Russia Reform Monitor No. 2424
Russian airstrike: A precursor to new Syria violence;
The side effect of Sputnik V;
A new outpost in Africa;
A replacement for the INF?;
Finally, a Russian mask mandate;
Climate changes in the Russian Arctic
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Publications
Mapping vital US interests beyond Earth orbit
[T]he Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed earlier this Fall between NASA and the U.S. Space Force represents a major forward step in comprehensive national spacepower.
The Fight for Iran: Opposition Politics, Protest, and the Struggle for the Soul of a Nation
Today, more than four decades after its founding, the Islamic Republic of Iran is arguably at the weakest point in its history.
The Planet and the Pandemic
Crisis and Opportunity in the Americas
Weathering the Pandemic in the Arab World
Sputnik-V’s Failure to Launch
Summer of COVID: How East Asia Has Coped
The Emerging Anti-China Consensus
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2423
Economic comeback reverses course;
Reframing the Navalny poisoning;
Russia stealing data from local governments in U.S.;
Brazilian company agrees to produce Sputnik V;
Azerbaijan frets over Russia's role
How to Hold China Accountable on Human Rights
As the U.S.-China relationship grows increasingly confrontational, few issues have captured Washington's attention more than the egregious ongoing violations of human rights in Xinjiang.
American money for American ideas: Think tanks should disclose foreign funding
China Reform Monitor No. 1440
Vatican extends appointment deal with China;
Italy ends BRI membership and Sweden says no to Huawei;
China threatens not to recognize British passports for Hong Kongers;
China preparing to amend national defense law;
Philippine Communist Party orders guerrillas to target Chinese firms
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2422
Erasing the history of Soviet repression;
Pandemic fatigue sets in among Russia's leaders;
EU sanctions GRU chief over 2015 German hack;
GRU hid Novichok production: Bellingcat;
Aeroflot visas cancelled after iPhone scheme revelations;
Treasury sanctions Russia over 2017 Saudi oil hack
Scramble for the Skies: The Great Power Competition to Control the Resources of Outer Space
With a focus on China, the United States, and India, this book examines the economic ambitions of the second space race.
Why America’s Refugee Reset Could Drive Away Valuable War Allies
The administration’s refugee policy will jeopardize America’s ability to secure the cooperation of local populations when, at some point in the future, the United States again must take military action.
Global Islamism Monitor No. 82
Taliban-Afghan government peace talks commence;
Tajikistan sentences Brotherhood members;
Sudan separates religion and state;
Hezbollah: Banned in Switzerland?;
ISWAP strikes in northeast Nigeria
America’s Iran Policy Heads Toward A Crossroads
With the U.S. election around the corner, the contours of a second term Trump Iran policy – or a first term Biden approach – are already coming into view.
China Reform Monitor No. 1439
China tests internet censorship 2.0;
China's global image hits new lows;
UK parliament: Huawei colludes with "Communist Party apparatus";
China calls on Taiwan's spies to switch sides;
China stymies G20 debt relief scheme
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2421
Moscow and Nur-Sultan renew defense commitments;
Putin takes aim at same-sex marriage;
Turkey tests Russian anti-missile system;
The GRU gears up to sabotage the Tokyo Olympics;
Military cuts on the table;
U.S. charges Russian intelligence officers
Halting the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan
Russian peacekeeping is not the solution
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2420
Khabarovsk protestors beaten and jailed;
Russia denies cyber attack on Norway's parliament;
Joint space missions coming to an end;
New START negotiations stall;
Moscow pulls out of MH17 talks;
Eyeing Russia, Sweden rearms
China Reform Monitor No. 1438
Party wants private firms to aid United Front work;
Berlin buries internal report on China's influence;
Chile eyes Chinese fishing fleet along South American coast;
China's diplomatic offensive in Southeast Asia;
U.S. agricultural exports to China spike
Indo-Pacific Monitor No. 12
India tests new anti-submarine weapon, trains with U.S.;
Pakistan annexes part of Kashmir to protect Chinese investments;
Malaysia, Philippines spar over Sabah;
North Korea's new missile
Charting China’s plummeting popularity around the world
Can Washington parlay increasing negative views of China into a competitive strategy?
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2419
The Belarusian opposition feels the heat;
Kamchatka disaster leaves scientists perplexed;
Russian health system under strain as pandemic reality returns;
Russia eyes Kyrgyz protests;
Russia-brokered ceasefire already violated in N-K
Resource Security Watch No. 32
The Air Force eyes the Arctic;
Coronavirus and global food insecurity;
Gold mining in South Africa experiences a temporary revival;
African energy projects gain momentum
Defense Technology Monitor No. 57
The future of batteries: 3D printing...;
...and nuclear-powered gemstones;
How AI is gaming wargames;
Israel's answer to incendiary balloons;
AI: The future of fighter jets?
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2418
Kadyrov and the Navalny poisoning;
Suicide shines spotlight on press freedom in Russia;
A harder line in Berlin;
COVID-19 resurgence in Moscow;
New hypersonic weapon tested in Moscow
The UN’s Human Rights Council Grows More Odious
"Electing these dictatorships as UN judges on human rights," said Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch, a Geneva-based watchdog group, "is like making a gang of arsonists into the fire brigade."
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2417
Navalny assets seized by authorities;
Navalny poisoned himself, Putin tells Macron;
Yalta mayor fires deputy over Belarus support;
Russia, China conspire at UN over Libya;
Russian hackers to be sentenced in U.S.
China Reform Monitor No. 1437
Gambling, cryptocurrency ship $145 billion out of China annually;
Quad tackles China's disinformation;
Pompeo urges Vatican to condemn China's human rights abuses;
G7 ministers press Beijing on debt relief for poor nations;
China holds simultaneous naval drills
Can America Stop a Wider War Between Armenia and Azerbaijan?
