defense exhibition in Madrid last week, presenting the idea as yet another initiative in the increasingly crowded field of EU and NATO defense-tech management. – EU leaders weigh new innovation hub role for the European Defence Agency
Global Economy:
– Gayle Markovitz, WEF: Inflation in on the rise: the reasons are complex and there is little consensus on the short and long-term trajectory. Six Chief Economists give their view on what’s next for inflation – is it transitory? Will it endure? How should governments, central banks and policy-makers respond? – Rising inflation: Temporary deviation or here to stay? 6 chief economists discuss
India:
– Borge Brende, WEF: We are gradually moving into a post-COVID dispensation. There is a trend towards a more multipolar world and the power centre of the global economy is shifting to Asia. In this new era, India will prioritize economic expansion and sustainability for sustained growth and influence on the world stage. – India’s roadmap for success and prosperity in the post-COVID world
– Shashi Tharoor, Project-Syndicate: After India’s recent defeat by Pakistan at the T20 World Cup cricket tournament, Indian bowler Mohammed Shami confronted vicious trolling on social media. It was the latest display of the Islamophobic bigotry that has consumed Indian society under the rule of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). – Modi’s Anti-Muslim Jihad
Indonesia-Norway:
– Ida Aju Pradnja Resosudarmo, East Asia Forum: Indonesia announced the termination of the long-standing Indonesia–Norway Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) partnership. While promising, it was anticipated from the start that the collaboration would not be easy. The timing of the termination on 10 September 2021, just two months before the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, presents important lessons that environmentalists can reflect on. – Lessons from the Indonesia–Norway REDD+ break-up
Japan:
– Corey Wallace, East Asia Forum: Throughout 2021, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida downplayed his reputation as a defence dove ahead of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) presidential race. Eventually victorious, the new prime minister — only 26 days into the job — then led his party to a convincing victory in the lower house election. Will this electoral tail wind allow Kishida to push forward on bolder reforms, including defence concerns that were so prominent in the recent LDP contest? – Kishida’s opportunity to shake up Japanese defence policy
Russia-Belarus:
– Grigory Ioffe, The Jamestown Foundation: On November 4, Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka signed a package of 28 Union State programs, formerly called “road maps,” for economic integration with Russia. “Clearly spelled out in the Union programs are the formation of joint sectoral markets, the implementation of a harmonized financial, tax, credit, pricing and trade policy, and the mechanisms for the development of a common economic space,” claims the official report (Belta, November 4). – Russia and Belarus Sign a Package of Union State Programs
South Africa:
– Ray Mwareya, Al Jazeera: South Africa runs on coal. It is the world’s seventh-largest coal producer, and about 80 percent of the country’s energy is generated by it. In addition to the extensive use of coal in the domestic economy, about 30 percent of South Africa’s production is exported, making the country the fourth-largest coal exporter in the world. The vast scale of South Africa’s coal operation, run by the state power company Eskom, is an obstacle in the way of global efforts to combat climate change. Indeed, today South Africa is the 12th-biggest carbon dioxide emitter in the world. – The COP26 deal will not be enough to end SA’s coal addiction
Tunisia:
– Sharan Grewal, Brookings: Western countries have been relatively timid in their response to Tunisian President Kais Saied’s power grab. In contrast to their quick suspension of aid to Sudan after the recent coup, Western countries have brought only rhetorical pressure to bear on Tunisia. Part of the hesitance is fear over what might happen if the West pressures Saied more forcefully — that Saied might turn instead to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for foreign assistance. The implication is that the West should not push too hard for dialogue and democracy, for fear of losing Tunisia to the Gulf. – Why the West must continue pushing for Tunisian democracy
Turkey-South Korea:
– Burak Ege Bekdil, Defense News: Negotiations between Turkish and South Korean companies to power Turkey’s first indigenous tank are shifting from plans for co-production in the European country to an off-the-shelf contract, Turkish procurement and industry sources told Defense News. In October, Turkey and South Korea signed a letter of intent under which two South Korean companies would supply engines and transmission mechanisms for the Altay tank. The deal, penned Oct. 22, came during a meeting between Turkish Foreign Affairs Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and the South Korean minister in charge of the country’s Defense Acquisition Program Administration, Kang Eun-ho. – Altay power pack talks between Turkey, SKorea changes to off-the-shelf supply
Ukraine:
