The world

Is the Caspian Sea a lake or a sea? For decades this question caused dispute and deadlock between the countries on its shores. On Sunday, Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan signed an agreement settling the legal status—it’s neither lake nor sea but has ‘special status’. The ABC has a great overview, and this infographic summarises the main facts well. Al-Jazeera’s Inside Story brings together three experts who highlight the opportunities and the loopholes in the deal, and DW argues that the military clause in the agreement makes Russia the main benefactor, with Tehran on the losing end.

Iran’s supreme leader claims that he made a mistake in approving the 2015 nuclear deal. Vox explores why Iran refuses to talk to US President Donald Trump, while Foreign Policy argues that Tehran needs a new deal with the US (as long as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s involved). And Politico discusses the spill-over effects of Washington’s Iran sanctions onto Iraq.

From one sanction minefield to the next: Who’s winning the trade war between China and the US? The Atlantic looks into how inviting China into the World Trade Organization in 2001 lay the foundations for tensions and the current standoff. Forbes says China may have shot itself in the foot in choosing to put a tariff on soybeans, and the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times examine the negative impacts the trade war is having on Xi Jinping’s presidency, both with the public and within the leadership of the communist party.

Harvard researcher William Overhault claims that the West is getting China wrong. He says that Xi’s leadership is vulnerable rather than perpetual, which is why he implements policies and reforms the way he does. In a Bloomberg piece, David Fickling writes that China needs to learn some lessons from the Soviet Union’s collapse when it comes to the Belt and Road Initiative, especially regarding misdirected spending.

With the North Korean nuclear issue still unresolved, the Financial Times explains why the US may raise an eyebrow at South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s economic integration plans on the peninsula. Foreign Affairs is pessimistic about the prospects for denuclearisation, claiming that Kim Jong-un’s got what he wants and that Trump hasn’t exactly ‘solved’ the problem. The National Interest proposes a different approach, arguing that Pyongyang could keep its nukes if it showed some ‘good faith’.

This London School of Economics blog post shows why the populist radical right has been outperforming its counterpart on the left in elections in the past decade. (Spoiler: It’s because they are better at expressing their message on key issues such as immigration.) Emily Schultheis in The Atlantic shows how German reporting can teach the world’s media how to cover far-right parties without empowering them.

The Economist’s 1843 magazine has two great pieces: Adnan Sarwar describes his experiences serving as a Muslim with the British Army in Iraq, and David Gelber discusses the significance of The colour of time, a collaboration between historian Dan Jones and artist Marina Amaral that features colourised photographs of world history from 1850 to 1960. This long New York Times article portrays Lt Marina A. Hierl, the first woman in the US Marine Corps to lead an infantry platoon— which arrived in Australia in April 2018. And this piece pays tribute to poet V.S. Naipaul’s imagination.

Tech geek

Russia has rolled out the latest variant of its Backfire bomber—the Tu-22M3M. It’s equipped with new avionics, a new engine and more advanced electronic warfare capabilities that will allow it to launch ballistic missiles and the advanced Kh-32 anti-ship missile.

The race to counter stealth is not stopping. The next step, after low-frequency radar, appears to be radio-photonic radar technology. Russia and China are both undertaking R&D into this technology. The US is also working on photonics for signals intelligence applications.

China has released a new video, I am a Chinese soldier, about its military which has gone viral. It deals with the personal sacrifices made by PLA personnel. Most disturbingly, it includes the line ‘Peace behind me, war in front of me’, suggesting an inevitability of conflict.

Space has been in the headlines this week. The US Department of Defense released its report to Congress on the potential US space force earlier this week, renewing debate on the proposal. See Neil deGrasse Tyson on the space force, and why it’s not a dumb idea. Also, Michio Kaku tries to explain space security to an MSNBC host.

The US has warned Russia about its pursuit of space weapons, including a mobile laser weapon, and a new ‘inspector satellite’ that could be used to interfere with US and allied satellites. The US is giving space-based missile defence a second look, particularly because of the threat posed by Russian and Chinese hypersonic weapons. And a recent paper at a Black Hat hacker conference in Las Vegas reinforces the prospect of cyberattacks on satellites.

