LA COMPLESSITA’ DELLE TECNOLOGIE DI SORVEGLIANZA

FOCUS

June 2022. By Dahlia Peterson and Samantha Hoffman, Brookings. The increasing sophistication and spread of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital surveillance technologies has drawn concerns over privacy and human rights. China is indisputably one of the leaders in developing these technologies both for domestic and international use. However, other countries that are active in this space include the United States, Israel, Russia, multiple European countries, Japan, and South Korea. U.S. companies are particularly instrumental in providing the underlying hardware for surveillance technologies. Geopolitical implications of AI and digital surveillance adoption

AROUND THE WORLD

Afghanistan 

• June 21, 2022. By Ghulam Omar Qargha, Brookings. The Taliban government’s decision earlier this year to ban girls from attending secondary school (grades 7-12) sent shock waves across the world. The outcry against this decision has been loud—within the country and internationally—and has set back hard-gained advances in educational access over the last two decades. While it is clear that Afghans value education, schooling has historically been a source of conflict. The Taliban’s actions were a sordid manifestation of this larger problem. The relationship between schooling and conflict in Afghanistan

Africa

• June 20, 2022. By Samir Bhattacharya, VIF. Every year on May 25, the world celebrates Africa Day. It was on May 25, 1963, that the first organisational body of Africa, the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), was established in Ethiopia. The organisation was an endeavour to unite the diverse and far-reaching political trends that prevailed in different African nations and beyond. While its ideological root can be traced back to the late nineteenth century Pan-Africanist movement, OAU was a political organisation to reflect the African realities of colonial subjugation and counter any form of foreign oppression. United States of Africa: Ultimate Dream of a Pan-Africanist

Belgium

• June 22, 2022. By World Nuclear News. In a recent position paper, the Belgian Nuclear Society (BNS) welcomed the political decision to keep two reactors – Doel 4 and Tihange 3 – in operation beyond 2025 because of security of electricity supply concerns. However, it questions why the operation of the units has been limited to just ten years. BNS questions limit to extended operation of Belgian units : Nuclear Policies

Canada

• June 22, 2022. By World Nuclear News. Lutetium-177 (Lu-177) has been produced using a new isotope production system (IPS) that was installed in unit 7 of the Bruce plant in Ontario, Canada, during a recent planned maintenance outage. It marks the first time the short-lived medical isotope has been produced in a commercial nuclear power reactor. Canadian Candu produces cancer therapy isotope : Corporate

China

• June 22, 2022. By Rajaram Panda, VIF. China’s relentless drives towards power projection endeavours and to expand its strategic and maritime imprints look unstoppable. In South Asia, the much talked about String of Pearls by building ports in Gwadar in Pakistan, Chittagong in Bangladesh, Colombo in Sri Lanka and Sittwe in Myanmar with the intention to choke India from all fronts is all well known. Its first overseas military base in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa reflects its intentions to protect and secure its overseas economic interests. China is using private military companies to expand its footprint in Africa and secure its Belt and Road Initiative. In last April China entered into a security pact with the Solomon Islands as part of its efforts to expand its strategic and maritime influence in the South Pacific. After Djibouti and (suspected) Military Base in Solomon Islands, China now Eyes Ream Naval Base in Cambodia
• June 19, 2022. By  Frederick Kempe, Atlantic Council. For Chinese President Xi Jinping, dispatching his special envoy to Europe for a three-week charm tour was just one of many acts of high-stakes damage control ahead of the Twentieth Chinese Communist Party Congress this autumn. President Xi’s damage control focuses on Europe and the Chinese economy

China – Central Asia

• June 21, 2022. By Pravesh Kumar Gupta, VIF. The third meeting of the Foreign Ministers (FMs) of China and five Central Asian countries within the framework of China+ C5 took place in Nur Sultan on June 8, 2022. Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi along with Kazakh Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tleuberdi, Turkmen Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Rashid Meredov, Kyrgyz Foreign Minister Jeenbek Kulubaev, Tajik Transport Minister Azim Ibrohim, and Uzbek acting Foreign Minister Vladimir Norov took part in this meeting. The major agenda of this meeting was regional security and connectivity, both of which are the highest priorities for China in Central Asia. Third C+C5 Meeting: Reinforcing Chinese Influence in Central Asia

Georgia

• June 21, 2022. By Giorgi Menabde, The Jamestown Foundation. On June 20, approximately 30,000 pro-European Georgians gathered in the capital city of Tbilisi, on Rustaveli Avenue, near the parliament, where every important political event in modern Georgian history had taken place over the last 35 years (Svoboda.org, June 20). Tens of Thousands Rally in Tbilisi to Support European Integration

Germany – Russia

• June 21, 2022. By Constanze Stelzenmüller, Brookings. Russia’s war of annihilation against Ukraine and the unhinged rhetoric of its elites raise urgent questions about the future for Europeans, for the trans-Atlantic alliance, and for global order. Merkel’s lack of regrets illustrates the fallacies of Germany’s Russia policy

