Russia Policy Monitor No. 2639
The Houthis take aim at Moscow;
Sino-Russian cooperation in the South China Sea… and beyond;
Medvedev warns against Ukraine's NATO membership;
The cost of Russian crypto-mining
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Publications
India’s Maritime Imperative
…supporting an enhancement of India's naval capabilities marks the logical next step. It aligns with America's interest in countering an increasingly assertive China, and it helps to deepen the already-robust bilateral ties between Washington and New Delhi.
How To Strike Back Against The Houthis
Up to now, Washington and its international partners have been loath to retaliate forcefully to Houthi aggression, fearful of precipitating a wider Mideast war. But the lack of a serious Western response has only emboldened the Houthis further, to the point where the group is now threatening to target America's regional presence directly.
China Policy Monitor No. 1601
U.S. Coast Guard shadows PLA Navy near Aleutian Islands;
Cheap robotaxis spark anxiety among cabbies;
China's population is 100M less than official data claims;
Cooking oil scandal prompts residents to buy oil presses;
China and Philippines reach deal to stop SCS clashes
Russia Policy Monitor No. 2638
Now, the Kremlin takes aim at Navaly's widow;
A new bargain with New Delhi;
New tradecraft for Russia's spies
Resource Security Watch No. 56
For Kyiv, necessity is the mother of (energy) invention;
The real state of food insecurity in the Gaza Strip;
Eastern Europe tilts back toward coal;
China's energy drive
Ukraine Reform Monitor No. 13
Assessing Ukraine's anti-corruption progress;
Speaking the language of commerce
Why Military-To-Military Communication With China Won’t Stop A War
As such, the current discussion about strengthening lines of communication is little more than political theater.
Russia Policy Monitor No. 2637
After Dagestan attack, a war on "Wahhabism";
Russia's secretive courts;
How the war has come to (some parts of) Russia;
Moscow tilts even further east
China Policy Monitor No. 1600
China and Belarus conduct military exercises on NATO's doorstep;
China the "decisive enabler" of Russia's war on Ukraine – NATO;
Germany bans Chinese telecom giants from 5G;
China builds a military base in Tajikistan;
PRC-state hackers behind online theft – Australia
Iran Democracy Monitor No. 235
SPECIAL ISSUE: A NEW IRANIAN PRESIDENT
More breathing room for Iranian society…;
…But no deviation from revolutionary principles;
A lack of confidence in the regime;
New nuclear diplomacy with the West?
China Policy Monitor No. 1599
United Front targets Taiwan's religious temples;
Taiwanese navy officer indicted for giving intel to China;
China cuts bankers' pay;
U.S. puts tariffs on PRC steel and aluminum routed via Mexico;
Japan to subsidize antibiotics to reduce reliance on China
Global Islamism Monitor No. 116
An Iranian hand in the October 7th atrocities…;
…And post-10/7 radical Islam;
Qatar's intolerant teachings;
A policy shift in Buenos Aires
Afghanistan Is Still There
Since the U.S.'s abrupt departure from Afghanistan, the Taliban government has opened exten- sive contacts with China, Russia, Pakistan, Turkey, and the Gulf States and some have elevated their ties to the ambassadorial level. No region has more at stake in Afghanistan's evolution than Central Asia and none follow developments there more closely. The U.S. should expand its C5+1 ties with Central Asia to include the sharing of information and discussion of policy choices re- garding Afghanistan. Europe and other friendly powers should do likewise.
Africa Political Monitor No. 33
Sahel military regimes cement break from ECOWAS;
China-backed pipeline project in Niger under threat;
Ramaphosa's coalition gamble;
Violence deepens crisis in Burkina Faso;
Washington seeks new allies amid African counterterrorism setbacks
Masoud Pezeshkian: Iran’s New ‘Moderate’ President Could Be A Disappointment
Nor would Pezeshkian be the first “moderate” Iranian president to disappoint those hoping for real change in Tehran.
