IL FUTURO DIGITALE DELL’ASIA

FOCUS

• June 20, 2022. By East Asia Forum. The internet once promised a world of seamless connectivity for anyone with access to a digital device. As connectivity costs fell, the workplace became mobile, and digitalisation transformed industrial sectors, the laissez-faire agenda of digital developmentalists appeared to align with and promote democratic ideals. Asia’s digital future

THE SCIENCE OF WHERE

• June 19, 2022. By Kimberly Hartley, Esri. Johnny Finn has long been interested in where things are and why things are where they are. It’s what geographers do. So, when he moved to coastal Virginia in 2012 to be an assistant professor of geography for Christopher Newport University in Newport News, he started to dig into the area’s history to understand the patterns he was seeing. It’s a postbellum, ship-building city in a region called Hampton Roads or Tidewater that felt more North than South but existed just down the road from what had been the headquarters of the US Confederacy during the Civil War. Virginia Geographer’s Maps Show that Past Discrimination Persists

AROUND THE WORLD

Brazil

• June 16, 2022. By Crisis Group. Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s president, risks losing his October bid for re-election. If he disputes the result, his shrinking but increasingly far-right support base might take to the streets. State institutions should prepare to deal with baseless fraud accusations and to curb possible violence. Brazil’s True Believers: Bolsonaro and the Risks of an Election Year

China – Japan

• June 2022. By Institut Montaigne. China Trends seeks understanding of China from Chinese language sources. In an era where the international news cycle is often about China, having a reality check on Chinese expressions often provides for more in-depth analysis of the logic at work in policies, and needed information about policy debates where they exist. China Trends is a quarterly publication by Institut Montaigne’s Asia program, with each issue focusing on a single theme. China Trends #13 – China Weighs Japan’s Blowback Against Its Own Actions

China – Russia

• June 16, 2022. By Vincent Brussee, Roderick Kefferpütz, Merics. Beijing and Moscow’s bilateral communiqués have evolved in recent years to demonstrate the same threat perception, an analysis by Roderick Kefferpütz (text) and Vincent Brussee (data) shows.  China and Russia: united in opposition

Cote d’Ivoire

• June 16, 2022. By UN News. The resolution of a civil conflict fuelled-displacement crisis in Côte d’Ivoire, that at its height forced more than 300,000 people to flee to neighbouring countries and beyond, is “a welcome bright spot amid a rising global trend of forced displacement”, said the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, on Monday. Côte d’Ivoire welcomes families home, as refugee status formally ends

Europe – Russia

• June 17, 2022. By Filip Medunic, ECFR. In the wake of the EU’s latest set of sanctions, European leaders should work quickly to take control of the narrative around sanctions. The EU’s sixth sanctions package: A battle of narratives

Europe – Ukraine – EU’s eastern neighbourhood

• June 17, 2022. By Kai-Olaf Lang, Piotr Buras, ECFR. Russia’s war on Ukraine puts the entire future European order at risk. It is already forcing a profound reconsideration of the EU’s and its neighbours’ interests. Partnership for Enlargement: A new way to integrate Ukraine and the EU’s eastern neighbourhood

France

• June 20, 2022. By World Nuclear News. Each kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity produced by EDF’s reactor fleet in France emits the equivalent of less than 4 grams of carbon dioxide (CO2), according to a life cycle analysis (LCA) published by the company. The analysis shows most of these emissions occur in the upstream phases of the life cycle. EDF study confirms very low carbon nature of nuclear : Energy & Environment

Indonesia

• June 2022. By ADBI. We examine the impact of imported intermediates on plant productivity and the role of plant capability in expl aining the heterogeneity of the impact. We use a survey database of medium-sized and large Indonesian manufacturing establishments from 2000 to 2015. Imported intermediates are presented as a proportion of total intermediates, while capability factors are represented by the plant’s age, foreign direct investment (FDI) status, exporting status, and capital intensity.  Simultaneity and Heterogeneity in Import and Productivity: Case Study of Indonesian Manufacturing