– Yuri Lapaiev, The Jamestown Foundation: On October 26, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) for the first time used the Turkish-produced Bayraktar TB2 unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) to strike at forces of the so-called Donetsk “People’s Republic” (DPR) militia in Donbas. According to the official statement of the AFU General Staff, enemy units used a battery of D-30 howitzers to fire on Ukrainian positions in the area of the settlement of Hranitne (Donetsk Oblast). Two AFU service members were wounded during the shelling, and one was killed. After several attempts to stop the shelling through diplomatic channels—via the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Special Monitoring Mission (OSCE SMM)—the AFU’s commander-in-chief, Major General Valeriy Zaluzhny, ordered Ukrainian units to deploy a Bayraktar TB2 to fire on and suppress the enemy’s offensive capabilities. The UCAV did not cross the line of contact, but it destroyed one howitzer gun with a guided bomb. In order to minimize casualties, a small ordnance was used—an 8.5-kilogram МАМ-С modification. This succeeded in halting further shelling of the Ukrainian positions. Within hours, the AFU posted a video of the strike online (Facebook.com, October 26). – First Strike: The Political Consequences of Ukraine’s Bayraktar Drone Attack on Russia-Backed Forces in Donbas
Ukraine-Russia:
– Howard Altman, Defense News: Ukrainian officials told Military Times that the gathering of Russian forces, tanks and short-range ballistic missile systems near the two countries’ border could offer the Russians an easy way to escalate an ongoing conflict. While U.S. military leaders remain reluctant to discuss the massing of Russian forces, Ukrainian officials were more direct. – Russian troop movements show wider conflict is possible, top Ukraine official says
USA:
– James K. Galbraith, Project-Syndicate: A supply chain is like a Rorschach Test: each economic analyst sees in it a pattern reflecting his or her own preconceptions. This may be inevitable, since everyone is a product of differing educations, backgrounds, and prejudices. But some observed patterns are more plausible than others. – The Choking of the Global Minotaur
– Mariam Baksh, Nextgov: Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Director Jen Easterly will use her discretion to put members of the hacking community on a new federal advisory committee at the Department of Homeland Security. Easterly spoke Wednesday at an event hosted by Wired and was addressing the unique way in which she reached out to the community at annual hacker conferences Black Hat and DEFCON shortly after starting in her role. She was famously sporting her mastery over the Rubik’s Cube and dragon pants, which she revealed came from a trip to Vietnam two decades ago. – CISA Director to Appoint Hackers to Cybersecurity Advisory Committee
– Patience Wait, Nextgov: After the SolarWinds and Kaseya attacks spread malware far and wide across government and business networks, Palo Alto Networks’ Unit 42 Cloud Threat Team wanted to investigate how it was possible for bad actors to infiltrate cloud-native applications by attacking the cloud supply chain. The company has now issued a Unit 42 Cloud Threat Report, “Secure the Software Supply Chain to Secure the Cloud,” that identifies the serious problems lurking below the surface of open-source software repositories. The Cyber Threat Alliance hosted a webcast for the report’s author to walk through its key findings. – Don’t Blindly Trust Software Building Blocks, Report Says
– Alexandra Kelley, Nextgov: The National Institute of Standards and Technology is looking for input on new cybersecurity guidance for consumer software in a bid to increase the public’s safety and awareness. NIST officials want feedback on labeling criteria for certain software products to ensure the general public find the labels user-friendly. – NIST Seeks Feedback on Cybersecurity Labels for Software
– Brandi Vincent, Nextgov: The Air Force Research Laboratory confirmed plans to open up a new center for strategic studies into directed energy—like lasers and high-power electromagnetics applied to take out a specific target—in collaboration with the University of New Mexico. Expected to go into full operation by 2025, the new hub will enable researchers to study and develop next-generation capabilities in that increasingly competitive technological realm. – Air Force to Build New Center to Study and Enhance Directed Energy Capabilities
– Jetson Leder-Luis, Nextgov: Lawmakers passed the US$1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill on Nov. 5, 2021, with negotiations still ongoing over Democrats’ $1.75 trillion plan to expand the social safety net and tackle climate change. The proposed $3 trillion in total spending is not only a big investment but a serious target for fraud. – $1.2T Infrastructure Plan Offers Lucrative Target for Fraud
– Patrick Tucker, Defense One: If last year’s edition of the U.S. Army’s massive connect-everything experiment was a proof of concept, this year’s was a far bigger effort to see just how much those data-sharing concepts might accelerate major military campaigns. “I’ve seen exponential progress since last year,” said Army Chief of Staff Gen. James McConville at a media roundtable here on Tuesday. “What I’ve seen is the ability to move data. The ability to have speed, range, convergence to get the speed for decision dominance [was] significantly improved.” – What Worked, What Didn’t at Army’s Second Connect-Everything Experiment