India

• June 22, 2022. By World Nuclear News. GE Steam Power has signed a UDS165 million contract with Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL) to supply three nuclear steam turbines for India’s domestic nuclear power programme. GE, BHEL sign contract for Indian turbine manufacture : Corporate

Russia – Lithuania

• June 21, 2022. By Paul Globe, The Jamestown Foundation. Nikolai Patrushev, the secretary of the Russian Security Council, was in Kaliningrad on June 20, where he declared that Moscow was preparing a serious response to what he called Lithuania’s (already three-day-long) “transportation blockade” of that Russian exclave (Ren.tv, June 21). Hours earlier, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called in the head of the Lithuanian embassy in Moscow to protest what Vilnius had done. Meanwhile, the Kremlin declared Vilnius’ action absolutely impermissible: Lithuania must reverse its stance in the coming days, or Russia will be compelled to respond forcefully (RIA Novosti, TASS, New Kaliningrad, June 20). Moscow Threatens to Retaliate for Lithuania’s ‘Blockade of Kaliningrad’

Russia – Ukraine

• June 22, 2022. By Valerie Insinna, Breaking Defense. Ukrainian fighter pilots expect to speak to US government officials to make the case for the top two technologies needed to repel Russia’s air force: additional ground-based air defense systems and Western fighter jets. US-made jets, air defense on Ukrainian fighter pilots’ wishlist, but not Grey Eagle
• June 21, 2022. By Sidharth Kaushal and Sam Cranny-Evans, RUSI. Russia’s nonstrategic nuclear weapons are designed to achieve deterrence and military success against a technologically superior opponent. They are unlikely to be deployed in Ukraine. Russia’s Nonstrategic Nuclear Weapons and Its Views of Limited Nuclear War
• June 21, 2022. By Pavel K. Baev, The Jamestown Foundation. The West’s fears of humiliating Russia too much by ensuring its defeat in the war against Ukraine run much more deeply than the unfortunate turn of phrase uttered in recent weeks by French President Emmanuel Macron (see EDM, June 13). Last Thursday (June 16), Macron traveled to Kyiv, together with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi and Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, and delivered a vivacious speech, though this time never mentioning the controversial H-word (Novaya Gazeta, June 16). His Ukrainian counterpart, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who had taken issue with Macron’s elliptic proposition on stopping the war short of humiliating Russia, declared himself entirely satisfied with the clarifications on full French support for Ukraine’s resolute stance on achieving victory (NV.ua, June 16). The matter of what kind of defeat Russia is capable of accepting without resorting to desperate (a convenient euphemism for nuclear) measures and, accordingly, what kind of victory is feasible for Ukraine, continues, nevertheless, to loom large. How Russia Can Be Defeated but Not Humiliated

Saudi Arabia – Turkey

• June 22, 2022. By Dorothée Schmid, Julia Kim, IFRI. The leaders of Saudi Arabia and Turkey are turning the page on years of strained relations, exacerbated by the 2018 assassination of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul. Face-to-face dialogue is the order of the day between Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Saudi Arabia, Turkey Seek to Mend Ties as Crown Prince Visits Ankara

Ukraine

• June 22, 2022. By World Nuclear News.  Ukraine’s nuclear power plant operator Energoatom says it has held talks with US firm Westinghouse to discuss actions including preparing regulatory documentation for the planned construction of new nuclear power units. Ukraine latest: Energoatom looks to future, SNRIU updates EU regulators : Regulation & Safety – World Nuclear News (world-nuclear-news.org)

Ukraine – Europe

• June 20, 2022. By Mark Temnycky, Atlantic Council. European Union leaders will gather in Brussels on June 23-24 to vote on recognizing Ukraine as an EU candidate country. The importance of this step for both Ukraine and Europe should not be underestimated. Indeed, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has branded it “one of the most fateful decisions for Ukraine since 1991.”. Time for EU leaders to honor Ukraine’s long fight for a European future

USA

• June 22, 2022. By World Nuclear News. A low-carbon future – anchored by the strength and resilience of the current nuclear fleet – is within our grasp if we make the right choices today, Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) President and CEO Maria Korsnick said in her annual State of the Industry address to the US organisation’s Nuclear Energy Assembly in Washington DC. NEI’s Maria Korsnick charts ‘sea change’ for nuclear : Energy & Environment
• June 22, 2022. By World Nuclear News. The US space agency NASA has selected three design concepts for a 40KW nuclear power system designed to last at least 10 years in the lunar environment to help “lay the groundwork for powering our long-term human presence on other worlds”. Nuclear power on the Moon: NASA selects three proposals : New Nuclear