The resumption of fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan threatens a broader regional conflict that threatens Western interests. While America has paid growing attention to Central Asia, it has forgotten to do the same in the South Caucasus, the Western gateway to Central Asia.
Why San Francisco State University Embraced a Failed Hijacker
This unorthodox university event reflects the moral confusion on issues of global concern that afflicts all-too-many institutions of higher learning these days. For while the university justified the event on free speech grounds, it applied the notion of free speech with striking selectivity.
China Reform Monitor No. 1436
Cheating, plagiarism to be punished under social credit system;
China's corn crisis continues;
China's fishing flotilla nears Peru's waters;
Kenya faces fiscal criss due to SGR loan;
Kenyan MPs urge China to renegotiate DEB
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2416
Pushing a vaccine in Egypt;
Eastern expansion falling flat;
Moscow's health diplomacy;
Sanctions threat makes Nord Stream 2 a risky proposition;
Russian diplomats accused of espionage in Bulgaria
Resource Security Watch No. 31
China's formidable fleet;
Climate and global labor;
North Korea's nuclear vulnerability...;
...and ours
Defense Technology Monitor No. 56
The future of body armor;
Russia seeks EMP weapons...;
...while DOD works on detection;
Inching toward electric fighters jets;
A national quantum internet takes its first steps
China Reform Monitor No. 1435
Growing calls in Washington to end "One China" policy;
Senate Democrats announce $350 billion to confront China;
U.S., H&M cut trade ties with China over forced labor in Xinjiang;
Outgoing U.S. ambassador to China blasts Beijing on Covid-19;
U.S., UK warns travelers of arbitrary arrest in China
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2415
Russia's space chief: Venus a "Russian planet";
Spy chief announces destruction of Novichok stockpiles;
Navalny team sheds light on Tomsk poisoning;
Facial recognition expanding on Moscow metro
Primary Jurisdiction of Humanitarian Concern: A New Tool to Blunt China’s Campaign in Xinjiang
Understanding the logic of China’s atrocities in Xinjiang is impossible apart from accounting for the One Belt, One Road (OBOR) initiative. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) needs Xinjiang to function as a critical OBOR hub, and is cracking down on Uyghurs and other minority groups to establish total control over the territory. U.S. policymakers should exploit this logic and consider sanctioning commerce passing through Xinjiang.
Beijing’s Terrifying Repression Campaigns
China is fast transforming into the global epicenter of totalitarian terror.
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2414
Lukashenko secures Russian funding in Sochi;
No proof of russian bounties on U.S. troops;
Side effects of Sputnik V emerging in small testing pools;
Navalny plans to return to Russia;
U.S. lawmakers push for Trevor Reed's release
China Reform Monitor No. 1434
New CPC guidelines expand Party control over private firms;
"Dual circulation" policy to be enshrined in 14th five-year plan;
Global Times: PLA seeking "a political reason" to attack Taiwan;
China picks up asylum seekers fleeing Hong Kong for Taiwan
Disney's new "Mulan" faces boycott
Addressing New START’s key failure
Washington is facing a critical arms control dilemma, with the New START Treaty due to expire, Russia developing a range of strategic weapons outside the treaty, and China meanwhile significantly building up its nuclear forces.
The Waning Power Of The Palestinian Cause
[T]he Palestinian Authority needs to join the new political wave, or get left behind.
The Space Force’s relevance to the green agenda
[W]hile most don’t know it, the Space Force is positioned to be among the most powerful organizations enabling and advancing a global green agenda.
Africa Political Monitor No. 7
An Indo-Japanese hub in Djibouti
U.S. seeks to expand East Africa drone war
Uganda bolsters oil market share with trade deals;
Slow aid and continuous crisis threatens Sudan's transition;
Ethiopian migrants languish in Saudi prisons
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2413
Navalny turns a corner;
Cossacks police Pride parade in the Urals;
Biden team targeted by hackers;
Vaccine data already suspect;
A show of military unity with Belarus;
Safronov's day in court delayed
China Reform Monitor No. 1433
China's semiconductor trade booms...;
...as Beijing looks to dominate production;
Australian journalists flee China;
China's bullying "won't to be tolerated" – Canberra;
Disney's Mulan filmed in Xinjiang amid Uighur genocide
Nineteen Years On, We Face A Resilient Islamist Threat
Last week marked the 19th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on New York and the Pentagon that ushered in what has come to be known as the "global war on terror." The occasion provides an opportune moment to take stock of the prevailing trends in America's longstanding struggle against Islamic extremism. Unfortunately, the news is anything but encouraging.
China Reform Monitor No. 1432
China ends Mongolian language education;
Signs suggest Xi plans to "reign for the ultra-long term";
$50 billion in cryptocurrency moves out of China in past year;
China, Switzerland explore renewal of "secret" extradition deal;
China launches new advanced warship for Pakistan Navy
Iran Democracy Monitor No. 211
Iran's censorship noose tightens;
Rights watchdog details depths of regime brutality;
Opposition calls for stepped up U.S. assistance
Indo-Pacific Monitor No. 11
The limits of the Saudi-Pakistani partnership;
Thai protests challenge the military-monarchy nexus;
Indian takes the high ground at Pangong Lake;
Huawei contract left PNG data center defenseless
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2412
In wake of Navalny poisoning, Germany rethinks Nord Stream;
American wings over Ukraine;
Russia's teachers wary of new vaccine;
Moscow vexed over Serbia-Kosovo deal;
Melting permafrost opens craters in Siberia