FOCUS
July 25, 2022. Nicol Turner Lee, Niam Yaraghi, and Samantha Lai, Brookings. The United States has long struggled with a health care system that is both expensive and often inaccessible when it comes to providing certain populations with equitable care. The White House and Congress acted quickly to transition patients to telehealth during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the future adoption and use of telehealth will depend on how the U.S. health care system addresses coverage and reimbursement, medical licensure, and service modalities. Equally important is policy coherence, or a “telehealth 2.0 roadmap”, to effectively harmonize the goals of value-based care, health disparities, and digital access. This approach to telehealth can improve patient outcomes, offer more inclusive telehealth adoption, and increase ways in which health care is delivered and received as the nation continues to mitigate the public health crisis. The roadmap to telehealth efficacy: Care, health, and digital equities
AROUND THE WORLD
Australia – China
- July 26, 2022. Justin Bassi, The Strategist. Australia is now seeing the reality of its bilateral relationship with China: one with tension, in which engagement occurs but is not the goal in itself, and where Australia doesn’t concede sovereignty for economic gain. Australia is walking the walk on China
China
- July 26, 2022. Yu Yongding, East Asia Forum. China’s GDP growth rate has been falling since the first quarter of 2010. After more than 40 years of breathtaking growth, it is not surprising that China’s economy has lost some steam. Having fallen steadily from 10.6 per cent in 2010 to 6 per cent in 2019, it remains to be seen whether China’s growth will continue to decline and at what level it will stabilise. China is struggling to contain the impact of Omicron and stabilise the economy
China – Indonesia
- July 26, 2022. Zhao Yusha and Liu Caiyu, Global Times. With President Joko Widodo of the Republic of Indonesia being the first foreign leader to visit China since the Winter Olympics in February this year, the ties between China and Indonesia are set to witness an all-round upgrade after his visit, Chinese observers said on Monday. They noted that both sides are not only eyeing to uplift cooperation on trade and infrastructure, but also inching toward cooperation on building “a community with a shared future for mankind” and upholding multilateralism and fair development for international community. Widodo starts China trip, to focus on trade, mutual coordination on regional affairs
China – South Korea
- July 26, 2022. Global Times. China’s Foreign Ministry said it hopes South Korea to uphold an objective and fair stance and contribute to the stability of global industrial and supply chains over a possible Seoul decision to join a US-led exclusive semiconductors alliance. China urges S. Korea to care for global industrial and supply chain stability
Iran – Russia
- July 25, 2022. Sine Ozkarasahin, The Jamestown Foundation. On July 11, US intelligence warned that Tehran was preparing to send hundreds of Iranian unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs) to Moscow. Open sources in Washington claimed that, in early July, Tehran had showcased the Shahed-191 and Shahed-129 drones to a visiting Russian delegation. Commercial satellite imagery allegedly confirmed that a delegation from the Kremlin had visited Kashan Air Base at least twice in the past month (Radio Farda, July 16). If realized, a drone deal between Iran and Russia would signify a transfer of unmanned aerial capabilities between parties in the anti-West camp during an ongoing war. Can Iranian Drones Respond to Putin’s Call for Help?