Iraq

• June 16, 2022. By Hamzeh Hadad, ECFR. Much of Iraq’s post-war history has been a question of survival of the state. Now, Shia politicians are driving an intra-sect competition for leadership. From parliament to street: Iraq’s emerging politics of domination

Lebanon

• June 20, 2022. By UN News. The Lebanese Government, the United Nations and partners on Monday announced a $3.2 billion appeal for the country to address ongoing impacts from the war in neighbouring Syria and the current economic crisis.  Lebanon: $3.2 billion plan launched to support local families and refugees

Myanmar

• June 20, 2022. By Graeme Dobell, The Strategist. Myanmar is both tragedy and wicked problem. Myanmar’s wicked tragedy

Pacific Island States

• June 20, 2022. By Apisalome Movono and Regina Scheyvens, The Strategist. During the Covid-19 pandemic there have been extraordinary signs of resilience in Pacific island states. This is despite the economic hardship caused by over two years of border closures in some countrMeliha Benli Altunışıkies. Culture as a foundation for development in the Pacific

Russia – Africa

• June 16, 2022. By Guido Lanfranchi, Kars de Bruijne, Clingendael. The growth of Russia’s presence across Africa over the last decade has generated significant international concern, further exacerbated after Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia’s engagement can affect the interests and policies of the European Union (EU) and its member states (MS) in Africa. How should European policymakers understand these developments and respond to them? To answer this question, this report looks at Russia’s engagement in Africa, reaching three main conclusions. Russia’s growing presence in Africa & implication for EU policy

Russia – MENA Region

• June 14, 2022. By Meliha Benli Altunışık, JIIA. The Ukraine crisis has had an impact on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region as on the other parts of the world. The impact has been significant as Russia had become one of the most active extra-regional powers in the MENA region in the last decade. Thus, in order to understand how regional countries have responded to the Ukraine crisis, one needs to focus first on the evolution of Russia-MENA relations over the past ten or so years. This paper will then discuss specifically how the regional states have responded to, and been impacted by, the crisis, with a particular emphasis on Turkey, which is in a unique position vis-à-vis the war. The Japan Institute of International Affairs

Russia – Ukraine 

• June 19, 2022. By Karolina Hird, Kateryna Stepanenko, and Mason Clark, ISW. The UK Ministry of Defense assesses that the Kremlin’s continued framing of its invasion of Ukraine as a “special military operation” rather than a war is actively hindering Russian force generation capabilities.The UK Ministry of Defense reported on June 19 that Russian authorities are struggling to find legal means to punish military dissenters and those who refuse to mobilize because the classification of the conflict in Ukraine as a “special military operation” precludes legal punitive measures that could be employed during a formal war.[1] ISW has previously assessed that the Kremlin’s framing of the war as a “special operation” is compounding consistent issues with poor perceptions of Russian military leadership among Russian nationalists, problems with paying troops, lack of available forces, and unclear objectives among Russian forces. The Kremlin is continuing to attempt to fight a major and grinding war in Ukraine with forces assembled for what the Kremlin incorrectly assumed would be a short invasion against token Ukrainian resistance. The Kremlin continues to struggle to correct this fundamental flaw in its “special military operation.”. Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, June 19

Thailand

• June 2022. By ADBI. Over the past few decades, Thailand has made progress in expanding access to basic education, resulting in an increase in literacy rates and narrowing gaps in school attendance between socio-economic groups. We survey recent developments in Thailand’s basic education with an emphasis on the learning outcomes of Thai students, the determinants of such outcomes, and the challenges faced by the basic education system. Recent Developments in Basic Education in Thailand: Issues and Challenges

UAE

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

UK

• June 20, 2022. By Sarah Wray, Cities Today. Liverpool City Council in the UK has outlined plans to install underground smart ‘super bins’ in 140 high-density locations to reduce the issue of ripped black bin bags spilling rubbish out on to streets. Liverpool plans underground system of smart ‘super bins’
• June 20, 2022. By World Nuclear News. The UK-headquartered developer of small modular lead-cooled fast reactors, Newcleo, says it has successfully raised EUR300 million (USD316 million) and also announced it has contracted France’s Orano for feasibility studies on the establishment of a mixed plutonium-uranium oxides (MOX) production plant. Newcleo raises USD316 million, talks with Orano : New Nuclear

