FOCUS
June 29, 2022. By Louise Fox and Landry Signé, Brookings. Sub-Saharan Africa’s agricultural sector is widely recognized to have vast, under-utilized potential. Land and labor productivity are low compared to other regions and have barely increased over the last 20 years. Low productivity has created widespread rural poverty and food insecurity, so the potential for productivity increases represents an opportunity to boost inclusive growth. Overcoming the barriers to technology adoption on African farms
AROUND THE WORLD
Asia
- June 29, 2022. By Christoph Nedopil Wang, East Asia Forum. State-owned enterprises (SOEs) in Asia are in a unique position to take a leading role to shift economic activity from polluting to green. Yet so far, most SOEs have underutilised green financial instruments, such as green bonds, to support this transition. This leaves ample room for growth which could spur further investments in innovative and green technologies, support development of green capital markets and reduce the risks of climate change. State-owned enterprises and Asia’s energy transition
Bangladesh
- June 30, 2022. By Tashmina Rahman, Lucy Bassett, World Bank blogs. Over the past decade, Bangladesh has experienced an upward shift in focus in early year education planning. The Government is showing a strong commitment to early childhood education and positioning itself to continue to make this a priority for the country. The Government now intends to pilot an additional year of PPE for four-year-olds and then expand the program countrywide as envisioned in the National Education Policy 2010. Enhancing educators’ skills for quality preprimary education in Bangladesh
Canada
- June 29, 2022. By World Nuclear News. Framatome has been appointed by Bruce Power to provide full system decontamination at units 3 and 4 of the Bruce nuclear power plant in Ontario, Canada, as part of its Major Component Replacement (MCR) project. Framatome to decontaminate Bruce units ahead of refurbs : Corporate
China
- June 30, 2022. By World Nuclear News. The first safety-related concrete has been poured for the nuclear island of unit 3 at the Sanmen nuclear power plant, China National Nuclear Corporation (CNNC) has announced. It marks the official start of construction of the first of two CAP1000 pressurised water reactors planned as Phase II of the site in China’s Zhejiang province. Construction starts on second phase of Sanmen plant : New Nuclear
- June 30, 2022. By Sue Ahearn, The Strategist. Media coverage of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s recent visit to the South Pacific was effectively silenced, highlighting the fragility of a free media in the region. How the Chinese foreign minister shut down Pacific media
- June 29, 2022. By Albert Zhang, The Strategist. A Chinese Communist Party information operation is using environmental, political and health concerns to undermine efforts to diversify global rare-earth supply chains. The operation is focused on audiences in the United States, Australia and Malaysia. A major target of the smear campaign is Australian mining company Lynas Rare Earths. Others include the Western Australian government. The CCP’s information campaign targeting rare earths and Australian company Lynas
China – Australia
- June 30, 2022. By Jessica Collins, The Interpreter. The 2022 Lowy Poll of Australian public opinion shows that a record nine out of ten Australians feel the Australia-United States alliance under the ANZUS arrangement is critical to their security. Commitments under ANZUS remain strong. That’s good news. What Australians fear with China pressing in the Pacific
China – USA
- June 29, 2022. By Patrick Tucker, Defense One. A Chinese disinformation effort against a Pentagon contractor building a rare-earths plant in Texas may herald a new era of such tactics against Western companies. China’s Disinformation Warriors May Be Coming for Your Company
Europe
- June 28, 2022. By Benjamin Mueller, Center for Data Innovation. The Digital Markets Act (DMA), the EU’s biggest change to antitrust law in decades, is expected to be formally approved this year. Unfortunately, the law seems to fundamentally misunderstand how competition in the digital marketplace works and applies flawed remedies, to the detriment of the EU’s technology sector and European consumers. As a result, the DMA fails to resolve the antitrust and user protection issues it is supposed to address. Unless corrected, the DMA will hamper the vibrancy of Europe’s economy for decades to come. Misconceptions About Digital Competition Are Damaging the EU’s Technology Ambitions
France – Australia
- June 30, 2022. By Eglantine Staunton, The Interpreter. The announcement of the trilateral security partnership between the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia (commonly referred as AUKUS) in September last year put an end to the $90 billion Attack class submarine program negotiated by France and Australia in 2016 and, in the process, began one of the most heated diplomatic crises between the two countries. Nine months after this announcement, the Lowy Institute’s annual poll on foreign policy issues provides an opportunity to take stock of the impact of this diplomatic crisis on the Franco-Australian relationship. France-Australia: Moving beyond AUKUS
France – Romania
- June 30, 2022. By France and Romania Ink Naval Cooperation Agreement France and Romania inked a letter of intent (LOI) aimed at increasing the cooperation between the two countries in the naval field.