Iraq
- July 25, 2022. Hamzeh Hadad, ECFR. Iraq has been in political limbo since its parliamentary election in October 2021. Iraqi MPs have yet to form a government. While Iraq is no stranger to such dynamics, this prolonged paralysis has left a power vacuum that continues to destabilise the country. It is difficult to predict when someone will break the deadlock. And, even if a new government does emerge in the coming months, a key issue for European policymakers will be the type of prime minister who leads it. Deadlocked and loaded: Iraq’s political inertia
Israel
- July 26, 2022. Yuval Shany, Amichai Cohen, Lawfare. On July 5, a panel of three justices on the Supreme Court of Israel rendered a long-awaited decision in a civil appeal brought against a 2018 district court judgment concerning a tort claim made by a Palestinian residing in Gaza (whose name is not provided in the decision). Anonymous v. Ministry of Defense and the Knesset was first brought to the Beer Sheva District Court in 2016, over a year after the claimant had been shot and injured by Israel Defense Forces (IDF) service members while being present in the Gaza Strip (about 500 meters from the border between Israel and Gaza). The Supreme Court’s judgment revolved almost exclusively around the scope of state immunity from tort claims arising from incidents in “enemy territory” afforded in a 2012 amendment to Israel’s tort laws, and its applicability to the situation in Gaza. Moving Toward Blanket Immunity: Israeli Supreme Court Blocks Gaza Tort Cases
Japan – Australia
- July 26, 2022. Thomas Wilkins, The Strategist. On 8 July, the world was stunned by the assassination of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe during a campaigning speech in the city of Nara two days before elections were to take place. While domestic debates about improved security for politicians continue in Japan, it’s also timely to reflect on the legacy of Abe’s achievements in terms of not only his foreign policy legacy, but, especially for Australians, the contribution he made towards strengthening Japan–Australia ties. Abe’s crucial contribution to Japan–Australia ties
Kashmir
- July 26, 2022. Shivangi Seth, The Interpreter. At the age of five, Rahul Bhat fled Kashmir with his family amid what is commonly referred to as the 1990 Kashmiri Pandit exodus. The Pandits are Hindu Brahmins and one of Kashmir’s Indigenous minorities. Following a severe escalation in violence and religiously motivated killings in the 1990s, most Kashmiri Pandit families left the valley, with only an estimated 800 staying behind. Pandits subsequently became an internally displaced community within India. Bhat returned to Kashmir in 2010 under a government rehabilitation scheme. On 12 May this year, militants shot Bhat dead while he was in his office at a government agency in central Kashmir. A smoke screen of “normalcy” in Kashmir
Nigeria
- July 26, 2022. Julia Vaillant, World Bank blogs. As Nigeria continues its critical work to lead 100 million Nigerians out of poverty by 2030 and manage its demographic transition, building the human capital of women and girls and expanding their economic opportunities and earnings will be essential. A new report from the Nigeria Gender Innovation Lab, Closing Gaps, Increasing Opportunities: A Diagnostic on Women’s Economic Empowerment in Nigeria, proposes a menu of proven and promising policy solutions to increase women’s earnings, whether they are farming, running a business, or earning wages. Using recent data from the Nigeria General Household Survey, we measure how large disparities in earnings are between women and men and investigate what are the main factors underlying those inequalities. Closing Gaps, Increasing Opportunities
Russia – Ukraine
- July 25, 2022. Kishore Mahbubani, East Asia Forum. Populations in Western countries are angry. Western elites, who are supposed to lead their societies in the right direction, are instead leading them in the wrong direction on Ukraine. There is a wiser course of action. Talking with Russia key to plight of global poor
- July 25, 2022. Richard Arnold, The Jamestown Foundation. As the Kremlin’s ill-planned re-invasion of Ukraine wears on, much speculation has hinted at Russia’s manpower and other resources being depleted and wasted on the battlefield. One indicator that lends strength to such a narrative is the increasing use of Cossack reserve forces in Ukraine. Whereas before, the majority of Cossack forces were drawn from the Rostov and Kuban regions that border Ukraine, a recent announcement showed that more forces from the Orenburg Host are being sent to Donbas (see EDM, May 10). Indeed, “as part of 450 volunteers of the Bashkir battalion named after Minigali Shaimuratov, Cossacks of the Ufa-Tabyn division of the Orenburg Cossack Host went to coordinate combat and to participate in the special military operation in Ukraine. According to the Ataman of the Ufa-Tabyn division, the Bashkir regiment is staffed with 20 Cossacks who have considerable combat experience” (Vsko.ru, July 8). Yet, Bashkiria is an ethnic republic in its own right, and in the 1990s, speculation alluded to possible secessionism there, along with neighboring Tatarstan. The fact that Russia is having to draw so deeply on its reserves of Cossack forces implies that Moscow’s manpower shortage may be quite serious. Russia’s Increasing Use of Cossack Reservists Highlights Manpower Shortage
