Russia Reform Monitor No. 2300
Moscow's message to the Middle East;
Russia's ultra-rich;
The Kremlin doubles down in Crimea;
The Lesin case, revisited
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Publications
Playing for Their Lives: How a 2001 Video Game Is Feeding Venezuela
Venezuelans are "farming gold" for income while their country is in turmoil.
China Reform Monitor No. 1365
Chinese hackers target U.S. universities for military tech;
Huawei's presence hurts U.S.-Hungary ties;
Massive database leaks ofer a glimpse into Xinjiang;
China and Russia expand cooperation in civilian monitoring;
China bans 23 million from traveling
Iran Democracy Monitor 194
The Ayatollah prefers guns over butter;
Tehran leads in executions, again;
Gulf worries over Iranian intentions;
Israel redoubles its Syria commitment;
The true cost of U.S. sanctions
2020 presidential race: Top Democrats support Iran’s hopes instead of promising sanctions
Iran’s leaders are more convinced than ever that relief from the Trump administration’s policies could be right around the corner with 2020 Democrats.
China Reform Monitor No. 1364
Delays in Russian missile deliveries to China;
China's ex-military chief of staff sentenced to life in prison;
China tightens its grips on Djibouti;
Nepal poised to sign on to BRI;
China recruits Americans to sell its "democracy"
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2299
A new spotlight on Putin's wealth;
Sanctions failing, says Kremlin's main critic;
An assault on Jehovahs witnesses;
Official fears of a fifth column;
Criminalizing criticism of the Kremlin
China Reform Monitor No. 1363
Regulating combat readiness;
U.S. "must use all military and diplomatic means" to defend Taiwan;
U.S. Senators ask House Speaker to invite Tsai to speak to Congress;
China's global image surpasses that of the U.S.;
Beijing denies reports of secret meeting with Venezuela's Guaido
Strategic Primer - Nuclear Weapons Modernization
This work seeks to provide insights into the role U.S. nuclear weapons play in advancing America’s security, and the rationale for modernizing U.S. nuclear weapons and their delivery platforms.
For Energy Security Think EVs
Notwithstanding newly won status as the world’s largest global oil producer, America’s sway over the global oil market remains incomplete and weak. Worse, it’s reactive, driven above all by politically touchy pump prices. In energy security, the focus continues to be on oil, yet a switch to electric propulsion offers a way out.
Is Russia Going to War Against the Internet?
The Sovereign Internet Bill, which recently passed its first reading in Russia’s parliament, calls for the creation of a Russian Domain Name System (DNS) and would require all web traffic to be routed through state-controlled servers. If passed, the bill would make it much, much easier for the Kremlin to control the dissemination of information entering and leaving the country.
Russia Racing to Complete National AI Strategy by June 15
That’s just one of several high-tech deadlines Putin set recently.
How Rabat Is Coping With ISIS Returnees
Over the past decade, Morocco's extensive efforts to promote its brand of tolerant Islam as an antidote to the extremism of ISIS and other Islamic radicals has put the kingdom on the intellectual front lines of the "war of ideas" in the Muslim world. Less well known, however, are the country's domestic efforts to mitigate its own internal Islamist problem.
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2298
Kyiv courts Europe;
Parking Putin's "State of the nation";
A cyber campaign against EU think tanks;
Another Putin critic meets his end
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2297
Kyiv courts Europe;
Parsing Putin's "State of the Nation";
A cyber campaign against EU think tanks;
Another Putin critic meets his end
China Reform Monitor No. 1362
U.S. challenges China at the World Bank;
U.S.-China relations; #METOO tops China's most censored topics;
More trouble signs for China's economy;
New app to "study Xi" a hit
Global Islamism Monitor No. 62
Israel's anti-terrorist fence;
Britain's plan for ISIS "cubs";
Hezbollah feels the heat;
Israel's response to "pay to slay"
A second act for ISIS in Afghanistan?;
Still fertile soil for ISIS in Iraq
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2296
The high cost of fighting Russian corruption;
Patching the militarys social media problem;
The Kremlin fears a Venezuelan "color revolution";
Church rift continues
A defiant Lavrov at Munich
Iran Strategy Brief No. 12: Russia and Iran’s Complicated Partnership in Syria
In 2015, Russia formally entered the Syrian conflict, becoming the Assad regime’s second sponsor, alongside Iran. The grounds for that intervention, we now know, were laid at a 2015 meeting between Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, and Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei.
‘Putin’s brain’ an echo of absolute tyrants
These days, the progressive Left’s ubiquitous use of the words “fascist” and “imperialist” to describe a multitude of political enemies threatens to render those words meaningless. Yet, for those who retain a fondness for the traditional interpretations of the words, a new exemplar has appeared...
Defense Technology Monitor No. 38
U.S. Navy swaps shells for hypersonics...;
...and shifts strategy to add unmanned warships;
Missile Defense Review unveiled;
Pentagon develops hypersonic proving ground;
The other parts of Pyongyang's arsenal
Humanitarian intervention and information warfare
Russia and its allies are not just targeting government, society, and military targets. They are also attacking key economic targets like electric grids and international logistics firms. They aim to undermine the US, UN, and other governments and effectuate what amounts to a criminal takeover of corporations for profit and political gain.
