IL GIAPPONE E LA SCELTA DIGITALE

FOCUS

June 20, 2022. By Naohiro Yashiro, East Asia Forum. Japan’s most recent regulatory reform plan is digitalisation — a crucial part of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s ‘New Capitalism’ agenda that seeks to prevent excessive profit-seeking activities. Better utilisation of the digital economy is necessary to overcome labour force shortages brought about by a rapidly declining working-age population. Fortunately, the momentum for digital reform has survived the recent leadership transition. Japan’s digital society rests on Kishida’s leadership

AROUND THE WORLD

Afghanistan

• June 2022. By Malaiz Daud, CIDOB. Since their return to power in Afghanistan, Taliban are not only contending with a plethora of violent challengers, but they are also facing direct and indirect nonviolent action by a variety of actors. Their response has been twofold: extreme and indiscriminate violence and information blackout. However, the notion of a strong Emirate has hardly materialized in almost a year since its establishment. Their presumed success in creating absolute stability in the 1990’s is now failing in the Taliban regime 2.0. Taliban’s Achilles’ Heel: The Leviathan Trap in Afghanistan

Australia

• June 21, 2022. By Peter Hooton, The Interpreter. The consolidation of Australia’s identity as an Asia-Pacific nation is a work in progress. It is as a consistently attentive and engaged Asia-Pacific nation – rather than as a US ally or a European outpost – that Australia will fit in most comfortably with its neighbours and be of most service to its friends further afield. However, in the Pacific, Canberra’s fossil-fuelled failure to take seriously its domestic and international responsibilities for reducing greenhouse gas emissions – in the face of the grave threat posed to Pacific island states by global warming – has done enormous damage to Australia’s standing. Pacific labour mobility and the existential threat of climate change

Azerbaijan

• June 21, 2022. By Nina Markovic Khaze, The Interpreter. Historically, Azerbaijan was known as the world capital of black caviar. More recently, in the years since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the thorny issue of the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh has been the cause of military conflict with neighbouring Armenia – most recently in 2020 when the Turkish-supplied military technology gave battlefield superiority to Azerbaijan. Full throttle: Australia’s advantages alongside Azerbaijan

China

• June 21, 2022. By David Uren, The Strategist. China’s trade surplus hit an extraordinary US$292 billion in the first five months of the year—more than double its pre-pandemic level—and its aggressive pursuit of export markets is likely to become a flashpoint in a slowing world economy. China’s relentless export machine

Europe

• June 21, 2022. By World Nuclear News. Tractebel will lead the PULSAR consortium conducting research on dynamic radioisotope power systems (RPS) fuelled by plutonium-238 (Pu-238) for space applications – to provide spacecraft and astronauts with electricity and heat when the sun does not supply enough power. PULSAR project to research nuclear technology for Europe’s space missions : New Nuclear

Israel – Palestine

• June 21, 2022. By Shlomo Ben-Ami, Project-Syndicate, The Strategist. In the 55 years Israel has been occupying Palestinian lands, there have been two intifadas, four wars in Gaza, and a long series of failed efforts to negotiate a two-state solution roughly adhering to Israel’s pre-1967 borders. The situation may truly be as hopeless as it seems. Israel’s endless occupation

Philippines

• June 20, 2022. By Georgi Engelbrecht, Crisis Group. On 9 May, residents of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, part of the southern Philippines, voted in local elections. Organised in parallel to national polls, these contests pitted former rebels against powerful political clans, with an incomplete peace process hanging in the balance. Ballots and Bullets in the Bangsamoro

Russia – Ukraine

• June 20, 2022. By Karolina Hird, Kateryna Stepanenko, and Frederick W. Kagan, ISW. Ukrainian officials are emphasizing that the coming week will be decisive for Russian efforts to take control of Severodonetsk. Deputy Ukrainian Defense Minister Hanna Malyar reported that Russian leadership has set June 26 as the deadline for Russian forces to reach the Luhansk Oblast administrative border, which will likely result in intensified efforts to take full control of Severodonetsk and move westward towards the Oblast border. Head of the Luhansk Regional State Administration Serhiy Haidai reported that Russian forces control all of Severodonetsk except for the industrial zone as of June 20, which is the first explicit Ukrainian confirmation that Russian forces control all of Severodonetsk with the exception of the Azot plant. Russian forces will likely continue efforts to clear the Azot plant and complete encirclement operations south of Severodonetsk and Lysychansk by driving up the T1302 Bakhmut-Lysychansk highway. Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, June 20
• June 2022. By Kiel Institute for the World Economy. The volume of pledged weapons assistance – including heavy weapons –  has notably increased in recent weeks since the previous Ukraine Support Tracker data update on May 18. However, the difference between pledged and actually delivered arms can be very high. Among the major suppliers, the USA and Germany in particular have pledged significantly more than they have delivered, although in absolute terms the U.S. has already delivered weapons worth around ten times more than Germany. Ukraine Support Tracker