Georgia – Abkhazia
- June 29, 2022. By Giorgi Menabde, The Jamestown Foundation. Former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili, who is sitting in prison after a Tbilisi court sentenced him to three and six years behind bars for abuse of power during his presidency (2004–2013), presented a historic initiative to resolve an existential problem of Georgian statehood: the status of Abkhazia, a Russian-backed Georgian breakaway region that declared independence in 1992 and 1994 during the Georgian Civil War. It became the scene of ethnic cleansing of the Georgian population with the direct participation of the Russian army in 1993, as well as during the Russian aggression in the Kodori Gorge of Abkhazia in 2008 (State.gov, January 30, 1994; Hrw.org, March 1995; Jemal Gamaxaria, International Society to Bring a Verdict on the Tragedy of Abkhazia/Georgia, 2015; Kvirispalitra.ge, August 8, 2017; Geocities.com/abkhazia_dream, accessed on June 29). Saakashvili Proposes Creating a Dual Georgian-Abkhazian Federation
Gulf States – Israel
- June 29, 2022. By Arie Egozi, Breaking Defense. When Israeli defense minister Benny Gantz announced on June 20 the existence of a new regional joint air defense network, known as the Middle East Air Defense Alliance (MEAD), few details were available, including which countries would take part and the depth of the agreement. Gulf states willing to host Israeli sensors for air-defense network: Sources
Honduras
- June 30, 2022. By HRW. Honduras’ new government should enact reforms to better protect basic rights and the rule of law after years of setbacks since the 2009 coup, Human Rights Watch said today in releasing a letter to President Xiomara Castro. The letter and accompanying 12-page report lay out the main human rights challenges in Honduras and key recommendations to address them. Honduras: Rights Agenda for the Castro Administration
Indonesia – Philippines
- June 30, 2022. By Naval News. Indonesian shipbuilder PT PAL signed a contract with the Philippine Department of Defence on June 24, 2022, to build two Landing Platform Dock (LPD) for the Philippine Navy. Philippines Procures Two More LPD from Indonesia’s PT PAL
Indo – Pacific
- June 30, 2022. By Aidan Arasasingham and Emily Benson, East Asia Forum. On 23 May 2022, US President Joe Biden and 12 regional counterparts officially launched the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF). The IPEF gains momentum but lacks market access
- June 29, 2022. By Jane Nakano, CSIS. Large energy consumers in the Indo-Pacific region and their traditional energy suppliers are examining the potential role of clean hydrogen in energy systems as well as their own potential roles in hydrogen supply chains. Several Asian governments are leading the charge in creating a clean hydrogen economy by releasing and executing hydrogen strategies and funding new projects, while others are beginning to articulate visions and strategies. The Geopolitics of Hydrogen in the Indo-Pacific Region
Japan
- June 30, 2022. By Japan Marine United to Build JMSDF’s Next Generation OPV On June 30, 2022, Japan’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) announced that a company has been selected to build the next generation Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV) that will be operated by the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF).
Jordan
- June 29, 2022. By Agnes Helou, Breaking Defense. As Jordan’s leader publicly raised the idea of a Middle East NATO-like alliance, his Air Force has marked a significant upgrade with the signing of a Letter of Offer and Acceptance for eight F-16 Block 70 aircraft from Lockheed Martin. New F-16s give Jordan’s air force a boost, but what comes next?