Today’s Antisemitism Is a National Security Threat
Iran's involvement is just part of a much larger story. All of the available evidence suggests that today's "pro-Palestine" activism is an instrument of statecraft—one that is actively being weaponized against the U.S. by an array of hostile actors.
Indo-Pacific Monitor No. 37
Vietnamese President resigns amid anti-corruption campaign;
In break from pacifist principles, Japan approves plan to sell jets;
Malaysia rises as crucial link in chip supply chain...;
...While maintaining cooperation with Beijing;
U.S., Japan, Philippines plan joint South China Sea patrols
The Problems Still Plaguing NATO
This week’s NATO summit in Washington is, by any measure, a grand affair, full of the pomp and ceremony befitting the bloc’s 75th anniversary. It also offers up a useful opportunity to reflect on the state of the most successful military alliance in history.
At 75, The World Still Needs The NATO Alliance
Deterrence and containment are as critical to U.S. global strategy today as they were during the Cold War. NATO has been a lynchpin in that strategic effort.
Global Islamism Monitor No. 115
Now, the Gulf normalizes Hezbollah;
A dangerous blind spot in Moscow;
Flashpoint: Nigeria;
Iran seeks a broader anti-Israel front
Russia Policy Monitor No. 2636
Moscow's youngest victims;
Kakhovka, a year on;
Russian leadership: all in the family;
Moscow, Pyongyang make common cause;
Russian nuclear power translates to global influence
Reacting to Major Space Events at or Below Geostationary Orbit - After Action Report 1
This report details the outcomes of a series of high-stakes, seminar-style wargames conducted by a simulated National Space Council (NSpC) to address potential near-term space-related scenarios that could significantly impact U.S. public perception, resourcing, and policy.
Africa Political Monitor No. 32
Moscow makes gains in West Africa;
A historic shift in South African politics;
UN Security Council extends arms embargo on South Sudan;
Washington on the back foot in West Africa;
Tax protests roil Kenya
Information Warfare Watch No. 35
Russian disinfo targets France's election...;
...And the Summer Olympics;
Israel versus hostile media
South Asia Strategy Monitor No. 17
A chastened Modi starts his third term;
India leverages its ties to Bangladesh;
Pakistan's terrorism troubles;
The Taliban's drift toward international acceptance
China Policy Monitor No. 1598
The PLA hires Western pilots and experts as trainers;
MSS launches "zero tolerance" crackdown on fake officials;
China, Pakistan upgrade their economic corridor;
Arms sales shows U.S. "commitment to defense" against China – Taipei;
China builds floating nuclear reactors in South China Sea
Israel And Hezbollah Are On Brink Of War: What Should Joe Biden Do?
Thus, the U.S. approach to an Israel-Hezbollah war – i.e., the extent to which Washington sticks by its closest regional ally as deaths mount in southern Lebanon – will have huge implications for the strategic calculations to come in Tehran, Moscow, and Beijing as they each plot their next expansionist moves.
Russia Policy Monitor No. 2635
Indoctrinating a future Russian elite;
Female inmates to the front;
The Ukraine War comes home to Russia;
The war on Ukrainian Evangelicals
It’s Springtime For Mahmoud Abbas
In other words, the Palestinian Authority is asking the international community to empower one failed state to rebuild another.
The NBA Bows to Beijing
The league’s latest behavior continues its thoroughgoing capitulation to China in pursuit of profit.
Geopolitics and the “Battle of Ideas”
New Technologies And The Struggle For Hearts And Minds
Showing Up in the New Battle of Ideas
A Changed Chinese Approach To The Middle East
The Taliban’s Third Act
Rethinking America’s Role in the War of Ideas
Ditching Political Ambiguity: Clarifying the Contradictions of America’s Taiwan Policy
The United States may be running out of time to deter Beijing from subsuming Taiwan. The sooner U.S. policymakers recognize this danger, the better chance America has of forestalling Beijing’s aggression. Doing so will require Washington to clarify the importance of its political relationship with Taipei.
Washington’s Mideast Messaging Needs an Upgrade | Opinion
It has become painfully clear that America is losing the information war in the Middle East.