Southeast Asia

• June 21, 2022. By Noah Kittner, East Asia Forum. With global concerns rising over climate change and carbon lock-in, Southeast Asia has a unique opportunity to advance its economy and global leadership by constructing a regional low-carbon electricity grid. ASEAN countries can match extensive solar energy resources with advanced manufacturing capability for battery energy storage and electric vehicles, making them prime candidates to lead the global transition to clean energy. ASEAN needs to work together on green energy

UAE

• June 20, 2022. By World Nuclear News. Fuel loading has begun at Barakah 3 following the receipt of the unit’s operating licence, the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) has announced. The UAE’s third nuclear unit is expected to start producing electricity later this year. Fuel loading begins at UAE plant : New Nuclear

UK 

• June 21, 2022. By World Nuclear News. Future fusion energy facilities will continue to be regulated by the Environment Agency (EA) and Health & Safety Executive (HSE), the UK government has confirmed in its response to a consultation seeking views on the regulatory framework for ensuring the safe and effective rollout of fusion energy. Fission power plants are regulated by the Office for Nuclear Regulation. UK developing regulatory framework for fusion : Regulation & Safety

UK – Serbia 

• June 20, 2022. By Hamza Karčić, RUSI. While Bosnian Serb separatism has been put on hold for now, there are other actors destabilising the country who should be added to the UK’s sanctions regime. Why the UK Should Expand Its Bosnia Sanctions List

USA

• June 20, 2022. By Amanda Mayoral, Industry Week. As the world embarks on an electric vehicle (EV) boom, a new report by the Coalition for a Prosperous America (CPA) highlights a serious challenge facing the United States—an EV battery crisis. There are several reasons for this, including weak investment in advanced technologies, limited access to critical minerals and a lack of federal policies to promote R&D and manufacturing.  EV Has a Problem: 90% of the Battery Supply Chain ‘Does Not Exist’
• June 20, 2022. By World Nuclear News. NuScale Power has announced it is making a strategic shift from product development to product delivery as commercialisation of its VOYGR small modular reactor (SMR) power plants approaches. SMR company NuScale pivots from development to delivery : Corporate

