Open newsletter – march 24, 2022 p.m.

CHINA – AFGHANISTAN

• China hopes Afghanistan would fulfill its commitment of not allowing any external forces to use its territory as a tool to oppose neighbours, or harm the security of other nations, Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Thursday. Reuters – China hopes Afghanistan to keep commitment of fending off external forces

CHINA – INDIA 

• China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has drawn a rebuke from the Indian government ahead of his expected but unconfirmed visit to New Delhi on Friday, upsetting his hosts with remarks made in Pakistan this week concerning the disputed Kashmir region. Relations between the two nuclear-armed Asian powers turned chilly two years ago after a deadly border clash in the Ladakh region of Kashmir, and Wang would be the first high-level Chinese official to visit since that time. Al Jazeera – India rebukes China FM over Kashmir remarks before expected visit

CYBER SECURITY

• Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Anonymous has declared war on Russia and launched multiple cyber-attacks against Russian entities, including Russian government sites, state-run media websites, and energy firms. Pierluigi Paganini – Security Affairs – Anonymous targets western companies still active in Russia
• Anonymous continues to target Russian government organizations and private businesses, now it is claiming to have hacked the Central Bank of Russia. Pierluigi Paganini – Security Affairs – Anonymous claims to have hacked the Central Bank of Russia
• This week Lapsus$ extortion group claimed to have stolen sensitive data from the identity and access management giant Okta solutions. Pierluigi Paganini – Security Affairs – Okta says only 375 customers impacted by hack

ETHIOPIA

•  Ethiopia’s government on Thursday declared an immediate truce with rebellious Tigrayan forces to allow aid into the war-ravaged northern province. Reuters – Ethiopia government declares immediate truce to allow aid into Tigray

INDIA 

• Four years ago, when I was travelling across the northern Indian state of Haryana to report on “rape culture” there, I met a slight-bodied young woman at a local district court. She, a Dalit, was there to fight a case against four upper-caste men who had raped her. We spoke for a few hours. She told me about her recent separation from her husband of eight years and the physical violence she faced, including repeated rape, throughout her marriage. Sanya Dhingra – Al Jazeera – Hijab bans in India: Where communalism and patriarchy intersect

ISRAEL – PALESTINE

• Palestinian residents of the Naqab (Negev) say they are fearful due to the formation of armed Jewish vigilante groups amid heightened tensions in the area. The Barel Rangers unit, a Jewish civilian group, was formally launched on Sunday by a former Israeli police officer, Almog Cohen, claiming inadequate police governance in the southern region. Made up of volunteers, the group “will undergo training in fighting terror” and “show its presence and maintain security”, its website says, according to Israeli media. Zena Al Tahhan – Al Jazeera – Palestinians threatened by Jewish ‘terrorist militia’ in Naqab

NORTH KOREA

• North Korea appeared on Thursday to have returned to testing its longest-range intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) for the first time since 2017. Reuters – The road from Trump-Kim summits to N.Korea’s new ICBM test

PAKISTAN

• Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan says he will not resign, rejecting opposition calls for him to step down ahead of a no-confidence move against him in his toughest challenge since coming to power in 2018. Pakistan’s parliament will convene on Friday to start proceedings for a no-confidence motion. It could take several days before an actual vote to decide if Khan will be removed. Al Jazeera – Pakistan PM Khan says he won’t resign ahead of no-confidence vote

RUSSIA – UKRAINE (and beyond) 

• In dealing with a tight natural gas market, is it best to boost supply or instigate demand destruction? This question is relevant as Europe grapples with how to handle its reliance on Russian natural gas in the wake of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine – and the subsequent threat to supplies that meet about 40% of Europe’s demand. But the canary in the coal mine may be Australia. The country’s policymakers, utilities and gas producers are tackling a domestic market that faces dwindling supply, rising prices and unsustainable competition with the huge Australian liquefied natural gas (LNG) export sector. Clyde Russell – Reuters – Column: Destroy demand or boost supply? Australia shows natural gas dilemma

• Egypt is in talks with Argentina, India, France and the United States for future wheat imports but is in no rush to buy at the moment, the supply minister said on Thursday. Egypt, one of the world’s biggest wheat importers, is looking for alternatives to Black Sea grain exports which face disruptions caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, both major wheat exporters to Egypt. Global grain prices have soared.  Sarah El Safty – Reuters – Egypt in talks with Argentina, India and U.S. on wheat imports

• TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA), which is maintaining assets in Russian gas projects even after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, is now looking into sourcing its gas from the United States and projects in the North Sea, its chief executive said on Thursday. Reuters – TotalEnergies, pressured on Russian gas assets, looks at North Sea, U.S.
• Crude prices slide 2% on Thursday as the United States and its allies discussed a possible further coordinated release of oil from storage to help calm energy markets roiled by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.  Scott Disavino – Reuters – Oil slides 2% as U.S., allies consider releasing more oil
• U.S. stocks rose following choppy trading abroad on Thursday, and oil prices pulled back, as investors watched a meeting of NATO leaders on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Lawrence Delevingne  and Marc Jones – Reuters – U.S. stocks gain, oil dips as NATO meets on Ukraine
• Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has ended globalization as we know it, says the head of BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager. Anna Cooban – CNN – BlackRock says Russia’s war in Ukraine is the end of globalization
• The White House has set up a team of experts to plan how the United States could respond should Russia use weapons of mass destruction – chemical, biological or nuclear – during its invasion of Ukraine, senior administration officials said on Thursday.  Steve Holland – Reuters – U.S. making plans in case Russia uses chemical, nuclear weapons
• Marc Lamont Hill presses Moscow’s ambassador to the EU on the Russian Armed Forces’ actions in Ukraine. Al Jazeera – Is Russia guilty of war crimes in Ukraine? | Russia-Ukraine war
• Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has drawn concern and comparison to what China may have in mind for Taiwan. U.S. partners and allies can use this crisis to help them better understand — and adjust — their response to a potential future Taiwan crisis.  Jeffrey W. Hornung – Defense News – Ukraine should provide Japan’s wake-up call
• After the February 4 Summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing and 18 days after Russia invaded Ukraine, China has not wavered in its support of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine despite urgings by the US and West. Differing views are, however, now beginning to surface internally. Jayadeva Ranade – VIF – Chinese Criticism of China’s Support to Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine
• This work attempts an answer to the following posers in the context of the on-going air war between Russia and Ukraine: – How the forces measured up on both sides?; – How come till date, a mighty Air Force of a country like Russia is unable to achieve favourable air situation leave aside air superiority in the Ukrainian skies?; – What are takeaways from this situation? Lt Gen (Dr) V K Saxena (Retd), PVSM, AVSM, VSM – VIF – Why the Ukrainian Skies are still Contested- An Assessment
• Russia may be trying to create a pretext for the use of chemical weapons in Ukraine by accusing the United States and its allies of preparing such an attack, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday. Reuters – NATO says concerned Russia may be preparing pretext for chemical attack
• The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court on Thursday asked a coalition of countries in The Hague to back his war-crimes investigation in Ukraine, saying “things can get worse” if the international community fails to act now.  Anthony Deutsch – Reuters – ICC prosecutor calls for international support in Ukraine war-crimes probe
• The United States and its allies on Thursday imposed fresh sanctions on Russia, targeting dozens of Russian defense companies, hundreds of members of its parliament and the chief executive of the country’s largest bank as Washington ramps up pressure on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine. Jarrett Renshaw and Daphne Psaledakis – Reuters – U.S., allies announce new Russia sanctions over Ukraine invasion
• Western leaders showcased their unity against Russia’s war in Ukraine on Thursday, with Washington seeking more military aid for Kyiv, NATO assigning more troops to its eastern flank and London imposing fresh sanctions against Moscow. Jarrett Renshaw and Sabine Siebold – Reuters – West showcases unity against Russia as NATO adds more troops to eastern flank
• Oligarchs’ wealth remains largely untouched in the European Union, weeks after Brussels approved measures to freeze the assets of dozens of billionaires and top officials linked to Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. Francesco Guarascio – Reuters – Freeze and seize? EU struggles to target oligarchs’ assets
• The United Nations human rights office said on Thursday that at least 1,035 people have been killed and 1,650 wounded in one month of war in Ukraine. Reuters – Confirmed civilian death toll in Ukraine now exceeds 1,000 – U.N.
• Russia’s powerful defence minister resurfaced in a short snippet of video footage aired by state media on Thursday after dropping out of public view for days during Russia’s war in Ukraine. Reuters – Russia’s defence minister resurfaces after dropping out of view
• Ukrainian refugees in Poland on Thursday said Western powers should do more to protect the country from Russian bombardment as leaders met in Brussels for unprecedented summits of NATO, G7 and the European Union. Anna Koper and Gerhard Mey –  Reuters – Refugees plead for protection for Ukraine as Western leaders meet