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2295
The codification of the Russian criminal state;
Rising prices augur poorly for Russia's economy;
Europe takes a sterner line on Nord Stream II;
Moscow backs Maduro
China Reform Monitor No. 1361
Huawei fracas prompts Chinese economic threats;
Czech cybersecurity agency issues warning against Huawei;
U.S. universities unplug from Chinese telecoms;
China is winning the AI race;
Rolling out facial recognition
Netanyahu ignores global opinion at Israel’s peril
Few things are more infuriating than to hear Western leaders lecture Israel about how it should behave — whether the issue is the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or other matters — while they say little if anything about far more serious matters of regional stability or human rights around the world.
China Reform Monitor No. 1360
China's economy shows signs of stress;
Chinese missiles can sink American carriers;
New Ministry of Emergency Management;
The PRC's Argentine space station stokes fears of secret ops;
U.S. arrests Chinese "birth tourism" operators
Refocusing On The Foreign Fighter Threat
What is to be done with ISIS returnees? America's allies and partners have grappled with this question for more than a year now, ever since the Islamic State's self-declared caliphate in Iraq and Syria began to crumble. But the issue has become more acute in recent days as a result of American policy.
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2294
Russia still has an alcoholism problem;
Putin's plans for urban renewal...;
...and their real cost;
Russia's homelessness crisis
Technology Is Making Terrorists More Effective — And Harder To Thwart
As the contemporary terrorist threat changes, it is being amplified by new technologies that give those actors greater reach and impact than ever before.
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2293
A golden sanctions shield;
The limits of Russi-Israeli cooperation;
Rosneft chafes at Kremlin constraints;
Google capitulates in Kremlin demands
Russia's prosperity gap
The Limits Of Russo-Israeli Cooperation
Why Russia covets hypersonic weapons
Russia’s ongoing development of hypersonic weapons proves nuclear weapons are in fact warfighting weapons — contrary to conventional wisdom in the West.
Russia Plans More Arctic UAVs
Moscow’s equivalent of DARPA wants a cold-weather drone that can stay aloft for four days.
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2292
A complex outlook for emigration;
After the INF, a new arms race?;
Up next: Patriotic enemies;
Iran Democracy Monitor No. 193
Iran's underage brides;
Tehran plays political power broker...;
...amid mass exodus of Afghans;
Regime officials spin Iranian success;
Iran digs in in Syria
Defense Technology Monitor No. 37
The Pentagon's plans for synthetic biology;
Mystery surrounds new Russian laser;
Improving America's resilience to EMP;
How China and Russia hope to own the ionosphere
40 years later, Iran needs another revolution
Iran’s threats to America’s global interests are mounting as the Islamic Republic celebrates its 40th anniversary, and these threats mock repeated U.S. efforts over the years to appease a dangerous regime.
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2291
Hacking the Kremlin;
Russia and the North Korean issue;
The war of the churches, continued;
Russia gets serious about artificial intelligence;
The wheels of Russian bureaucracy turn slowly
Rabat’s Challenging Conscription Strategy
Morocco’s return to conscription shouldn’t be seen as a catch-all cure.
China Reform Monitor 1359
Huawei tech removed from UK systems;
British officials worried over Huawei penetration;
Huawei snips a loose end;
China offered cover to disgraced Malay PM;
Fresh signs of economic weakness
Information warfare threatens Western corporations
Since 2014, we have learned just how potent Russian information warfare can be when it targets foreign governments. But as a result, we have tended to overlook the no less disruptive proliferation of attacks against Western corporations.
Global Islamism Monitor No. 61
The state of play in Pakistan;
A truce with the Taliban?;
France braces for influx of ISIS returnees;
Is ISIS poised for a comeback already?;
The BDS-terrorist connection
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2290
A mysterious mission for Russia's new drone;
The Kremlin and the crisis in Caracas;
Moscow's trash troubles;
No care for the elderly
4 Key Takeaways From Director Of National Intelligence Dan Coats Testimony About Iran
Director of National Intelligence Daniel Coats' January 2019 "worldwide threat assessment" — provides an extensive overview of the risks that the U.S. will face in the near future, and a detailed snapshot of the challenge that America's spies and intelligence professionals see emanating from Iran.
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2289
A Cold War spy drama for the modern age;
Officially-sanctioned repression, extortion in Grozny;
A diplomatic appeal for cooperation at Davos...;
...as America's spies assess the Russia threat
Putin Orders Up a National AI Strategy
The Jan. 15 instruction follows a year of Russian efforts to better unify public and private AI research.
Defense Technology Monitor No. 36
Ear-silent drones on the horizon?;
Russia's dream of hypersonic bullet;
Diamonds improve drone fuel;
Non-lethal laser talks and burns;
Infantry to get upgraded headsets
Second Trump-Kim summit risks US credibility
President Trump hopes to use a second summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong-un in the coming weeks to jumpstart progress on dismantling the North’s nuclear program, but Kim’s recent statements and Pyongyang’s clandestine work on its program raise serious questions about the President’s approach.
Russia’s latest gambit is just another Middle East foray gone awry
[T]he recent public verbal tongue lashings by Moscow to Iran’s leaders are just that. They are part of a false narrative that Moscow can exert its will over Turkey, Iran and Syria, and that Israel has a reliable and concerned partner in the Kremlin.
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2288
Russian emigration, by the (real) numbers;
Differences over inspections, compliance doom INF talks;
Moscow's manipulation efforts in Europe
Moscow versus America's new missile defense strategy;
A Russo-Turkish meeting of the minds over Syria