- July 25, 2022. Karolina Hird, Kateryna Stepanenko, Katherine Lawlor, Layne Philipson, and Frederick W. Kagan, ISW. Russian forces made marginal territorial gains south of Bakhmut on July 25 but are largely suffering from the same fundamental limitations that previously prevented them from rapidly gaining substantial ground during offensive operations in Luhansk Oblast.Geolocated social media footage from July 25 shows that troops of the Wagner Group Private Military Company (PMC) have advanced into Novoluhanske and Russian and Ukrainian sources noted that Russian forces are taking control of the territory of the Vuhledar Power Plant on the northern edge of Novoluhanske, likely as a result of a controlled Ukrainian withdrawal from the area. Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, July 25
- July 25, 2022. Ihor Kabanenko, The Jamestown Foundation. On July 9, the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority announced the opening of the Bystre Canal on the mouth of the Danube River for the entry and exit of vessels transporting Ukrainian agricultural products (Uspa.gov.ua, July 9). “Bystre was blocked by vessels of the Ukrainian Danube Shipping Company at the beginning of the war. We understood that the enemy could try to advance deep into Ukrainian territory through the mouth of the Danube. We decided to prevent this together with the border guards and the military. Our tugboats placed a certain number of lighters in Bystre, reliably blocking the estuary,” said Dmytro Moskalenko, acting general director of Ukrainian Danube Shipping Company (Cfts.org.ua, July 11). Unblocking the Bystre Canal became possible thanks to the liberation of Snake Island from Russian troops; the island “has strategic importance, as it allows control of the surface and partly air situation in the south of Ukraine, which was used by the occupier to block the movement of civilian vessels in the southern part of our state” (UNIAN, July 11). The Bystre Canal Across the Danube: ‘Mosquito’ Tactics in Ukraine’s Grain Shipping
- July 25, 2022. John E. Herbst, Atlantic Council. Some illusions die hard; others have a short shelf life. Moscow’s July 23 attack on port facilities in Odesa—which came less than twenty-four hours after Moscow and Kyiv signed separate agreements with Turkey and the United Nations (UN) to unblock Ukraine’s Black Sea ports—illustrates both points. Moscow shattered two illusions with one missile strike. The White House needs to accept reality
Syria – Lebanon
- July 25, 2022. Lina Khatib, Chatham House. The growing Captagon trade in Syria and Lebanon has been given much attention in recent months. The networks involved in this trade, such as the Fourth Division of the Syrian Arab Army and other smaller armed groups in Syria, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and networks of smugglers in both countries, help extend its reach beyond the borders of Syria and Lebanon, smuggling Captagon to Gulf countries – especially Saudi Arabia – and even to Europe. The transnational nature of this illicit activity and its link to the context of the Syrian conflict requires international policies that take into account cross-border conflict dynamics, including how people can end up involved in illicit activities to cope financially. A key component of any such policy must be an understanding of the impact of the Captagon trade specifically and drug smuggling more generally on local communities, especially those residing in border regions between Lebanon and Syria. How the Captagon trade impacts border communities in Lebanon and Syria
USA
- July 25, 2022. Darrell M. West, Brookings. The investigations into the January 6, 2021 Capitol Hill insurrection reveal how close America came to overturning its democratic system. The peaceful transfer of power that has long characterized U.S. history was threatened last year and it took considerable effort on the part of many individuals to survive the challenges of Donald Trump and his allies. Disturbing testimony over the last few weeks revealed coordinated efforts to seat Electoral College electors who did not represent the winning side of the popular vote and lawyers who encouraged then-sitting Vice President Mike Pence to nullify two centuries of constitutional rule through the view that he alone could decide who won the campaign. Trump is not the only threat to democracy
USA – Iran
- July 26, 2022. Matthew Zweig, FDD. After an extended pause, the Biden administration and the Iranian government resumed indirect negotiations in Qatar late last month over a joint return to the 2015 nuclear agreement formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The talks had reached an impasse due to the Biden administration’s apparent refusal to yield to Tehran’s demand that Washington lift the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps’ designation as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO). The Guards, or IRGC, are still very much in the business of terrorism, but Tehran recognizes the administration is ready to pay almost any price for a deal. However, bipartisan resistance in Congress to giving the IRGC a pass stayed Biden’s hand. How Congress Can Keep Biden From Caving to Iran’s Demands
USA-Middle East
- July 25, 2022. Steven Heydemann, Brookings. U.S. President Joe Biden’s meeting with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has been widely described as a retreat from his intent to restore a foreign policy anchored in a commitment to democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. While the White House insists that its support for a values-based foreign policy has not been compromised, the realist turn in Biden’s approach to the Middle East has been welcomed by some as a necessary corrective, including, apparently, by senior officials in Biden’s National Security Council. Rights as realism in the Middle East