Kazakhstan – South Korea
- June 29, 2022. By World Nuclear News. Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Kazakhstan Nuclear Power Plants (KNPP) – a branch of the government’s Samruk-Kazyna National Welfare Fund – to cooperate on the introduction of nuclear power in Kazakhstan. Kazakh, Korean companies to cooperate in nuclear power projects : New Nuclear
NATO
- June 29, 2022. By Nick Fouriezos, Atlantic Council. On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken pushed for world leaders to continue sustained action—in supporting Ukraine, in pressuring Russia, and in reinforcing NATO on the heels of its historic decision to invite Finland and Sweden to join the defensive alliance. Blinken: NATO is ‘more united, more focused’ after historic summit
Portugal
- June 30, 2022. By Naval News. The Portuguese Navy (Marinha Portuguesa) unveiled details on a new drone motership project dubbed “plataforma naval multifuncional” (multifunctional naval platform). Portuguese Navy Unveils New Drone Mothership Project
Russia
- June 30, 2022. By James Petrila, Phil Wasielewski, Lawfare. International sanctions to punish Russia for its invasion of Ukraine have overlooked a key component in the Kremlin’s toolbox for international terror and coercion: the private military company (PMC) Wagner Group, which is owned by Vladimir Putin confidant Evgeny Prigozhin. It’s Time to Designate Wagner Group as a Foreign Terrorist Organization
- June 29, 2022. By Aslan Doukaev, The Jamestown Foundation. As Russian President Vladimir Putin approaches his 70th birthday and 23rd year in power, speculation about his possible successor has increasingly surfaced in newspaper articles, blog posts and even some official press releases (RIA Novosti, January 25; Meduza, April 7; T.me/CenterCounteringDisinformation, April 21). Could Russia’s Next President Be a Non-Russian?
Russia – Belarus
- June 29, 2022. By Grigory Ioffe, The Jamestown Foundation. Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka paid yet another visit to his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on Saturday, June 25. Prior to this, the two heads of state had already met five times this year, each time on Putin’s turf. Those earlier meetings occurred on February 18 and March 11 in Moscow, on April 12 at the Vostochnyi Cosmodrome in eastern Siberia, on May 16 in Moscow at the summit of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, and on May 23 in Sochi (Belta, June 23). This time, the Kremlin leader himself was expected in Grodno on June 30 at the Forum of the Union State Regions (Sputnik.by, June 20), but he changed his mind and will participate in videoconference format. Instead, Lukashenka himself unexpectedly flew to Russia for a three-day stay, including a two-day (June 23–24) “informal” get-together with Putin in his residence at the Zavidovo reserve (between Moscow and Tver oblasts), and then in St. Petersburg on June 25. Lukashenka, Putin and Tikhanovskaya: A Long Echo of Belarus’s Historical Division
- June 29, 2022. By Brian Whitmore, Atlantic Council. The axis of autocrats in Eastern Europe is also an axis of war criminals. Russian air and missile strikes from Belarusian territory and airspace hit a Ukrainian kindergarten and an apartment complex on June 25. The attacks killed a 37-year-old man and injured his wife and seven-year-old daughter. Additionally, according to Ukraine’s northern military command, at least 20 rockets launched from Belarus struck the village of Desna, 70 kilometers north of Kyiv in the Chernihiv region. Putin’s partner in war crimes
Russia – Ukraine
- June 30, 2022. By William Leben, The Strategist.The British Army’s main effort is now mobilisation to deter Russian aggression, and it must accept ‘ruthless prioritisation’ to this end, General Sir Patrick Sanders has said. Speaking at the Royal United Services Institute’s Land Warfare Conference in London, the British Chief of the General Staff (CGS) articulated his army’s immediate answer to the war in Ukraine and reflected on the longer-term responses that will be required. His address came just prior to the commencement of a major NATO summit in Madrid, which Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is attending. Chief of British Army says it must mobilise to deter Russia
