All that is taken up here, in the complexity of open sources, does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Science of Where Magazine
HIGHLIGHTS
- (China) September 25, 2022. Du Qiongfang, Global Times. China’s first metaverse major was set up at a university in East China’s Jiangsu Province in the hope of training more talents in line with the needs of enterprises in metaverse-related sectors. China’s first metaverse major set up at a Jiangsu university to train more talents in line with the needs of related sectors – Global Times
- (Food Insecurity) September 21, 2022. FAO-WFP. The number of people facing acute food insecurity worldwide is expected to continue to rise precipitously, as the food crisis tightens its grip on 19 ‘hunger hotspots’ – driven by rising conflict, weather extremes, and economic instability aggravated by the pandemic and the ripple effects of the crisis in Ukraine, a joint UN report released today has found. Food crisis tightens its grip on 19 ‘hunger hotspots’ as famine looms in the Horn of Africa – new report
- (Global Economy) September 26, 2022. Gokhan Ergocun, Anadolu Agency. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has lowered its global economic growth forecast for 2023, and warned that many European countries could face a recession next year. OECD slashes global growth forecast, warns of recession in Europe
- (High Altitude Nuclear Detonations) September 23, 2022. Robert “Tony” Vincent, War on the Rocks. Aurora Borealis is the scientific term given to the natural light phenomenon of the Northern Lights. On July 9, 1962, the light phenomenon that Hawaiians watched was anything but natural. On that day, the Atomic Energy Commission, in collaboration with the Defense Atomic Support Agency, detonated a thermonuclear device in low Earth orbit. The test was codenamed Starfish Prime and it revealed an unfortunate lesson: Even one high altitude nuclear detonation is particularly effective at destroying satellites. Not only were satellites in the line of sight destroyed, but even satellites on the other side of Earth were damaged and rendered inoperable. Starfish Prime damaged or destroyed roughly one third of all satellites in low Earth orbit at the time. Getting Serious about the Threat of High Altitude Nuclear Detonations
- (International Telecommunication Union) September 26, 2022. Mercedes Page, The Interpreter. The campaign to elect the next Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union has entered the final stretch, with UN member states assembling in Bucharest, Romania this week to cast their votes between the Russian-supported and US-backed candidates vying for the top job. A neck-and-neck election for the future of the internet
- (Iran) September 26, 2022. IRNA. Iranian Petroleum Minister Javad Owji said that the Islamic Republic of Iran will develop energy relations with friends like China and Russia amid economic sanctions. Petroleum Minister: Iran to develop energy ties with friends amid sanctions
- (Japan – Russia) September 26, 2022. Reuters. Japan has decided to ban exports of chemical weapons-related goods to Russia in an additional sanction against Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine, and is “deeply concerned” about the possible use of nuclear weapons, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said on Monday. Japan bans chemical weapons-related goods to Russia, concerned by nuke threats
- (JCPOA) September 26, 2022. Amin Saikal, The Strategist. The Vienna negotiations to revive the July 2015 Iran nuclear agreement—the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA—are once again in danger of fizzling out. Tehran and Washington, along with fellow signatories Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China, have been trying for more than a year to hammer out a deal that could satisfy both sides, but to no avail. Is the Iran nuclear agreement dead?
- (Poland – Russia) September 26, 2022. Beyza Binnur Donmez, Anadolu Agency. Poland on Monday barred the entry of Russian nationals crossing into its land by air and sea. Poland bars entry of Russians by air, sea
- (Russia – Belarus) September 26, 2022. Elena Teslova, Anadolu Agency. Russian President Vladimir Putin regretted sanctions against Belarusian fertilizers, saying their deliveries are blocked despite great demand in the world. Belarusian fertilizers blocked from shipments despite great demand: Putin
- (UAE – Germany) September 25, 2022. Al Jazeera. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is in the Gulf, hoping to secure new partnerships with oil and gas-rich nations. Can the Gulf secure energy supplies for Germany and Europe?