Multimedia

This Daily Mail photo series on Laboratory No. 5 RI-400, a secret Soviet military research lab on the Black Sea, has some fascinating pictures of rusting torpedoes and abandoned, decaying facilities.

Amid the anti-Semitism debate in the UK’s Labour Party, BBC Newsnight gathers the views from the Jewish and Labour voting community in Manchester. [8:55]

Al-Jazeera’s Inside Story features a hot debate between representatives from China, the US and Australia in ‘Is the US looking for war in space?’ [25:10]

To commemorate the 73rd anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II, listen to Prime Minister Ben Chifley’s announcement to the Australian people on 15 August 1945. [6:03]

Podcasts

Pod Save the World presents ‘Space Force all the way!’ Not much explaining needed with this title. [37:58; skip ads at 16:05–18:32, 26:38–29:59; caution, coarse language].

The APPS Policy Forum dives into possible flashpoints in Asia (featuring, among others, Dr Brendan Taylor and his recently published book on the topic) and how the continent is beginning to appear like 20th-century Europe. [42:33]

Carnegie’s Paul Haenle interviews Elsa B. Kania, fellow at the Center for a New American Security and non-resident fellow at ASPI’s International Cyber Policy Centre, on innovation and technology in China and the US while both face greater strategic competition. [23:25]

Events

Melbourne, 21 August, 6–7 pm, University of Melbourne: ‘Inter-Korean peace-building and denuclearisation of North Korea’. Book here.

Canberra, 21 August, 11.30 am – 12.30 pm, Australian National University: ‘Embers of empire in Brexit Britain’. Registration here.

Canberra, 27 August, 6–8 pm, National Library of Australia: ‘Madam Ambassador—women, leadership and diplomacy’ with high-level representatives. Tickets here.

The world

It’s well known that China is always on the lookout for opportunities to extend its reach. The New York Times went to Patagonia to investigate where Latin America sits on Beijing’s list of priorities. And it’s same, same but different in The Daily Beast with a Huawei story, this time about the company’s attempts to gain a European foothold through the Czech Republic. The Atlantic claims that Chinese tech ‘isn’t the enemy’ and that the US ‘risks overcompensating’.

The Wall Street Journal reports that Chinese Muslims undertaking the pilgrimage to Mecca are being tracked with GPS devices, allegedly to ensure their safety. The Intercept outlines some of China’s censorship methods from the past few years, and Vox adds its voice to the recent criticism of Google’s decision to provide a censored search engine for China.

Although China and ASEAN have agreed to a draft code of conduct for the South China Sea, The Economic Times doubts tensions will ease anytime soon due to China’s track record of ‘blatant disregard’ for international law. The National Interest argues that stability depends on America’s willingness to remove itself from East Asia and allow China’s rise to continue unfettered. Foreign Brief, meanwhile, has looked into the risks associated with the Vietnam–China standoff.

The National Interest is at the forefront of analysis on Taiwan–China relations with two great recent pieces: John Mearsheimer outlines the severe implications for Taiwan as China’s growth continues at an impressive rate, and J. Michael Cole describes the options for a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. Brookings analyses President Tsai Ing-wen’s ‘New Southbound Policy’, which aims to steer Taiwan away from a single market and open it up to more involvement with Japan and the US.

In the US, eyes are on the next chapter of the Mueller investigation. The trial of Paul Manafort, former chair of the Trump campaign, started on Tuesday. On the Lawfare Blog, Autumn Brewington explains the two indictments filed against Manafort, and The Atlantic digs a bit deeper into America’s ‘kleptocracy’ problem.

Several countries went to the urns over the past week. Cambodia’s democracy is crumbling even more after Sunday’s ‘sham election’, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. It’s worth revisiting this 2017 Foreign Affairs piece on the country’s shift. Zimbabwe and Mali also held elections, both of which were marked by violence during and after the voting process. Channel 4 captured the deadly clashes between military, police and opposition supporters in Zimbabwe’s first parliamentary and presidential elections since Robert Mugabe came to power in 1980. Mali will hold a second-round run-off in two weeks.