TOPICS
Climate Change & Sustainability
- July 26, 2022. Richard N. Haass, Project-Syndicate, The Strategist. It is often said that no one wins a war, just that some lose less than others. Russia’s war against Ukraine promises to be no exception. One clear loser is already evident: the planet. The war has become the international priority for policymakers and publics. And rightly so: Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggression against Ukraine threatens a pillar of international order, namely the prohibition on changing borders by force. But the war has also triggered a global scramble for sufficient supplies of energy in response to sanctions against Russian energy exports and the possibility that Russia will cut off supplies. Many countries have found that the easiest and quickest route is to secure greenhouse-gas-emitting fossil fuels. As the world burns
- July 25, 2022. Jonathan Karver, Reena Badiani-Magnusson, James Carroll, World Bank blogs. Fuel combustion from these boilers, for central heating and hot water, is the main source of poor quality air in the country. According to the World Health Organization, 36 out of the 50 cities in Europe with the most polluted air are in Poland. The air pollution leads to an estimated 46,000 premature deaths each year and annual economic losses of $38 billion to $40 billion. Clean air and heating choices: How to change homeowners’ behavior in Poland
- July 25, 2022. Rebecca Mann and Jenny Schuetz, Brookings. Cities across the globe are gasping in extreme summer heat. Last week, the United Kingdom—known for its cool, rainy climate—broke its all-time-high temperature record, topping out at 104.4 degrees Fahrenheit. Meanwhile, U.S. cities are scrambling to protect their residents and physical infrastructure from the dangers of extreme heat, which can cause school closures, transit system malfunctions, strained electrical grids, and more. Extreme heat kills over 600 people in the U.S. each year; older adults, very young children, and people with chronic diseases are the most vulnerable. As extreme heat grips the globe, access to air conditioning is an urgent public health issue
Cybersecurity
- July 26, 2022. Danny Bradbury, Infosecurity. Uber has settled with the US Department of Justice over its cover-up of a November 2016 data breach. Uber Settles 2016 Hacking Case With DoJ
- July 26, 2022. Daniel dos Santos, Infosecurity. In the last few months, the cybersecurity of industrial organizations has been under the spotlight following the release of several studies disclosing vulnerabilities that pose a threat. The studies, carried out by Forescout, highlighted that as industrial organizations digitalize their environments, they become more susceptible to cyber-attacks. The Industrial Cyber-Attack Evolution: How to Keep Your Network Safe
- July 26, 2022. Phil Muncaster, Infosecurity. Global ransomware volumes shrunk by 23% year-on-year (YoY) in the first half of 2022, but overall malware surged by 11% over the period, according to new data from SonicWall. Global Malware Volumes Increase for First Time in Three Years
- July 26, 2022. Phil Muncaster, Infosecurity. The prolific Lockbit ransomware gang appears to have claimed another two scalps in recent days: the Canadian town of St Marys and the Italian tax agency. Lockbit Ramps Up Attacks on Public Sector
- July 26, 2022. Phil Muncaster, Infosecurity. T-Mobile US has agreed to pay $350m to settle class action claims related to a 2021 cyber-attack which impacted an estimated 80 million US residents. T-Mobile to Pay $350m Settlement in Breach Case
- July 25, 2022. Danny Bradbury, Infosecurity. Indian insurance company Policybazaar has warned that it suffered a data breach. The company’s owner PB Fintech, warned in a letter on Sunday that it had discovered “illegal and unauthorized access” exploiting vulnerabilities in its systems on July 19. Indian Insurance Portal Policybazaar Suffers Breach
- July 25, 2022. Danny Bradbury, InfoSecurity. The UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is developing a program to certify cybersecurity advisors. Currently in its proof of concept stage, the Cyber Advisor service will certify individual consultants who can provide practical advice to help secure businesses. NCSC Tests Cyber Advisor Program
Defense-Intelligence-Military-Security-Space
- July 26, 2022. Breaking Defense. Complaining of limited host platforms and program delays, the Navy appears ready to kill the high-profile, large undersea drone program known as Snakehead. But in the op-ed below, the Hudson Institute’s Bryan Clark explains why he agrees with lawmakers who are pushing the Navy to keep the program, and why the service should consider Snakehead in a new light. The Navy needs large, unmanned subs like Snakehead to defeat undersea defenses
- July 26, 2022. Jaroslaw Adamowski, Defense News. Latvia has sent a letter of request to buy an undisclosed number of High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems from the United States, with the potential acquisition to be carried out as a joint initiative of the three Baltic states, which also include neighboring Estonia and Lithuania. Latvia requests HIMARS weapon to bolster Baltic defense