SOMALIA 

• At least five people, including two of the attackers, were killed during a raid by armed fighters on an army base near the Somali capital’s international airport, a diplomatic memo said. On Wednesday, the state-run television said security forces were dealing with a “terrorist incident” at the gates to the camp. A witness said gunmen had forced their way in and started shooting. Al Jazeera – Somalia: Five dead in attack on military base near airport

UAE – SYRIA

• Since its military intervention in the Syrian civil war in September 2015, one of Russia’s major foreign policy goals has been to convince Gulf Arab monarchies to come to terms with the survival of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, and the reacceptance of its “legitimacy”. A host of developments in Gulf-Syrian relations during the past few years, most recently al-Assad’s visit to the United Arab Emirates, indicate that this Russian strategy has been quite successful. Giorgio Cafiero – Al Jazeera – Ukraine war allows UAE to bring Syria’s Assad in from the cold

USA 

• Alphabet’s Google (GOOGL.O) urged a judge hearing a U.S. antitrust case against it to reject the Justice Department’s request that it be sanctioned, saying it had not abused attorney-client privilege. Reuters – Google urges judge hearing U.S. antitrust lawsuit to reject sanctions request
• Legislation recently introduced in the House of Representatives would reauthorize the U.S. Secret Service’s federally funded training hub for digital evidence and cybercrime investigations—and, among other tweaks, codify its curriculum. Reps. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., Gary Palmer, R-Ala., and Terri Sewell, D-Ala., put forth the bill to renew the authority of the Hoover, Alabama-based National Computer Forensics Institute. Their 10-page policy proposal, shared with Nextgov on Tuesday, was referred to the House Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees for consideration.  Brandi Vincent – Nextgov – Lawmakers Push to Reauthorize and Possibly Expand Secret Service’s Cyber Crime Training Hub

• A new bill introduced on Wednesday seeks to force agencies into modernizing their outdated information technology systems, while requiring officials to write up plans and additional guidance to update and dispose of those legacy systems. The Legacy IT Reduction Act of 2022 effectively aims to make the modernization of federal legacy IT systems mandatory. Introduced by Sens. Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and John Cornyn (R-Texas), the bill would require agencies to identify and create an inventory of all legacy IT systems.  Chris Riotta – Nextgov – Senate bill would push replacement of legacy IT systems

• More technologically knowledgeable stakeholders and committed leadership within the federal government are critical to successfully implementing scalable artificial intelligence technology in public offices. Speaking during a virtual panel discussion, officials including Jack Shanahan, the inaugural director of the Department of Defense’s Joint Artificial Intelligence Center, discussed the need for modernization advocates in federal agencies, specifically needing a “disrupter” helming the implementation of new software.  Alexandra Kelley – Nextgov – AI in Government Hinges on Supportive Leadership and a “Glass Breaker” in Charge

• A slew of Democratic lawmakers sitting on the House Energy and Commerce Committee penned a letter to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration voicing support for the broadband provisions included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, urging the agency to help implement these programs. Alexandra Kelley – Nextgov – Lawmakers Request Agency Support in Broadband Rollouts

• Several current and former high-profile federal officials of both major political parties urged Congress Monday to pass legislation that would improve American competitiveness in semiconductor production and advanced manufacturing and create a more resilient supply chain. “Chips are essential components of our most vital and sensitive military equipment. Our overreliance on foreign manufacturers puts crucial elements of our national and economic security at risk,” Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said in a panel discussion hosted by her agency. “Our competitors like China are racing to support their semiconductor industries and they aren’t waiting for us to catch up. Every day we wait is a day we fall further behind.”. Frank Konkel – Nextgov – NatSec Experts to Congress: Pass Legislation to Boost Domestic Semiconductor Production

• The next generation of wireless technology is rapidly rolling out across the country. Called 5G or 5th generation, it promises a jump in speed and reliability that will enable mobile devices to act more like desktop computers connected to a wired network. Most experts say that the changes will be even more pronounced with 5G than they were when we moved to 4G, which was responsible for the explosion of the mobile applications and services that we enjoy today. John Breeden II – Nextgov – Hidden Security Considerations When Moving to 5G

VATICAN

• Pope Francis on Thursday criticised increased defence spending by Western nations following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as “madness” and said a new way must be found to balance world power. Philip Pullella – Reuters – Pope says increased defence spending after Ukraine is “madness”