CITIES

• June 17, 2022. By  Sarah Wray, Cities Today. Private companies have long focused on ‘customer experience’ as central to success, especially as digitalisation has accelerated. Although they have very different goals, cities are starting to use some of the same tactics to improve services and meet residents’ rising expectations. And they’re appointing senior leaders to get the job done. A new role in major cities: Chief Citizen Experience Officer
• June 16, 2022. By Sarah Wray, Cities Today. The concept of free or reduced-cost public transport is gaining renewed traction in response to inflation and soaring fuel prices, and a need to bring riders back after the pandemic. New announcements always grab headlines but experts at the MOVE conference in London this week sounded a note of realism: cutting fares alone won’t drive the modal shift that cities need. Free public transport alone won’t get people out of cars

DIGITAL, TECH

• June 20, 2022. By Ariel Sobelman, Doron Myersdorf, INSS. In recent years Israel has become a leading player in auto tech, and China is interested in Israeli developments in a field that is expected to assume a significant role in the rivalry between Washington and Beijing. Therefore, it is important for Israel to define a national strategy on the issue, in order to avoid unnecessary involvement in the inter-bloc clash. The Race to Electric Vehicles: Technology, US-China Rivalry, and Big Money
• June 20, 2022. By Mark Dutz, Marcio Cruz, Carlos Rodriguez-Castelan, World Bank blogs. Binta sells vegetables at a Dakar market to support her family. By using a low-cost tablet as a simple point-of-sales application, she learns to think more strategically and improves her management skills. She reduces the inventory stocks of what doesn’t sell and orders more of what sells well. She identifies her best customers and prints receipts to keep their loyalty. Fast food and laundry shops owners use the app to keep track of who already owes them money to collect on their next visit. Sellers such as Binta no longer need to keep this valuable information in their head or write it down on a piece of paper. As a result, their confidence grows and their business expands. Above all, digital technology enables continued learning, improves skills, increases earnings, and the hiring of more workers. “Digital Senegal for Inclusive Growth: Technological Transformation for Better and More Jobs” presents new data on enterprises and households adopting and using digital technologies. How Digital Technologies Help Senegal Create Better and More Jobs
• June 20, 2022. By Mutale Nkonde, CIGI. As the use of algorithmic decision-making technologies increases in the public sector, so too does the volume of questions about which populations this sector serves. One of the areas in which algorithmic decision-making technologies is most accurate is in the disbursement of unemployment benefits. COVID-19-related shutdowns in 2020 led to the largest quarterly drop in GDP since records began (Bauer et al. 2020), which had an impact on the proportion of the population applying for unemployment benefits. Governing the Datafication of Black Lives
• June 20, 2022. By Benjamin Mueller, Center for Data Innovation. The European Commission proposed a new law in November 2021 to regulate online political advertising. The Commission plans to create a harmonized regulatory framework to govern rules around transparency disclosures and audience targeting for ads likely to influence political debates. The proposal is now with the European Parliament, where the Internal Market Committee is currently writing its draft report on the law.  The EU’s Proposed Online Political Advertising Law is a Good Start, But Needs Revising
• June 20, 2022. By Shania Kennedy, Health IT Analytics. A new report published by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) has found that race and ethnicity data gathered as part of Medicare enrollment are inaccurate for some groups and these inaccuracies hinder the government’s efforts to assess and address health disparities. Medicare Data Inaccuracies Hinder Health Disparity Assessment
• June 19, 2022. By Anupam Chander, East Asia Forum. Are the Himalayas too high for the internet to pass? The prospect of an Asian digital single market seems remote, especially when India and China seem to be pulling apart. India is busy banning Chinese apps like TikTok, while China promulgates ever stricter rules on data transfer abroad. Asian governments still fail to see that rising above local conflicts might yield enormous dividends, strengthening their own economic security in the process. Towards an Asian digital trade zone
• June 2022. By ADBI. We examine the foreign direct investment (FDI) spillover effects in developing countries and investigate the importance of the absorptive capacity of a firm and a country in realizing and facilitating FDI spillover. We use data obtained from the World Bank’s Enterprise Surveys for 107 countries from 2007 to 2020. We find that firms in developing countries do not benefit from horizontal FDI but benefit from forward and backward vertical FDI. We also find that firms can benefit from horizontal, forward, and backward FDI by improving the absorptive capacity of firms and host countries. Based on these findings, we present several recommendations to help firms benefit from FDI spillover. Technology Spillover and Absorptive Capacity of Firms and Countries
• June 2022. By ADBI. Like the rest of the world, COVID-19 created a sudden move to online modes of learning in Southeast Asia that highlights the need for updated teacher training to adopt computer- and mobile-assisted learning/teaching techniques. The changes in technology provide a multimedia platform that revolutionizes how people can interact through ICT, including for education. Mobile-Assisted Language Teaching: A Systematic Review with Implications for Southeast Asia