DEFENSE, MILITARY, SECURITY, CYBER

• June 21, 2022. By Breaking Defense. This is the latest in a series of regular columns by Robbin Laird, where he will tackle current defense issues through the lens of more than 45 years of defense expertise in both the US and abroad. The goal of these columns: to look back at how questions and perspectives of the past should inform decisions being made today. Echoes between Spain’s NATO membership and Swedish, Finnish bids
• June 21, 2022. By Aaron Mehta, Breaking Defense. Leonardo DRS, the American subsidiary of Italian defense giant Leonardo, has announced plans to purchase Israeli firm RADA — with the combined company heading to the NASDAQ stock exchange. Leonardo DRS to acquire Israeli firm RADA, eyeing counter-drone market
• June 21, 2022. By Valerie Insinna, Breaking Defense. Despite continued challenges pushing the Air Force’s new MH-139A Grey Wolf helicopter through the certification process, Boeing hopes to have the chopper completely certified and delivered to the service by the end of this summer, company officials said. After delays, Boeing hopes for MH-139A Grey Wolf FAA cert this summer
• June 21, 2022. By Jaspreet Gill, Breaking Defense. The Air Force is exploring new ways that artificial intelligence can be used to help with data collection and sharing efforts specifically for sensing operations, including bringing in a variety of data beyond just images to create an “integrated” intelligence picture, the service’s deputy chief information officer tells Breaking Defense.  Beyond images: Air Force official on AI quest for ‘integrated’ intel picture
• June 21, 2022. By Ben Watson, Defense One. Today’s D Brief: Russia’s long war; Moscow threatens Lithuania; Stoltenberg in Paris; Iran plays chicken in the Hormuz Strait; And a bit more
• June 21, 2022. By Lauren C. Williams, Defense One. The Defense Department should keep better track of its cybersecurity and supply chain risk management plans, according to a recent watchdog report.  Major Pentagon IT Projects Lack Plans to Secure Networks, Supply Chains: GAO
• June 21, 2022. By Chris Megerian, The Associated Press, Defense News. President Joe Biden’s administration announced Tuesday it would restrict the use of anti-personnel land mines by the U.S. military, aligning the country’s policy more closely with an international treaty banning the deadly explosives. Most land mine use by US military banned, except for Korea
• June 21, 2022. By  Megan Eckstein, Defense News. Lockheed Martin and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command demonstrated an artificial intelligence planning tool paired with the Virtual Aegis Weapon System to conduct joint-service, multi-domain strike operations. Lockheed Martin blends AI decision aide, virtual Aegis combat system in drill near Guam
• June 21, 2022. By Colin Demarest, Defense News. Those with boots on the ground are looking to the skies for the extended, accelerated and protected communication and data-sharing capabilities needed to meet the challenge of high-tech opponents on battlefields the world over. US Army reaches for the sky to solve communication needs
• June 21, 2022. By  Hans Binnendijk and Daniel S. Hamilton, Defense News. As NATO’s Madrid summit approaches, some allies are pushing back against more robust language about China and Indo-Pacific security issues in the alliance’s new “Strategic Concept.” It is understandable that Europeans are more focused on the immediate security threats posed by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s ongoing war on Ukraine than on what some may view as more abstract challenges emanating from half a world away. Nonetheless, even as NATO rightly addresses Russia’s aggression, it must use its Strategic Concept to address a sobering new reality: The security of the North Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific are increasingly linked. Face it, NATO: The North Atlantic and Indo-Pacific are linked
• June 21, 2022. By Stephen Pritchard, Info Security. Firms need to weigh up the costs of paying ransoms with the costs and challenges of recovering from ransomware attacks, according to an expert panel at Infosecurity Europe 2022. #InfosecurityEurope2022 Ransomware: Payment Decisions Finely Balanced
• June 21, 2022. By Phil Muncaster, Info Security. Microsoft has been forced to issue an out-of-band update to fix an issue in Windows devices running Arm chips caused by this month’s Patch Tuesday fixes. Microsoft Out-of-Band Update Fixes Arm Device Issues
• June 21, 2022. By Phil Muncaster, Info Security. Security researchers have disclosed 56 new vulnerabilities in 10 operational technology (OT) vendors’ products that they say demonstrate significant “insecure-by-design” practices. Researchers Reveal 56 OT Bugs in “Icefall” Report
• June 21, 2022. By Ulas Yildirim, The Strategist. The global energy system is undergoing a rapid and enduring shift with inescapable implications for militaries, including the Australian Defence Force. Electrification and the use of alternative liquid fuels are occurring at scale across the civilian economies. Despite that, fossil fuels, such as diesel and jet fuel, will be around for a long time to come, given their use in long-lived systems like air warfare destroyers, Lockheed Martin’s F-35 aircraft, M1A2 Abrams tanks, and in capabilities still in the design stage but planned to enter service beginning in the mid-2030s such as the Hunter-class frigates. Meeting the ADF’s future energy requirements
• June 20, 2022. By Alessandro Mascellino, Info Security. Web developer ‘z0ccc’ has created a website designed to generate a fingerprint of devices based on Google Chrome extensions installed on the visiting browser.  Google Chrome Extensions Could Be Used to Track Users Online
• June 20, 2022. By Alessandro Mascellino, Info Security. A former Amazon Web Services (AWS) employee was convicted of multiple crimes connected to one of the largest US data breaches of all time. Former Amazon Worker Convicted of Capital One Data Breach
• June 20, 2022. By Phil Muncaster, Info Security. Customers of a popular network-attached storage (NAS) vendor appear to be caught in the middle of two ransomware campaigns. QNAP Customers Hit in Double Ransomware Blitz
• June 20, 2022. By Phil Muncaster, Info Security. Global law enforcers have dismantled a Russian botnet thought to have contained millions of infected machines and devices. Investigators Disrupt Giant RSOCKS Botnet
• June 20, 2022. By Arie Egozi, Breaking Defense. Israel has announced that it has joined with several other countries in the Middle East to  form a new US-led joint air defense network, known as the Middle East Air Defense Alliance (MEAD). Israel announces regional air defense network with Middle East partners, US
• June 20, 2022. By Bryant Harris and Stephen Losey, Defense News. A provision in the House’s annual defense authorization bill, released Monday, would require the Pentagon to establish a critical munitions reserve and establish a pilot program to keep better tabs on subcontractors involved in production. House seeks to establish critical munitions reserve in defense authorization
• June 20, 2022. By  Joe Gould and Bryant Harris, Defense News. A key U.S. lawmaker says he will oppose reauthorization of federal small business innovation grants favored by the Pentagon, raising doubts about how Congress will avert their expiration Sept. 30. Paul to oppose small business program Pentagon uses to spur innovation
• June 20, 2022. By  Courtney Albon, Defense News. House lawmakers proposed a surge in funding for the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit following its leader’s sudden resignation, reportedly over concerns about a lack of support for the office’s mission to transition commercial technology for military use. House lawmakers eye 70% funding boost for Pentagon’s commercial innovation hub

HORIZONS

• June 20, 2022. By Edward J. Heath, Kevin P. Daly, Industry Week. Since March 2022, U.S. companies doing business internationally have faced governmental sanctions imposed in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Controls affecting interactions with Russian, Belarussian and Ukrainian companies and individuals have created layers of challenges to be resolved. What Is the Scope of Russian Sanctions?
• June 16, 2022. By Douglas A. Irwin, PIIE. Globalization’s many critics frequently assert that the dramatic growth of cross-border trade and investment has forced countries to undercut each other in wages and labor standards—a so-called race to the bottom for rich and poor nations alike. Globalization enabled nearly all countries to grow richer in recent decades

Le interviste di The Science of Where Magazine

• INDO-PACIFICO: COMPETIZIONE TECNOLOGICA, CRESCITA ECONOMICA, SICUREZZA. L’OPINIONE DI SORABH GUPTA (ICAS)
• MODULARE LE TECNOLOGIE PER UN FUTURO AGRO-SOSTENIBILE. A COLLOQUIO CON TIM BENTON (CHATHAM HOUSE)