– William D. Hartung, Defense One: After last month’s Chinese test of a hypersonic missile, Joint Chiefs of Staff chair Gen. Mark Milley described it as “very close” to a “Sputnik moment,” alluding to the Soviet Union’s 1957 satellite launch that sent shock waves through U.S. media, government, and society. The concern was that if Moscow could put a radio beacon into orbit, a nuclear-armed, long-range ballistic missile could not be far behind. The event, which displayed an unexpected level of technological sophistication, sparked a surge in U.S. investment in military, space, and scientific research and development. – Milley’s Hypersonic Hyperbole May Have Been His ‘Missile Gap’ Moment
– Jen Judson, Defense News: Still in the nascent stages, the Pentagon is working on ways to help bolster cybersecurity for allies and partners and wants to increase its engagement with industry for solutions, according to Mieke Eoyang, deputy assistant secretary of defense for cyber policy. “As we look at allies and partners and their cybersecurity and the interest of adversaries in undermining, via cyber, our allies and partners in the context of our commitments and our alliances when we are going to fight together, it’s really important that we think about cybersecurity of our allies and partners and that we think about how to bring that up to speed,” Eoyang said at C4ISRNET’s CyberCon on Nov. 10. – Pentagon wants industry’s help to bolster allies and partners’ cybersecurity
– Nathan Strout, Defense News: The head of the Army’s new software organizations say the service won’t always be able to rely on contractors for software support, and that’s why the Army needs in-house coders. “For a very long time, the Army got comfortable operating with contractors all over the battlefield,” said Lt. Col. Vito Errico, director of the Army Software Factory, at C4ISRNET’s CyberCon event Nov. 10. “It was sort of commonplace in Iraq and Afghanistan to co-locate contractors with servicemembers to do technically oriented things. … That was the way that we were able to fight.” – Soldiers won’t always be able to rely on contractors for coders, says Army Software Factory director
– Megan Eckstein, Defense News: As the U.S. Marine Corps continues to reshape the force through the commandant’s Force Design 2030 effort and the recently released Talent Management 2030 plan, cyber and information warfare Marines in the future may be further empowered to use their digital skills to create operational advantages for kinetic forces, one official said. The Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group (MIG) formation was fielded four years ago and has already made progress in training fellow Marines on how to operate amid cyber threats as well as showing MEF commanders how to blend a range of kinetic and non-kinetic options, Col. Brian Russell, who commands the II MEF Information Group, said Nov. 10 during a discussion as part of C4ISRNET’s CyberCon. – Cyber Marines could be empowered to act boldly under commandant’s future force vision
– Stephen Losey, Defense News: In the battle over cyberspace, adversaries to the United States are continually switching up their methods to hack U.S. systems, a senior National Security Agency official said Wednesday. That means the U.S. must in turn keep shifting the tools and techniques it uses to counter hackers from nations like China, Russia, Iran and North Korea — and team up with the private sector to do so, David Luber, deputy director for NSA’s cybersecurity directorate, said in a panel during C4ISRNET’s CyberCon. – The cyber battlefield against China and Russia is constantly shifting. Here’s how the NSA is trying to stay on top
– Joe Gould, Defense News: Next month, the Pentagon will formally launch a new office dedicated to accelerating the adoption of a new “zero trust” cybersecurity model, a senior DoD official said Wednesday. David McKeown, DoD’s chief information security officer, said the office will fall under DoD’s chief information officer and be led by a yet-to-be-named senior executive. The move is part of an acceleration to ongoing zero trust implementation spurred by the Russian – orchestrated SolarWinds intrusion of federal systems. – Pentagon ‘zero trust’ cyber office coming in December
– Mark Pomerlau, Defense News: U.S. Cyber Command has both created a concept of operations and established a capability management office to address issues with its focused architecture for cyber capabilities, following concerns and recommendations from Congress and government watchdogs. A November 2020 report by the Government Accountability Office raised issues with the goals and guidance for Cyber Command’s Joint Cyber Warfighting Architecture, which steers the command’s acquisition and equipping priorities. Of the six broad categories the architecture defines, each of the services are building components on behalf of the joint force, creating integration issues. – US Cyber Command publishes concept for integrating new capabilities
USA-France:
– Morgan Chanfalt, The Hill: Vice President Harris on Wednesday announced new initiatives with France on space and cybersecurity following a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris. – Harris, Macron unveil new initiatives on space, cybersecurity after meeting
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