- (UAE – Germany) September 25, 2022. Ahmed Hatem, Anadolu Agency. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Sunday agreed to supply Germany with cargoes of diesel, liquified natural gas (LNG), and low-carbon ammonia. UAE to supply Germany with diesel, LNG
TOPICS
- (G7 Hiroshima Summit) September 21, 2022. Daisuke Akimoto Ph.D., Institute for Security & Development Policy. On May 19-21 next year, the Japanese government will host the G7 Hiroshima Summit. It is assumed that Prime Minister Kishida Fumio plans to express a strong diplomatic message for peace and nuclear disarmament by announcing a so-called “Hiroshima Action Plan” at the summit. Global issues, such as world economy, food deficiency, and the energy problem, are anticipated to be on the summit agenda. Nonetheless, special attentions may be paid to “global health” at the summit in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. During TICAD 8 held in Tunisia on August 27-28, Kishida pledged to donate as much as $1.08 billion to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. How is the Kishida government planning to contribute to the enhancement of the global health system at the G7 Hiroshima Summit? Japan’s Global Health Strategy: A Diplomatic Foresight on the G7 Hiroshima Summit
- (G7 Hiroshima Summit) September 24, 2022. Yoko Iwama, East Asia Forum. This year will be a watershed year in the 21st century. Russia’s integration into the liberal international order has ended in disaster. China has stood by Russia since the invasion of Ukraine and their strategic and diplomatic coordination has increased. Russia and China performed joint patrols during US President Joe Biden’s Asia tour to signal their partnership. The Russia–Ukraine war has renewed calls for the G7 to help ensure peace and security amid an increasingly unstable environment. Nuclear peace a priority ahead of Hiroshima G7 Summit
WORLDS
- (AUKUS – China) September 26, 2022. Leng Shumei and
Hu Yuwei, Global Times. The Chinese mission to the UN in Vienna warned in an exclusive statement sent to the Global Times on Sunday that the latest move by AUKUS to plan to expedite Australia’s nuclear submarine construction is a blatant defiance of and trampling on the international nuclear non-proliferation system, and is an act of nuclear proliferation under the pretext of “naval nuclear propulsion.”. AUKUS’ plan to expedite Australia’s nuclear sub construction an act of nuclear proliferation under ‘naval nuclear propulsion’ cover: Chinese mission to UN
- (China) September 21, 2022. Sébastien Lechevalier, CIGS. Wages have risen sharply in China for more than two decades: the average nominal wage of urban workers increased 13-fold between 1998 and 2020. On average, it is now higher than in most non-OECD countries, which raises the question of the current and future drivers of Chinese growth, which until the 2000s was based on low labour costs. Wage hike is not at odds with innovation
- (China) September 26, 2022. Michael Laha, The Strategist. For more than four years, Chinese President Xi Jinping has been giving speeches and going on inspection tours throughout China delivering an important message—China needs to become less reliant on key technologies imported from abroad. At a meeting in 2020, Xi implored researchers to work towards breakthroughs in ‘choke point’ or ‘stranglehold’ technologies. These are important technological domains that China can’t readily produce domestically. They are often referred to, especially in Chinese official media, as ‘controlled by others’. How China plans to engineer its way out of technology ‘strangleholds’
- (China – North Korea) September 26, 2022. Reuters. Cross-border freight train operations between North Korea and China appears to have resumed after a five-month suspension, South Korea’s unification ministry said on Monday. North Korea, China resume cross-border freight train operation -S.Korea ministry
- (Ethiopia) September 23, 2022. Dawit Mekonnen, Hua Xie, IFPRI. Agriculture accounts for 34% of Ethiopia’s GDP and 67% of its employment, and development of irrigation is widely seen as a promising option to boost agricultural production and enhance agricultural resilience in the country. However, energy use in irrigated agriculture in Ethiopia is insignificant at present, and access to energy sources is often lacking, hampering the spread of irrigation technologies. The cost effectiveness of different energy solutions for irrigated agriculture is also likely to vary depending on the location of the farm and the type of crop. Modeling the optimal energy solutions for irrigation in Ethiopia
- (Germany – Africa) September 14, 2022. Megatrends Afrika. Germany’s new National Security Strategy should emphasise crisis prevention, stabilisation, and peacebuilding. It should look at not only threats but also opportunities, identify principles for coherence, and ensure greater review of effectiveness, writes Gerrit Kurtz (SWP) in this Megatrends Afrika Spotlight. Crisis Prevention and Stabilisation in Africa: three implications for Germany’s National Security Strategy
- (India) September 26, 2022. Somdeep Sen, Al Jazeera. India’s Hindu right wing has long advocated for its vision across the world. Overseas offshoots of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have helped in this, as have allied groups like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad or World Hindu Council. Hindu nationalists now pose a global problem
- (India – Japan – ASEAN) September 2022. Jagannath P. Panda, Institute for Security & Development Policy. This book focuses on the scope, potential and future of the India-Japan-Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) trilateral. India-Japan-ASEAN Triangularity: Emergence of a Possible Indo-Pacific Axis?