Coda Story produced a (shocking) interactive long read on Russia’s HIV epidemic, highlighting how the country has become a reservoir for conspiracists but also how its faulty healthcare system drives patients into denial. The Conversation offers an interesting read on how US millennials (and other generations) feel about American exceptionalism and how their sentiments might affect the country’s foreign policy. And you can get ready for tech geek with drone policy research by Loren DeJonge Schulman for the Center for a New American Security.

 Tech geek

Russia is taking a second look at wing-in-ground-effect vehicles. The Soviet Union explored them in the 1960s with its ‘ekranoplan’ (nicknamed the Caspian Sea Monster), which allowed fast low-over-the-water flight by exploiting aerodynamic lift through the ground effect. Current plans suggest a wing-in-ground-effect platform by 2020 for the Russian Navy, with a lifting capacity of 300 tonnes. Such a capability could be a serious threat if it’s equipped with large numbers of high-speed anti-ship missiles.

Following in China’s footsteps (as noted last week) on large unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs), Russia is also working on its Cephalopod armed UUV. The US, too, has its own program with the Boeing Echo Voyager UUV. The prospect of fleets of autonomous robot subs prowling the undersea battlespace could make it more difficult for manned submarines to remain effective in contested waters.

‘Star Wars’ in the Ronald Reagan sense is set to make a comeback, of sorts. In its 2019 defence spending bill, the US Congress is mandating space-based weapons for missile defence within 10 years—even though this is against the advice of the US Missile Defense Agency, which is currently preparing a review of ballistic missile defence policy.

Why mine asteroids in space when you could bring the mountain to Mohammed? China is planning to capture a small asteroid and bring it down to Earth to extract rare metals in an audacious plan.

Finally, a great story on the new F-16 Block 70, which has ‘F-22 DNA’.

Multimedia

Ten years ago Iceland almost went broke. Now it’s one of Europe’s most successful economies. DW Business investigates. [4:42]

Vox Atlas explains why some of the world’s worst natural disasters happen in the Pacific. The ‘Ring of Fire’ plays a big role. [6:34]

Podcasts

First things first, ASPI has a podcast! The first episode of Policy, guns and money looks at the AUSMIN talks, free speech, Poland, and My Health Record. [26:29]

Women in Foreign Policy also launched the first episode of their monthly podcast. [26:00]

The Global Futures Podcast examines the issues surrounding water as a resource, ranging from shortages to conflict over water and water politics. [36:55]

On the latest episode of Things that might kill us, the hosts talk to environmental justice expert Douglas Booker about something that is killing many people already: air pollution. [55:03]

Events

Melbourne, 6 August, 1–2.15 pm, University of Melbourne: ‘Data as labour: rethinking the collection and ownership of personal information in the era of artificial intelligence’. Register here.

Canberra, 7 August, 6–7.30 pm, ANU: ‘Fake news, social media and privacy’. Register here.

Canberra, 16 August, 6.30–8 pm, National Gallery of Australia, presented by Australian Foreign Affairs in partnership with the ANU College of Asia and the Pacific: ‘Canberra launch of Australian Foreign Affairs issue 3: “Australia and Indonesia: can we be friends?”’ More info here.

 

The world

This week, the summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong‑un overwhelmingly captured the world’s attention. The two leaders signed a joint statement, President Trump followed with a lengthy press conference and The White House produced a bizarre Hollywood-style video for Kim. The summit prompted an avalanche of analysis.

So where to start? There are plenty of negative views on the summit. See these pieces by top Asia hands in the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations, Michael Green and Danny Russel. For a more positive view, see ASPI’s own Rod Lyon. The Atlantic’s Peter Beinart argues that ‘Trump has the chance to be like Ronald Reagan’, and Bret Stephens explains why that’s unlikely. The Wall Street Journal shows how Pyongyang reported and spun the summit. While war is much less likely in the short term, it’s still possible in the long term. With that in mind, IISS has a new report on the conventional military balance on the Korean peninsula.