- July 26, 2022. Vivienne Machi, Defense News. The European Union revealed last week the awardees of its first batch of European Defence Fund (EDF)-supported projects, reflecting a cumulative €1.2 billion (U.S. $1.23 billion) going to 61 defense research and development (R&D) projects. European Defence Fund unveils first round of awardees
- July 26, 2022. Tayfun Ozberk, Naval News. The EU Commission announced on 20 July that it will support 61 joint defence research and development projects with a total of almost €1.2 billion selected under the first call for proposals for the European Defence Fund (EDF). The most important project in the naval field is the EPC. EU to accelerate naval projects under huge defense investment budget
- July 26, 2022. Naval News. Navantia delivered today to the Royal Saudi Naval Forces (RSNF) “Al Diriyah”, the second of five Avante 2200 class corvettes built in its shipyards in the Bay of Cadiz, in a ceremony held at the facilities of the Naval Base of La Carraca, in San Fernando (Cádiz). Navantia Delivers 2nd Avante 2200 Corvette to Saudi Arabia
- July 26, 2022. Peter Layton, The Strategist. Artificial intelligence is a general-purpose technology that is steadily becoming pervasive across global society. AI is now beginning to interest the world’s defence forces, but the military comes late to the game. Given this, defence forces globally are fundamentally uncertain about AI’s place in warfighting. Accordingly, there’s considerable experimentation in defence AI underway worldwide. The ADF could be doing much more with artificial intelligence
- July 26, 2022. Naval News. iXblue and ECA Group recently demonstrated successful subsea asset tracking in shallow waters using iXblue Gaps M7 USBL (Ultra Short BaseLine) positioning system and ECA Group new R7 ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle). iXblue and ECA Group demonstrate successful subsea asset tracking to Polish Naval Academy
- July 26, 2022. Naval News. The Russian Navy’s newest Borei-A-class SSBN, “Generalissimus Suvorov”, has sailed out to the White Sea for factory trials. Russia’s Borei-A SSBN Generalissimus Suvorov begins factory trials
- July 26, 2022. Christina Mackenzie, Breaking Defense. As part of an ongoing effort to become less reliant on American military capabilities, the European Union has approved €25 million ($25.6 million) towards developing a collaborative close combat architecture to enhance existing missile systems with a Beyond-Line-of-Sight (BLOS) capability. EU investing millions in new missile range extension program MARSEUS
- July 25, 2022. DARPA Updates on its Sea Train and NOMARS USVs In July 2022, Naval News inquired to the U.S. Defense Advanced Projects Research Agency (DARPA) for updates on two of its programs, the Sea Train project and the No Manning Required Ship (NOMARS). Both are Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) programs. These are DARPA projects that have been covered by Naval News in 2020 and 2021.
- July 25, 2022. Justin Katz, Breaking Defense. The Navy has awarded both HII and General Dynamics Bath Iron Works engineering and design contracts for the service’s next large surface combatant dubbed DDG(X). Navy awards HII, Bath engineering, design contracts for future destroyer
- July 25, 2022. Breaking Defense. Driven by a Congressional requirement, the Defense Department plans to cut a number of general officer roles in the coming year. In this new op-ed, Jonathan Lord of the Center for a New American Security argues that the department risks making those cuts in the wrong place — by disproportionately hurting those rare foreign relations experts who have climbed the ladder inside the Pentagon. Want more capable military partners? Empower and promote Foreign Area Officers
- July 25, 2022. Bryant Harris, Defense News. The Defense Department is looking at alternative locations for the largest military exercise in Africa amid Senate pressure to bump Morocco from its position as an annual host for the drills. Pentagon reviews removing Morocco as host of largest military exercise in Africa
- July 25, 2022. Joe Gould, Defense News. President Joe Biden and Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks met virtually on Monday with the chief executive of Lockheed Martin and other companies to advance a bill to boost semiconductor production in the United States. Biden presses for chips legislation in meeting with Pentagon’s No. 2 and Lockheed
- July 25, 2022. Stephen Losey, Defense News. Defense electronics firm Leonardo DRS in June moved to bolster its position in the military’s force protection market when it announced plans to acquire Israeli radar company RADA Electronics Industries. Leonardo DRS chief talks taking out drone swarms and what integrated sensing has in common with Tesla
- July 25, 2022. Colin Demarest, Defense News. The Jersey Devil, a legendary creature believed by some to inhabit the remote Pine Barrens in southern New Jersey, is said to communicate using a high-pitched, blood-curdling scream. US Army tests aerial tier communications in Jersey Devil’s stomping ground
- July 25, 2022. Stephen Losey, Defense News. The union representing almost 2,500 machinists at three Boeing Defense factories has voted to reject the company’s latest contract offer and strike beginning Aug. 1. Machinists union votes to reject Boeing contract over 401(k) dispute, strike starting Aug. 1