USA – Africa

• June 20, 2022. By Tyrell Junius, Atlantic Council. As the United States celebrates Juneteenth, in its second year as an official federal holiday, policy makers should take the opportunity to embrace a new vision of US-Africa relations. The United States is not taking enough steps at home to foster the connection between the African diaspora and communities in Africa. It will need to act locally and globally (or “glocally”) to grow these connections. Time to get ‘glocal’: Here’s how the US can better connect the African and African diaspora communities

DEFENSE, MILITARY, SECURITY, CYBER

• June 22, 2022. By Naval News. Royal Navy’s River-class patrol ship HMS Mersey and Echo-class survey vessel HMS Enterprise carried out bilateral exercises with JMDSF ships JS Kashima and JS Shimakaze off the Dorset coast in the English Channel. Royal Navy and JMSDF conduct drills in English Channel
• June 22, 2022. By Naval News. Kongsberg Maritime (KM) is celebrating the signing of a new contract with the design, development, engineering and consulting company Aker Arctic (Aker Arctic Technology Inc.) which will see KM supplying propellers and shafts for four newbuild SQ2020 corvette ships. Kongsberg to Supply Propellers and Shafts for Finnish Corvettes
• June 22, 2022. By Andrew Eversden, Breaking Defense. The way the US military plans for the future battlefield, data will perennially crisscross the battlefield, creating a next-generation vulnerability: bandwidth bottlenecks. Army robotics official: More autonomy could ease battlefield bandwidth worries
• June 22, 2022. By Joe Gould, Defense News. A key U.S. lawmaker said he plans to propose stiffer federal “Buy American” requirements through the House’s annual defense authorization bill, in a renewed attempt to codify an executive order from President Joe Biden into law. Norcross to bring back tougher ‘Buy American’ legislation that rankled allies
• June 22, 2022. By Megan Eckstein, Defense News. After two of the four congressional defense committees have debated their fiscal 2023 bills, two key U.S. Navy issues have surfaced as the most contentious: the Navy’s plan to decommission 24 ships in one year and its decision to cancel a sea-launched low-yield nuclear weapon. Rep. Rob Wittman on US Navy ship retirements and a sea-launched nuclear weapon
• June 21, 2022. By Jamie Shea, Chatham House. As a revitalized NATO alliance deals with a crisis that has major economic and humanitarian as well as military dimensions, the need for it to develop both a European and a global containment strategy grows ever more urgent. NATO must now transform old missions into new strategy
• June 21, 2022. By Michael E. O’Hanlon, Brookings. Even if the war in Ukraine were to end soon, events to date have already transformed the European security environment. Among the main questions that must now be addressed is this: How should the United States and its North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) allies strengthen their military postures on eastern NATO territory in the future? I believe there is now a need for a permanent forward defense posture of modest size and scale, going beyond the tripwire approach NATO has employed in the Baltic states and Poland since roughly 2017. Strengthening the US and NATO defense postures in Europe after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

DIGITAL, TECH

• June 22, 2022. By Sneha Dawda, RUSI. A ‘moment of reckoning’ is coming for liberal democracies trying to preserve a free, open and multistakeholder internet, according to a senior GCHQ official. Authoritarian states such as China are leading the way in creating a censored and largely state-controlled internet. Competing for the Middle Ground in Internet Governance
• June 21, 2022. By Samuel Gilbert, IFRI. The “metaverse”, at the heart of the strategy of large digital companies such as Facebook (Meta), does not yet exist and it will take decades to build it. This briefing provides an overview of the issues. The Political Economy of the Metaverse
• June 20, 2022. By Tom Wheeler, Time, Brookings. The world’s leading neurologists assembled in Seattle earlier this month for a Symposium on Eye Tracking Research and Applications. Sponsors of the event included Google and Reality Labs, a division of Meta Platforms, Inc., the company formerly known as Facebook. In the Metaverse Companies Will Track Your Gaze and Emotions

HORIZONS

• June 22, 2022. By Marianne Schneider-Petsinger, Chatham House. When Germany took over the G7 presidency in January, supply chain resilience was identified as a key priority, and now – ahead of the G7 leaders’ summit – the goal of ‘creating open, fair, resilient and sustainable supply chains’ has gained even greater urgency. G7 can help build resilient and secure supply chains
• June 21, 2022. By Lukas Milevski, RUSI. Uncritically incorporating ‘fads’ can be detrimental to the long-term conceptual resilience of strategic thinking. Conceptual Resilience Versus Social Utility in Strategic Thinking
• June 21, 2022. By Iwan Benneyworth, RUSI. As the world focuses on war in Ukraine, the risks and consequences of smaller conflicts should not be ignored. Beware Small Fires
• June 21, 2022. By Omer Karasapan, Brookings. In May 2022 as around 15 million Ukrainians fled their homes, the number of people forcefully displaced across the world passed the 100 million mark for the first time. This is equivalent to the world’s 14th largest country, with 53 percent composed of internally displaced peoples (IDPs) and 47 percent of refugees fleeing their countries. Forcibly displaced Ukrainians: Lessons from Syria and beyond