The friendly feel to the Trump–Kim summit contrasted sharply to the atmosphere earlier at the G7 summit in Canada. Before departing Washington, Trump called for Russia’s readmission, which the other members swiftly rejected. In Canada, Trump told G7 leaders that Crimea is Russian, arrived late to a women’s empowerment meeting, threatened to escalate a trade war with friends and allies, launched an extraordinary Twitter attack on Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and refused to endorse the summit communique.

Notably, a promise to promote the ‘rules-based international order’ was included in the communique despite American objections. Strobe Talbott reviews Russia’s involvement in the G8 in Politico. Susan Glaser and Thomas Wright take a closer look at Trump’s rift with European allies. Perhaps the acrimony can be explained by the Trump Doctrine?

In Singapore’s shadow, the US quietly unveiled a new US$255 million facility for a ‘de facto embassy’ in Taiwan. Taiwan’s president, Tsai Ing‑wen, and her predecessor were both in attendance with the US envoy Marie Royce, the assistant secretary of state for educational and cultural affairs. The New York Times noted that the ‘lack of cabinet-level visitors from Washington displayed the Trump administration’s unwillingness to upset China’.

One wonders why the US bothered trying to minimise the fallout given that on Friday, President Trump approved tariffs on about US$50 billion of Chinese goods, according to the Wall Street Journal. Beijing has said that it intends to assess tariffs on a corresponding amount of US products—no doubt targeting goods produced in Republican states.

Shares in the Chinese telecoms equipment maker ZTE plunged this week after reports that US Senators are pushing to keep sanctions on the company despite President Trump’s decision to reconsider penalties against the company as a ‘favour’ to Chinese President Xi Jinping. Writing in the New York Times, Li Yuan argues that the near-collapse of ZTE may be China’s ‘Sputnik moment’.

In Hong Kong, activist Edward Leung was sentenced to six years in jail for ‘rioting’ during the Mong Kok protests of February 2016. In early 2017, the same court sparked outrage after it sentenced police who had beaten up a protester to only two years in jail. One in three pro-democracy legislators has been prosecuted by the government since the Umbrella Movement of 2014. Ironically, Leung was sentenced using colonial laws that Britain tried to repeal and Beijing fought to keep. Writing in the Financial Times, former British diplomat and former leader of the Liberal Democrats, Paddy Ashdown, argues that Britain has an obligation to denounce the abuse of colonial laws in Hong Kong and other former British colonies.

In the Middle East, the war in Yemen enters a decisive phase making an already dire humanitarian situation worse. Charlie Winter and Haid Haid have a new report on jihadist insurgent communications in Syria. On the topic of jihadists, New America takes a look at the demographics of homegrown terrorism in America.

Matteo Salvini, Italy’s new anti-migrant deputy prime minister and interior minister, refused permission for a rescue vessel carrying more than 600 people to dock in Italian ports earlier this week, prompting an international outcry. French President Emmanuel Macron said Rome had acted with ‘cynicism and irresponsibility’ in turning away the rescue ship, setting off a bitter diplomatic spat between the two countries. Italy’s other deputy prime minister, Luigi Di Maio, said he’s still waiting for an apology from Macron.

The two Italian deputy prime ministers hail from two populist parties, Lega and the Five Star Movement. Writing in Foreign Policy earlier this month, Erik Jones argued that the legislative agendas of the coalition partners will inevitably compete for the same limited fiscal resources, but that ultimately the Italian government will last only so long as Matteo Salvini of Lega has his way.

Here in Australia, we’re well-versed on the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) influence operations on our own soil, but what about across the ditch? The Croaking Cassandra blog, written by former NZ Treasury official Michael Reddell, has been running a series of posts recently about Chinese interference in the land of the long white cloud. The latest update provides a neat dot-point summary of all the instances of CCP infiltration of New Zealand society.

Tech geek

ASPI’s annual conference this week is on ‘Building Australia’s strategy for space’, so a space theme seems appropriate for this week’s ‘tech geek’.