China Policy Monitor No. 1597
China working to "prevent" countries from attending summit – Zelenskyy;
Central African Republic suspends Chinese firm for ties to armed groups;
Prison time for trying to sell Iranian oil to China;
Epoch Times CFO arrested for $67 million money laundering scheme;
Aussie wine exports to China boom after Beijing drops tariffs
Joe Biden’s Ceasefire Proposal: Why It Won’t Work With Hamas
On one hand, the proposal would not put Hamas permanently out of business, which makes it a non-starter for Israel. On the other hand, it would “not allow Hamas to re-arm,” which makes it a non-starter for a terrorist organization that – along with its state sponsor in Tehran and fellow terrorist groups in the Iranian-directed “axis of resistance” – seems emboldened by October 7.
Failed state from the start: Why a sovereign Palestine isn’t happening any time soon
Set aside for a moment the moral dimensions of rewarding Hamas’s October 7 atrocities with Palestinian sovereignty. The other problem, which does not get nearly enough attention, is the new legal and political status quo that would prevail between Israel and the Palestinians once statehood kicks in.
Defense Technology Monitor No. 101
Microwave weapons: the future of naval defense;
Cognitive electronic warfare on the rise;
Simulating space wars;
DARPA surges ahead in 3D printing;
Man vs. machine dogfighting has arrived
Energy Is the Achilles’ Heel of Taiwan’s National Security
U.S. policymakers have rightly focused on the need to turn Taiwan into a "porcupine"—that is, giving it sufficient weaponry to deter potential Chinese aggression. However, the island's current insecure energy status is a potentially fatal vulnerability as well—one that, if left unaddressed, might invite hostility from Beijing.
Ukraine Reform Monitor No. 12
Deepening defense ministry transparency;
The world starts to take notice of Ukrainian reforms;
Ukraine's plan for prosperity
China Policy Monitor No. 1596
China launches military drills around Taiwan;
China hunts dissidents in the U.S.;
Peru's port conflict with Chinese firm escalates;
The Vatican makes an overture to China;
U.S. bars imports from 26 PRC textile firms due to Uyghur forced labor
Russia Policy Monitor No. 2634
More criminals to the front lines;
Another warning to the West;
How crypto is helping Russia's rich;
A different way of influencing European opinion
Appeasement of Iran: The Path to More Conflict in the Middle East
When they look across the Middle East and beyond, Iran and its terrorist minions in the “axis of resistance” must be happy with what they see – a global community that not only refuses to confront their aggression but actually rewards it, laying the groundwork for more war down the road.
Information Warfare Watch No. 34
China’s hand in America’s campus protests;
AI as disinformation engine;
Will the real State Department spokesman please stand up?
Russia Policy Monitor No. 2633
Putin sets his sights on U.S. assets;
Militarization of the new frontier;
A different kind of tit-for-tat with Beijing;
Poland fortifies NATO’s frontlines;
Russia threatens the UK;
Western businesses: not leaving after all
China Policy Monitor No. 1595
Hong Kong court bans protest anthem "glory to Hong Kong";
PLA warplane fires flares in path of Australian helicopter;
China’s EV makers fail to cooperate with EU probe;
Biden quadruples tariffs on Chinese EVs;
China will "never forget" the U.S. bombing its embassy – Xi
Defense Technology Monitor No. 100
China’s dogs of war;
The promise of bioprinted skin;
Dumbing down AI for safety;
Lasers rebalance the cost equation;
China creates drones that separate and swarm
Global Islamism Monitor No. 114
ISIS exploits Taliban governance difficulties;
Beware the consequences of Taliban rule;
What should be done with Safar Al-Hawali?
Information Warfare Watch No. 33
A cold shoulder for TikTok in Central Asia;
Fresh EU sanctions attempt to squeeze Russian propaganda;
A new Chinese chatbot for indoctrination;
In Beijing, a growing emphasis on "cognitive warfare"
Russia Policy Monitor No. 2632
A post-election personnel reshuffle;
Russia seizing western assets;
Mobilization by other means;
Nuclear blackmail of a different sort