- July 25, 2022. Tara Copp, Defense One. The National Guard is considering a sizable expansion of training programs with Indo-Pacific nations to amplify U.S. presence there, its top general said Monday. National Guard Considering Major Expansion in Indo-Pacific
- July 25, 2022. Kevin Baron, Patrick Tucker, Defense One. Lawmakers who worry that the United States cannot ward off the kind of cruise missiles that Russia is lobbing at Ukraine should know that the Pentagon does have a plan to do so—in a few years. But the command in charge of that defense needs new technologies and updated guidance from higher-ups. How NORAD Plans to Ward Off Cruise Missiles Fired at the US
- July 25, 2022. Bryan Clark, Defense One. U.S. Marines are using this year’s Rim of the Pacific exercise to practice with allies the tactics they would use to disrupt Beijing’s war planning, as part of a long-term campaign to dissuade Chinese aggression. But Navy leaders are lukewarm on the value of day-to-day actions like those by Marine Littoral Regiments; they argue that the Navy cannot afford a robust peacetime presence while also building a fleet than can win a future war against China. This is a false choice built on the assumption that deterrence will fail. To prevent war with China, the Navy needs to contest Beijing’s bullying as it happens, rather than going all-in on a goal-line stand at the Taiwan Strait. The Navy Should Assemble a Fleet for Littoral Campaigns
- July 25, 2022. Caitlin M. Kenney, Defense One. The U.S. Navy’s top officer is setting a new bar for coalition operations: not just interoperability, but interchangeability. One key to that is understanding exactly what each warship and navy is capable of—and how they themselves assess it. CNO Seeks Not Just Interoperability But Interchangeability With Foreign Militaries
- July 25, 2022. Lindy Kyzer, Defense One. There was a time when all mental-health counseling had to be listed on the SF-86 or self-reported to security officers. Concerns about whether this reporting would affect security clearance eligibility – and thereby end a military or government career – caused many individuals to simply refuse to seek mental health treatment, despite issues caused by post-traumatic stress, marital issues, or even sexual assault. Too Many National-Security Workers Shun Mental-Health Care, Leaders Say
- July 25, 2022. Kathleen J. McInnis, CSIS. The U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June, reverting decisions about abortion law to the states. And recently, a number of states that host military bases have enacted restrictive anti-abortion legislation. While this is primarily a domestic and social issue, a decision of this magnitude will likely have significant implications for the composition, organization, and management of the U.S. armed forces. In 1973, women comprised 2 percent of the active-duty force; in 2020, 17.2 percent of the force were women. Regardless of where one stands on the question of legal abortion, the decision raises a number of practical questions for the U.S. military, many of which do not yet have answers. A few of these are discussed below. The Overturn of Roe v. Wade Raises Fundamental Questions for the Department of Defense
Digital & Tech
- July 26, 2022. Tata Dinyuy Bolivian, World Bank blogs. Public services in Cameroon are going online, entrepreneurs are building startups, and development partners and the private sector are increasingly financing the digitalization of services. Internet traffic is on the rise. The number of public and private data centers is growing, as are cloud computing services, virtual private servers, domain registrations, and email hosting. This is all a sign of Cameroon’s embrace of digital transformation. However, the digital sector contributes only around three percent to Cameroon’s GDP, which is below similar economies such as Senegal and Côte d’Ivoire. Data for better lives in Cameroon
- July 26, 2022. Henry Gao, East Asia Forum. It has become more commonplace for trade agreements in the Asia Pacific to include a variety of digital trade provisions. To understand the salient features of these agreements, it is helpful to map out their main baseline features. Doing so also indicates where digital trade agreements may be going or need to go. Digital provisions play a key role in Asia Pacific agreements
- July 25, 2022. William Reinsch, CSIS. Export controls have always been controversial—having run the dual-use export control program in the Clinton administration, I can testify to that. But it seems that lately, thanks largely to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, they have moved to an even more intense level of public and professional scrutiny. Meeting the Technology Transfer Challenge: Part I
- July 25, 2022. Nicol Turner Lee, Brookings. Not a single week of 2022 has passed without multiple mass shootings. 343 people have been killed and 1,391 injured through July 4 of this year. In Uvalde, Texas, a troubled 18-year-old conducted the deadliest school shooting in a decade, killing his grandmother, 19 children and two teachers from Robb Elementary School. In Buffalo, New York, a white gunman killed 10 Black elders in a mass shooting at a Buffalo supermarket. These events were devastating, but not unprecedented. Both shooters were young adults and had a history of being engaged with more violent online communities. The perpetrator in the Buffalo hate crime attempted to livestream the attack while it was happening. TechTank Podcast Episode 49: How does the internet facilitate worsening gun violence?