Space 2.0 is a key theme of the conference, and a key objective of Space 2.0 is innovation and cost reduction in space launch, with reusable rockets and airborne launch currently dominating efforts. But the most ambitious approach is a space elevator. Literally an elevator from earth into space, it would be a revolutionary transformation for humanity. A new article examines the feasibility of such a mega-project.

There’s a debate occurring in the US over the future of the International Space Station (ISS) which will be defunded by the US government by the mid-2020s. Meanwhile, China is set to launch its first true space station around 2020. If an agreement can’t be reached to transfer the ISS to commercial operators, then it’s likely it would be de-orbited, leaving China with the only space station in orbit.

One of the reasons that the US is defunding the ISS is to shift attention to the return to the moon, starting with a lunar orbit space station known as the ‘Deep Space Gateway’. Here’s an interesting article on the debate about how that should take place in the 2020s.

Most interesting, though, is how quickly the commercial space sector will outpace NASA’s efforts in this regard, with Jeff Bezos’s Blue Moon vehicle to support a ‘moon village’ and SpaceX determined to establish a foothold on the lunar surface.

Podcasts

For more on the Trump–Kim summit, listen to Jeffrey Lewis and Aaron Stein at Arms Control Wonk [50:47] and Mira Rapp-Hooper and Stephen Haggard at The Lawfare Podcast [42:07].

ANU’s National Security College has a new fortnightly podcast series looking at Australian and regional security challenges. The first episode features Rory Medcalf discussing the ‘Indo-Pacific’ concept. [29:57]

Events

Sydney, 19 June, 6–7.30 pm, The University of Sydney, Sydney Ideas and China Studies Centre, ‘Peace on the peninsula? The origins and implications of North Korea’s diplomatic offensive’. Register here.

Canberra, 19 June, 6–7 pm, Australian Institute of International Affairs (ACT Branch), ‘Reflections upon the Trump–Kim summit’. Register here.

Melbourne, 21 June, 6–7.30 pm, Australian Institute of International Affairs (Victoria Branch), ‘ASEAN’s regional role’, presented by HE Ms Jane Duke, Australian Ambassador to ASEAN. Register here.

Sydney, 26 June, 6–8 pm, United States Studies Centre, ‘Populism, authoritarianism and gender in Trump’s America’. Register here.

The world

Yet another devastating school shooting occurred in the US last week, this time in the Texan city of Santa Fe. This long read re‑visits Concord High, where in 1985 Louis Cartier walked into his school with a shotgun and carried out an unprecedented attack on his fellow classmates. Cartier’s actions left students, teachers and parents wondering why it had happened—a question that has become all too familiar. Meanwhile, Amanda Fortini bleakly recounts the Las Vegas shooting last year and its effects on survivors and the victims’ families. Most of them were disappointed to see how quickly the media moved on to cover other news and feel like ‘the forgotten people’.

Chatham House analyses the limits of Mohammed bin Salman’s social and liberalisation projects in Saudi Arabia. The arrests of activists who campaigned for women’s driving rights underlines inherent contradictions in the kingdom, which seeks to present an image of reform while maintaining an autocratic political regime.

In the aftermath of the Iraq elections, here are a couple of pieces that are worth a read. First, Carnegie offers critical insight on Muqtada al‑Sadr’s surprise victory, while the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation (ISCR) at King’s College London situates al‑Sadr’s victory within broader regional political trends and the role of the populist al‑Hashd al‑Sha’abi. And The Atlantic dissects America’s approach to foreign policy in the Middle East with particular reference to two turning points: the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the 2018 withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal. The piece argues that failing to learn from past mistakes will ultimately compromise America’s national security.

Peter van Buren’s commentary for Reuters gives us a better understanding of how students in Tehran feel about the US, offering an unusual yet welcome change of narrative. Some students he talked to are mostly concerned that Donald Trump has reinforced the hardliners in Tehran, who warned against trusting the US in 2015.