- June 29, 2022. By Karolina Hird, Frederick W. Kagan, George Barros, and Grace Mappes, ISW. The Ukrainian Resistance Center reported on June 28 that the Kremlin is setting conditions to annex areas of Kherson and Zaporizhia into the Russian Federation under the template of the pre-1917 “Tavriia Gubernia.”. The Tavriia (or Tauride) Gubernia was a historical province of the Russian Empire. Under the Tavriia Gubernia scenario, the left bank of Kherson Oblast and part of Zaporizhia Oblast would be directly annexed to the Russian Federation, likely as a single unit. The Ukrainian Resistance Center stated that Russian authorities are preparing for a pseudo-referendum to set conditions for the annexation of the Tavriia Gubernia (as opposed to proxy “people‘s republics“). The Russians are also requiring Ukrainian citizens in southern Ukraine to open bank accounts with Russian state-owned Promsvyazbank. Head of Ukraine’s Kherson Oblast Administration Hennadiy Lahuta reported that Russian forces have locked down civilian traffic in northern Kherson Oblast and are not allowing anyone to enter or exit occupied territory, which may be an additional attempt to control the civilian population in preparation for annexation measures. Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, June 29
UK
- June 29, 2022. By Kir Nuthi, Center for Data Innovation. The United Kingdom’s recently unveiled Online Safety Bill seeks to protect Internet users from various digital threats by imposing new legal obligations on social media platforms, search engines, and other user-generated content services. Advocates for the bill believe it will provide transparency on how online services moderate their platforms while preventing harmful content from reaching children and adults. Opponents have called this legislation a death sentence for encrypted communications and a loss of anonymity online. What Will Be the Impact of the UK’s Online Safety Bill on Encryption and Anonymity Online?
USA
- June 29, 2022. By Romy Varghese, Bloomberg. US cities large and small are hiking wages and dangling incentives to attract and retain workers amid rising inflation — just as the risk of a recession deepens. US Cities Stung by Great Resignation Hike Wages
- June 30, 2022. By Linda Poon, Blommberg. The US Supreme Court severely limited the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions under the Clean Air Act on Thursday, ruling 6-3 that it does not have broad authority to shift power generation from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. The decision deals a major blow to the Biden administration’s climate agenda of halving carbon emissions by 2030 and creating a carbon-free electric grid by 2035. What the Supreme Court’s EPA Ruling Means for Cities
- June 30, 2022. By Susan Miller
- June 30, 2022. By Han-ah Sumner, Alana Nance, Teresa Chen, Lawfare. Earlier this year, a group of Democratic congressmen introduced an amendment to the America COMPETES Act, a bill aimed at boosting U.S. manufacturing and technology capabilities in order to compete with China. The amendment consisted of a “sense of Congress” which asserts that “it is in the national interest for the United States to become a formal signatory of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).” It further states that ratification of UNCLOS remains a top priority of the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard, “the importance of which was most recently underscored by the strategic challenges the United States faces in the Asia-Pacific, the Arctic, and the Black Sea regions.” In February, the amendment passed the lower chamber. Water Wars: ‘We’ve Seen This Movie Before’: U.S. Suspicious of Beijing’s Motives in Solomon Islands
- June 29, 2022. By Gabe Rottman, Lawfare. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently released a new policy addressing the use of “compulsory investigative tools” like subpoenas, court orders, and search warrants to obtain information from or about journalists. Congress directed ICE to do so after an abandoned effort by the agency in 2020 to force BuzzFeed News to disclose information that could identify the outlet’s confidential sources in a story about deportation policy. ICE Enacts New Policy Protecting Media From Legal Demands
- June 30, 2022. By Shania Kennedy, Health IT Analytics. The Ohio State University (OSU) Wexner Medical Center and Siemens Healthineers have struck a partnership focused on advancing personalized medicine and improving access to high quality, cost-effective healthcare by implementing cutting-edge imaging and treatment technologies in OSU patient care and research centers. OH Medical Center, Siemens Strike Personalized Medicine Partnership
- June 29, 2022. By Shania Kennedy, Health IT Analytics. The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research and the Bloomberg-Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (BKI) awarded $10 million to The Johns Hopkins University (JHU) to accelerate groundbreaking genomics and immunotherapy research. Johns Hopkins Awarded $10M for Genomics, Immunotherapy Research