- (Niger) September 21, 2022. Megatrends Afrika. The French military operation Barkhane has concluded its withdrawal from Mali on 15 August 2022. As it relocates partially to neighbouring Niger, civil society has risen in protest there as well. Additionally, President Mohamed Bazoum’s announcement to increase the Diesel price ignited a public outcry. Megatrends Afrika spoke with Moussa Tchangari, secretary general of the Nigerien non-governmental organisation Alternative Espaces Citoyens (AEC), about the reasons for social discontent, new forms of protest, and possible ways out of the current security crisis. Niger’s civil society in protest: “Europe should take the opinions of the people seriously.”
- (Philippines) September 26, 2022. At times during the presidency of Rodrigo Duterte, it seemed that the Philippines’ foreign policy was to not have much of a policy at all. Personal position and geopolitical posture in the Philippines
- (Russia – Ukraine) September 20, 2022. Jada Fraser, Institute for Security & Development Policy. The international coalition that banded together in response to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine demonstrates democracies’ ability to endure national discomfort to confront authoritarian challenges to territorial integrity, sovereignty, and self-determination. Six months into the invasion, support for sanction packages on Russia remains high across the U.S. (80 percent) and allies in Europe (78 percent in the EU), even while inflationary pressures and supply chain disruptions continue to cause economic damage. Beyond the Trans-Atlantic relationship, the support of U.S. allies in Asia has been critical to sustaining a global coalition that opposes Putin’s war and imposes costs on his regime. The two most important U.S. allies in Asia, Japan’s and South Korea’s resolute support for Ukraine are leaps and bounds ahead of both countries’ lackluster responses to Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea. Yet, misalignments in Seoul’s and Tokyo’s policy responses both with each other and with the United States and other European allies risk undermining the effectiveness of this global coalition and could similarly weaken an international response to future crises. Sustaining an International Coalition of the Willing: Lessons from Japan’s and South Korea’s Response to Putin’s War in Ukraine
- (Russia – Ukraine) September 26, 2022. Ian Hill, The Interpreter. Ukraine’s successful counter-offensive in Kharkiv region and President Vladimir Putin’s sharply escalatory response in recent days represent a turning point in the Ukraine conflict. The outlook remains uncertain but the war has entered a more dangerous phase. Ukraine conflict: turning point?
- (Russia – Ukraine) September 25, Frederick W. Kagan, ISW. Russian President Vladimir Putin is unlikely to overcome fundamental structural challenges in attempting to mobilize large numbers of Russians to continue his war in Ukraine. Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, September 25
- (Tunisia) September 26, 2022. Al Jazeera. Hundreds of protesters have taken to the streets in the Tunisian capital as soaring inflation and food shortages have compounded unrest amid the country’s ongoing political crisis. Protests in Tunisia’s capital amid inflation, food shortages
- (USA – Philippines) September 25, 2022. Luke Lischin, East Asia Forum. After six years of uncertainty under former Philippine president Rodrigo Duterte, the election of President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr has been met with cautious optimism in Washington regarding the future of the US–Philippines alliance. Marcos is no silver bullet for the US–Philippines alliance
- (USA – South Pacific) September 26, 2022. Graeme Dobell, The Strategist. The first US summit with South Pacific leaders offers symbolism and the chance of future substance. The US announces, ‘We’re back!’. The US comes back to the South Pacific