DEFENSE, MILITARY, SECURITY, CYBER

• June 20, 2022. By Alessandro Mascellino, Info Security. Cybersecurity expert group Cleafy said the threat actors behind the BRATA Android malware are now operating according to an Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) activity pattern. BRATA Android Malware Group Now Classified As Advanced Persistent Threat
• June 20, 2022. By Aaron Mehta, Breaking Defense. The House Armed Services Committee’s chairman’s mark for the fiscal 2023 National Defense Authorization Act largely stays in line with the White House’s national security funding request, seeking $772.5 billion for Pentagon-specific funds while emphasizing the need to focus on replenishing key munitions that are being used in the Ukraine conflict. HASC chairman’s NDAA mark focuses on munitions, R&D
• June 20, 2022. By  Joe Gould, Defense News. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has disrupted the market for a broad range of critical materials essential to U.S. munitions and other defense industry products, spurring hundreds of millions in Pentagon spending to shore up supplies, a senior defense official told Defense News in an interview this month. Vital mineral markets ‘not functioning’ in wake of Ukraine war, says DoD industrial policy chief
• June 20, 2022. By Cam Roberson, Info Security. The NIST Cybersecurity Framework’s comprehensiveness makes it the de facto standard across industries. However, the Framework has one major weakness: its guidelines can be particularly confusing for newcomers to understand. #HowTo: Demystify the NIST Cybersecurity Framework
• June 20, 2022. By Phil Muncaster, Info Security. Cybersecurity is now viewed as the most critical factor in AI adoption, but governance needs to catch up with the potential risks associated with the technology, a new study from Juniper Networks has revealed. Governance Shortfall Raises AI Security Concerns
• June 20, 2022. By Phil Muncaster, Info Security. Customers of a popular network-attached storage (NAS) vendor appear to be caught in the middle of two ransomware campaigns. QNAP Customers Hit in Double Ransomware Blitz
• June 20, 2022. By Phil Muncaster. Info Security. Global law enforcers have dismantled a Russian botnet thought to have contained millions of infected machines and devices. Investigators Disrupt Giant RSOCKS Botnet
• June 20, 2022. By Tayfun Ozberk, Naval News. Turkey’s leading defence company Aselsan conducted the second demonstration of the Albatros-S USV Swarm on June 19, 2022. During the demonstration, a new USV named “MİR” was spotted. Turkey’s Aselsan demonstrates new swarm USV capabilities
• June 20, 2022. By Naval News. Austal Limited has provided information about a number of contracts that Austal has secured, which help to diversify the Company’s long-term revenue base while utilizing its shipbuilding and support expertise.  Austal secures multiple contracts to diversify long-term revenue base
• June 17, 2022. By IISS. Japan’s ambition is to strengthen its defence spending over the next five years to meet regional security challenges. Fenella McGerty and Tom Waldwyn consider the prospects for enacting such increases. Japan’s defence budget break-out