- June 29, 2022. By Shania Kennedy, Health IT Analytics. A team of researchers from Vanderbilt University has announced the first-ever longitudinal study of LGBTQ+ aging to better understand stress, resilience, and health disparities in this infrequently studied population. Vanderbilt University Launches Study on LGBTQ+ Aging, Health Disparities
- June 28, 2022. By Shania Kennedy, Health IT Analytics. Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) model that utilizes deep learning to estimate individuals’ psychological age, future well-being, and risk of depression, which are then used to create ‘maps’ designed to guide them toward improved mental well-being. AI-Generated ‘Maps’ May Help Improve Mental Well-being
- June 28, 2022. By Shania Kennedy, Health IT Analytics. Researchers from Weill Cornell Medicine and the New York Genome Center have developed a new assay and corresponding algorithm that allows them to study the three-dimensional structure of the human genome, or how the genome folds, which may impact cell function and gene expression. Researchers Develop Algorithm, Assay to Assess Genome Structure
- June 30, 2022. By Naval News. The U.S. Navy launched the 28th edition of the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC), the world’s largest international maritime exercise on June 29, 2022. RIMPAC 2022 Officially Kicks off
- June 29, 2022. By World Nuclear News. Holtec International has completed the acquisition of the Palisades Power Plant and the Big Rock Point site from Entergy. The decommissioning timeline for Palisades is 19 years, with small modular reactors one option for future uses of the two sites. Palisades sale from Entergy to Holtec completed : Corporate
- June 29, 2022. By Justin Katz, Breaking Defense. A US Navy warship is conducting amphibious exercises near an island in the western Pacific when a typhoon forms nearby and begins making its way toward the ship and potentially Marines who have landed on the island. What happens next? An island, an amphib, a typhoon: Navy hosts climate-focused war game
- June 29, 2022. By Theresa Hitchens, Breaking Defense. The House Appropriations Committee is supporting the Biden administration’s $87 million fiscal year 2023 budget request for the Commerce Department’s Office of Space Commerce (OSC) — a first step towards enabling the long-embattled office to take over from the Pentagon space tracking and collision warning for non-military operators. House appropriators advance commercial space tracking with funding bump
- June 29, 2022. By Theresa Hitchens, Breaking Defense. Los Angeles startup Epsilon3 recently nabbed its first subscription from the Space Force for its launch management software, but the tiny firm is already pitching other applications for military and government users — with company officials saying their kit bag of software tools can be used for a number of complex missions with multiple moving parts. Startup Epislon3 hopes to expand Pentagon reach with launch ‘software service’
- June 29, 2022. By Jaspreet Gill, Breaking Defense. Based on rhetoric around Washington, it would seem government agencies, including the Defense Department, have skyrocketing investments in advanced technologies. But a closer look reveals the US isn’t investing nearly enough in order to outpace adversaries like China in areas like artificial intelligence and machine learning, warns data analytics group Govini in a new report. The US isn’t investing nearly enough in critical tech to outpace China: Report
- June 29, 2022. By Mark MacCarthy, Brookings. On June 3, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce released a draft federal privacy bill, the American Data Privacy and Protection Act. According to an accompanying press release, the draft has support from U.S. Representatives Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-N.J.) and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, as well as U.S. Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Why the FTC should proceed with a privacy rulemaking
- June 29, 2022. By Martha Ross and Anthony P. Carnevale, Brookings. Bettors wouldn’t like the odds facing many young people as they enter the labor market seeking decent-paying employment. New research from Brookings Metro and Child Trends finds that nearly 60% of adults who were socioeconomically disadvantaged in their teens continue to struggle economically at age 30—facing low earnings, high poverty rates, and many barriers to employment. Good jobs are out of reach for many 20-somethings in the U.S.
