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BelarusAlert

Jun 1, 2022

Putin’s Black Sea blackmail sets stage for Belarus “deal with the devil”

By Brian Whitmore

Western leaders are desperate to resolve a global food crisis sparked by Russia's Black Sea blockade of Ukrainian grain exports but sending shipments via Belarus would mean rewarding Putin's only ally Alyaksandr Lukashenka.

Belarus
Conflict

SouthAsiaSource

Jun 1, 2022

Afghanistan’s security crisis and implications

By South Asia Center

The Atlantic Council’s South Asia Center brings together a panel of experts to discuss Afghanistan’s security implications and the country's future.

Afghanistan
Politics & Diplomacy

SouthAsiaSource

Jun 1, 2022

Experts react: Biden’s new Indo-Pacific Economic Framework

By Atlantic Council

Introduced during Biden’s first Asian tour in Japan earlier this week, the Indo-Pacific Framework, or IPEF, is a US-led framework for an economic partnership between members of the Quad along with  Brunei, Indonesia,  Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, South Korea, and New Zealand. The framework is a means for the countries to solidify their relationship and engage in economic and trade matters concerning the Indo-Pacific region. The IPEF comes five years after the US withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership and is seen as a means to counter China’s dominance in the region and reassert American influence.    

Digital Policy
Economy & Business

IranSource

May 31, 2022

Canceled soccer ‘friendly’ reinforces Canada-Iran enmity

By Abbas Qaidari

The soccer match between Iran and Canada was an opportunity to repair the damage, but it is now just another missed opportunity.

Iran
Middle East

EnergySource

May 31, 2022

Obscured by the energy crisis, a food crisis unfolds

By Reed Blakemore, Maia Sparkman

Efforts to grapple with an energy crisis brought on by Russia's invasion of Ukraine have drowned out a similar emergency facing global food supply. Food security, already being impacted by the adverse effects of climate change, cannot be forgotten as the world pursues a transition to net-zero.

Energy & Environment
Geopolitics & Energy Security

MENASource

May 31, 2022

Lebanon just had an election. Its result? Curb the optimism.

By David Daoud

Lebanon desperately needs genuine economic reforms to even halt its ongoing collapse. Political reform is a necessary precondition to establishing a sustainable economy. Neither are more likely today than under the previous parliament.

Elections
Lebanon

BelarusAlert

May 31, 2022

From White Russia to Belarus: Norway snubs Kremlin with name change

By Peter Dickinson

Norway has announced that it will now use the name “Belarus” instead of “Hviterussland” (literally “White Russia”) in a move reflecting growing awareness that Belarus should not be viewed through a Russian lens.

Belarus
Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

May 31, 2022

Memo to Henry Kissinger: Appeasing Putin means enabling genocide

By Stephen Blank

Appeasing Russia will not end the war in Ukraine or secure peace in our time. On the contrary, it will embolden Putin, prolong Ukraine’s pain, weaken the West, and destabilize the entire world, writes Stephen Blank.

Conflict
Disinformation

UkraineAlert

May 30, 2022

Now is the right time to launch a Digital Marshall Plan for Ukraine 

By Anatoly Motkin

As the world explores the challenges of rebuilding Ukraine, one smart option may be to initiate a Digital Marshall Plan that will play to Ukraine's existing tech strengths while securing the country's modernization.

Conflict
Cybersecurity
A camouflaged Russian tank outside the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in Enerhodar, Ukraine, March 16, 2022. (Source: Reuters/Energoatom)

New Atlanticist

May 27, 2022

Russian War Report: Pro-Kremlin Telegram channels claim Ukraine is building a “dirty bomb”

By Digital Forensic Research Lab

Pro-Kremlin Telegram channels misrepresented comments by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to claim Ukraine was producing a “dirty bomb.”

Disinformation
NATO