HORIZONS

• June 20, 2022. By UN News. Civic space is shrinking, together with a rise in human rights violations during peaceful protests worldwide, while governments adopt an increasingly militarised approach to policing demonstrations, said an independent UN human rights expert on Monday.  ‘Militarised approach’ to policing peaceful protests, only increases risk of violence: UN human rights expert
• June 20, 2022. By Valdai Discussion Club. At this stage of history’s development, a version of the Treaty of Westphalia shaped on today’s reality is needed, with international institutions capable of governing a shared order, writes Valdai Club expert Dario Velo. A New International Order
• June 20, 2022. By Marjorie Chinen, Ana Maria Oviedo, World Bank blogs. For children living as refugees, going to school can be challenging. While school is supposed to offer respite and create new opportunities for refugee children, it also entails overcoming language barriers and navigating different rules, norms, and expectations. Using virtual reality to help teachers better support refugee students
• June 20, 2022. By Emi Suzuki, World Bank blogs. June 20 is World Refugee Day. The number of refugees globally rose to 27.1 million in 2021, up from 26.4 million in 2020,  setting a new record, according to the newly released UNHCR Global Trends report, and World Bank estimates. The number of people seeking international protection outside of their country of origin has increased 78% since 2011. It is important to note that the newly released data covers trends up to the end of 2021, which does not include the current situation around Ukraine. Newly released data show refugee numbers in 2021 are the highest ever: An update
• June 20, 2022. By Dorte Verner, Line Astrom, World Bank blogs. Displaced people bring skills, creativity, and entrepreneurial spirit to host communities everywhere, including in Africa. Unfortunately, refugee crises are not temporary. Most refugees do not expect to be displaced for long, but in reality displacement lasts more than a decade. As a result, it is essential to address longer-term development needs to complement short-term humanitarian assistance. Investing in food and agriculture is an effective long-term strategy to create jobs, build livelihoods, and create benefits for both the displaced and the communities that host them. Could food, feed and fertilizer production by farming insects be a way for refugees and host communities to move from surviving to thriving?
• June 20, 2022. By Peter Holland, World Bank blogs. Overlapping crises. This is the term of our time.  Whether it’s the pandemic, rising food prices, or the climate emergency, the consequences are almost always most devastating for the poorest. These global threats often exacerbate local crises relating to fragility, conflict, and violence (FCV). The result is an ever-increasing number of families forced to flee their home, with an inadequate global financing envelop to respond to these challenges. Bridging the humanitarian-development nexus can help refugee students get the education they deserve
• June 17, 2022. By Vanja Kovac, Center for Civilians in Conflict. The war in Ukraine and allegations of sexual violence by Russian troops have brought back to the forefront the issue of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV). However, the history of CRSV is as old as war itself and attempts to stop and prevent it from happening have been mostly unsuccessful. As underscored recently by Pramila Patten, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, “there is a stark discrepancy between that painful reality and the global community’s ambition to end the use of rape as a tactic of war.”. Conflict-Related Sexual Violence: 5 Things You Should Know Conflict-Related Sexual Violence: 5 Things You Should Know
• June 16, 2022. By Center for Civilians in Conflict. Today, armed conflicts are increasingly fought in urban areas affecting some 50 million people. Thus, urban areas are vulnerable to the effects of conflict, because they are the centers of gravity for civilian life.  Within the complex and dynamic context of modern conflict, the risk to civilians and civilian objects grows exponentially in urbanized environments, as the co-mingling of military, civilians, and civilian objects creates challenges for belligerents to comply with international humanitarian law (IHL). Protecting civilians in urban environments, therefore, requires a comprehensive approach to foresee and mitigate risks to civilians and ensure respect for IHL.  A Primer on Civilian Harm Mitigation in Urban OperationsA Primer on Civilian Harm Mitigation in Urban Operations

Le interviste di The Science of Where Magazine

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