Energy
- July 25, 2022. Samuel Bruning and Dr Tobias Borck, RUSI. In its efforts to wean itself off Russian energy supplies, Europe is increasingly looking to its southern neighbourhood. But this comes with its own set of geopolitical challenges. With Strings Attached: Implications of Europe’s Turn to Mediterranean Gas
Global Economy
- July 26, 2022. The global economy, still reeling from the pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, is facing an increasingly gloomy and uncertain outlook. Many of the downside risks flagged in our April World Economic Outlook have begun to materialize. Global Economic Growth Slows Amid Gloomy and More Uncertain Outlook
Global Governance
- July 26, 2022. Mariana Mazzucato and Jayati Ghosh, Social Europe. At their meeting in Bali in mid-July, G20 finance ministers reaffirmed their commitment to co-ordinated action to get the Covid-19 pandemic under control and better prepare for the next global health emergency. A central topic was the creation of a new financial intermediary fund (FIF) to address pandemic preparedness and response (PPR), under the trusteeship of the World Bank and with the World Health Organization playing a central technical and co-ordinating role. The goal is to close some of the annual PPR financing gap of $10.5 billion and help strengthen capacities that are critical to protecting global health, including genomic sequencing and drug manufacturing. Effective pandemic response must be truly global
Global Supply Chains
- July 25, 2022. Sujai Shivakumar, Gregory Arcuri, Charles Wessner, CSIS. Global supply chains, particularly in technologies of strategic value, are undergoing a remarkable reevaluation as geopolitical events and trends weigh on the minds of decisionmakers across government and industry. The rise of an aggressive and revisionist China, a devastating global pandemic, the disruptive churn of technological advancement, and—most recently—Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, are prompting a dramatic rethinking of the value of lean, globally distributed supply chains. Efficiency is now being recast in terms of reliable and resilient supply chains that are better adapted to emerging geopolitical uncertainties rather than purely on the basis of lowest cost. Given its globalized operations, the semiconductor industry is at the forefront of these challenges. How it responds may well set the tone and pace for economic cooperation and globalization in the twenty-first century. The Great Rewiring: How Global Supply Chains Are Reacting to Today’s Geopolitics
- July 25, 2022. Darrell M. West and David Dollar, Brookings. Darrell West, vice president and director of Governance Studies at Brookings, discusses his new report, “Six ways to improve global supply chains.” In the conversation, West and host David Dollar discuss the recommendations for addressing recent snarls in supply chains resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ukraine war, and the trade conflict between the U.S. and China. How to improve global supply chains
Health & Digital
- July 26, 2022. Shania Kennedy, Health IT Analytics. Researchers have developed a machine learning (ML) model capable of estimating national weekly opioid overdose mortality trends in near real-time using proxy data sources such as public health information and law enforcement data. ML Model Estimates Weekly Opioid Overdose Deaths Using Proxy Data
- July 25, 2022. Shania Kennedy, Health IT Analytics. A recently developed artificial intelligence (AI) model out of the University of Michigan (U-M) can predict hemodynamic instability, a key indicator of patient deterioration, more accurately than traditional vital sign measurements. Patient Deterioration Predictor Outperforms Vital Sign Measurements
- July 25, 2022. Danny Bradbury, Infosecurity. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has updated its cybersecurity guidance for protecting healthcare data. The draft update will provide a more practical guide for healthcare providers to comply with government rules on personal health data security, it claimed. NIST Updates Healthcare Security Guidance