- June 29, 2022. By Rebecca Mann, Cassidy Pearson, and Jenny Schuetz, Brookings. Dramatic storms, wildfires, floods, and similar events draw the most public attention as examples of how climate change threatens human lives and homes. But more subtle, persistent changes in the environment, such as sea level rise and increasingly hot summers, are also creating health and safety hazards across the U.S. Sea level rise from climate change is threatening home septic systems and public health
- June 29, 2022. By Ariel Gelrud Shiro, Christopher Pulliam, John Sabelhaus, and Ember Smith, Brookings. Wealth cushions adverse economic shocks, such as loss of employment, and helps to fund investments in human capital, like college and post-graduate training. Wealth inequality is much higher than income inequality in the United States. Understanding the dynamics of wealth accumulation may be important in narrowing wealth gaps. Here we study intragenerational wealth mobility using the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID). Stuck on the Ladder: Intragenerational wealth mobility in the United States
- June 29, 2022. By Ember Smith, Ariel Gelrud Shiro, Christopher Pulliam, and Richard V. Reeves, Brookings. After centuries of discrimination and economic exclusion, the US racial wealth gap remains stubbornly large. In our latest paper studying Americans born in the 1940s through 1960s, we show that the median white American in their early thirties had $29,000 more wealth than the median Black American of the same age. This racial wealth gap is even greater among older adults: the median white American in their late fifties had $251,000 more wealth than the median Black American. This is not just because initial wealth gaps compounded over time. As we show, even conditional on having the same wealth in their early thirties, white Americans reach a significantly higher wealth rank by their late fifties than Black Americans. The Black-white gap in wealth mobility and what to do about it
- June 29, 2022. By Ember Smith, Ariel Gelrud Shiro, Christopher Pulliam, and Richard V. Reeves, Brookings. The combination of increasing wealth inequality and poor prospects for upward mobility create sharp class divides which are at odds with the American dream. The top one percent held 31 percent of household wealth in 2019 compared to 24 percent in 1989, according to the Federal Reserve Board. Stuck on the ladder: Wealth mobility is low and decreases with age
USA – China
- June 29, 2022. By Hannah Elyse Sworn and Manoj Harjani, East Asia Forum. Intellectual property (IP) has long been a sore point in relations between Washington and Beijing. US officials have repeatedly targeted China for widespread counterfeiting since its economic ‘opening up’ in the late 1970s. But after enduring a punishing series of legal reforms to join the World Trade Organization in 2001, the Chinese government is still under fire for weak enforcement, forced technology transfers and state-sponsored IP theft. Now China’s growing ability to produce IP indigenously is driving the evolution of US–China economic relations. US–China economic competition rests on intellectual property
USA – Europe
- June 29, 2022. By Aaron Mehta, Breaking Defense. In the span of 24 hours, NATO has cleared the way for Sweden and Finland to begin their membership drive, introduced as new strategic concept for the alliance and seen the US dramatically its footprint in Europe. US increasing troop presence in Europe, while new NATO strategy eyes China
HORIZONS
- June 30, 2022. By Ed Olowo-Okere, World Bank blogs. The future looks very different for governments in different regions and countries across the globe, depending on individual country contexts. However, all governments, without exception, find themselves at an inflection point, with the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and conflicts, especially the recent war in Ukraine and a looming economic crisis. These overlapping crises are affecting societies and economies in an unprecedented way. The Future of Government is Now
- June 29, 2022. By Tobias Adrian and Jay Surti, IMF blog. Capital markets are like engines that help power the global economy: they perform best with regular tune-ups. In this spirit, the major regulatory overhaul following the global financial crisis was aimed at shoring up key segments, from over-the-counter derivatives to investment funds and market infrastructure, closing fault lines revealed by the crisis. Capital Markets Regulation Is Stronger, but Some Gaps Still Must be Closed
- June 29, 2022. By Michael P. Fischerkeller, Lawfare. Cyberspace is a strategic competitive environment where continuous activity short of use of force has cumulatively threatened international peace and stability. States have sought to both manage and regulate this threatening behavior through the United Nations (U.N.) Group of Government Experts (GGE) and Open-Ended Working Group (OEWG) processes. These processes have resulted in deliberative products proposing peacetime cyber norms and an agreement by U.N. member states that international law applies in the context of cyberspace. A Cyber Persistence Way to Norms
- June 29, 2022. By Michel Girard, CIGI. Standards and certification programs are developed to support new trustworthy artificial intelligence (AI) legislation. Recent developments point to the emergence of a two-track approach. One track would focus on the certification of AI applications embedded in tangible products using objective criteria through established conformity assessment bodies. Regarding AI interacting with humans and used in delivering services, there is a need to create a new track. This track is needed to verify and validate compliance against subjective criteria, values and ethics, seen by many as an integral part of what constitutes trustworthy AI. The practice of “assurance as a service” can be adapted to verify and validate conformance to upcoming trustworthy AI standards. This policy brief provides an update on key legislative and policy developments framing trustworthy AI. It sketches possible approaches for the certification, verification and validation of AI embedded in products and in services and looks at recent proposals regarding the creation of a new chartered profession to deliver assurance services to achieve trustworthy AI. A Two-Track Approach for Trustworthy AI
- June 29, 2022. By Mark MacCarthy, CIGI. Consensus, driven by stakeholders, used to be the default method of internet governance both in the United States and by its allies in Europe and elsewhere. Under this approach, instead of imposing government rules on digital companies, national governments largely deferred to the decisions of groups composed of industry representatives, academics, technical experts and civil society members. China never accepted this model, arguing instead for “internet sovereignty,” whereby the online world would fall under the jurisdiction of national governments. Many other governments have followed this approach. Stakeholders and Legislators Can Collaborate on Digital Regulation
- June 2022. By IEA. Nuclear Power and Secure Energy Transitions: From Today’s Challenges to Tomorrow’s Clean Energy Systems is a new report by the International Energy Agency that looks at how nuclear energy could help address two major crises – energy and climate – facing the world today. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the disruptions in global energy supplies that it has fuelled have made governments rethink their energy security strategies, putting a stronger focus on developing more diverse and domestically based supplies. For multiple governments, nuclear energy is among the options for achieving this. At the same time, many governments have in recent years stepped up their ambitions and commitments to reach net zero emissions. Nuclear Power and Secure Energy Transitions expands upon the IEA’s landmark 2021 report, Net Zero by 2050: A Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector. It does so by exploring in depth nuclear power’s potential role as a source of low emissions electricity that is available on demand to complement the leading role of renewables such as wind and solar in the transition to electricity systems with net zero emissions. Nuclear Power and Secure Energy Transitions – Analysis
- June 30, 2022. By Greg Earl, The Interpreter. In the end, it seems, former prime minister Scott Morrison was on to something with his negative globalist scepticism about building a better world. If one thing was clear from the Group of Seven’s global infrastructure initiative this week it was that the previous summit’s Mad Men-styled brand name Build Back Better World (or B3W) was, well, soooo last year. Instead, the world’s rich nation club now plans to spend US$600 billion in public and private finance for developing country infrastructure projects over five years under a plain vanilla Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (or PG11). Economic diplomacy: Names trump numbers in the new BRI debt battle
- June 30, 2022. By Brahma Chellaney, The Strategist, Project-Syndicate. The era of cheap oil and gas is over. Russia’s war in Ukraine—or, more specifically, Europe’s ambitious effort to wean itself off Russian fossil fuels at a time when international supplies are already tight—is driving up global energy prices and raising the spectre of a global energy crisis. Alternative sources of energy are looking more appealing by the day, as they should. But the embrace of hydropower, in particular, carries its own risks. The downsides of hydropower
- June 29, 2022. By Conor Savoy, Shannon McKeown, CSIS. This week, the G7 met in the Bavarian Alps at the Schloss Elmau Castle to discuss a wide variety of issues including Ukraine reconstruction, global economic recovery, climate and sustainability, bolstering democracy, and infrastructure investments. In an effort to address the infrastructure gap in the developing world, President Biden announced that the United States will mobilize $200 billion dollars of investment in global infrastructure projects under its new strategy, the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment (PGII). The overall investment goal from the G7 countries and the private sector will be $600 billion over the next five years. While the explicit goal of PGII is not to counter China’s Belt and Road Initiative, PGII does seek to provide an alternative to China’s estimated $1 trillion in hard infrastructure investment around the world in the last decade. Future Considerations for the Partnership on Global Infrastructure and Investment