Renowned Middle East scholar Bernard Lewis died earlier this week. The Atlantic has republished his 1990 essay, ‘The roots of Muslim rage’. His analysis and commentary are reflective of the Orientalist scholars of his time: he coined the term ‘clash of civilisations’ in characterising the West’s relationship with Islam. The Economist astutely argues that while Lewis’ early work was revered, ‘his world view grew increasingly reactionary, nostalgic and bitter’.

Darryl Pinckney reviews Ta-Nehisi Coates’ new book, We were eight years in power: an American tragedy, an intellectual deep dive into the political, philosophical and practical struggles for racial equality in America. A captivating account from Longreads tells the struggles and stories of female fighters of the Tamil Tigers. Despite their large numbers in the ranks, over a 25‑year period these women have been subjected to terrible oppression, suffering and humiliation at the hands of the group they’ve given their lives fighting for.

The Guardian has a fascinating story on the intricacies of Aboriginal astronomy. Kirsten Banks explains in detail the differences in how constellations are perceived in Aboriginal culture compared to Western understandings of the sky, and how ‘star stories’ influence everyday life in Aboriginal culture. National Geographic’s alarming exposé on the devastating effects of plastic estimates that on some beaches in Hawaii, 15% of sand is actually grains of plastic.

Lastly, two new research papers caught our attention. ISCR evaluates counter-speech and counter-extremism in the UK, Germany and France. Demos’ latest paper, ‘The social benefits of economic ties’, highlights how a potential Australia–UK free trade agreement ‘could become a prototype for a more socially conscious era of free trade’.

Tech geek

An airpower focus this week. Let’s start with fifth-generation fighter aircraft. China is threatening to send its J‑20 stealth fighter close to, or above, Taiwan as part of an ongoing campaign of military coercion against the island. A Chinese spokesperson argued that ‘J‑20s can come and go at will above Taiwan’. Taiwan’s riposte was noted in this week’s ‘The five-domains update’.

Derek Grossman argues that China is relying more on military coercion to pressure Taiwan to accept reunification on China’s terms. With the risk of future conflict with Taiwan in mind, stealth aircraft will be important, and China is working hard to perfect the stealth capability of both the J‑20 and its smaller cousin, the FC‑31.

Meanwhile, for the F‑22 fans out there (and there are many of us), here’s a high-resolution version of the awesome image of an F‑22 pulling a high‑G manoeuvre at an air and space expo in Virginia.

The B‑1B Lancer (‘aka ‘Bone’) bomber is due to be replaced by the B‑21 Raider in the mid‑2020s (if the program remains on schedule and on budget). Until then the B‑1B has to keep on flying: the last one won’t head for the ‘boneyard’ until the 2030s. In the meantime, a major upgrade program is underway to keep them effective.

Finally, the current diplomatic phase in the ongoing Korean nuclear crisis seems to be on a knife edge, and so once again attention is turning to what might happen if it fails. Here’s a great analysis of how US and South Korean special forces will fight a war against North Korea.

Photo series

Saferworld put together a photo series and stories of Syrian refugees and their hosts in Lebanon.

Reuters captured the contrasting views about Ireland’s abortion referendum, which takes place today (25 May).

Videos

Vox explains why it’s problematic to compare President Trump to former President Richard Nixon, especially with an entirely different media landscape today. [8:43]

Political correctness: a force for good? Stephen Fry and Jordan Peterson debate Michael Eric Dyson and Michelle Goldberg for Munk Debates. [2:04:00]

Podcasts

The BBC’s The Inquiry podcast investigates how North Korea is funding its investments, and whether the country is broke or experiencing an economic boom, by interviewing different expert witnesses. [23:00]

Playwright David Mamet talks to Anne McElvoy at The Economist about the role of the male on modern culture in the age of #MeToo. [25:28]

Events

Sydney, 29 May, 6.15–8.30 pm, ‘A world in revolution: 1968–now’, hosted by Senator Lee Rhiannon. Free registration.

Canberra, 31 May, 11 am–12.30 pm, UNSW Canberra Research Group on Cyber War and Peace, ‘Cybersecurity in China and the balance of power’. Register here.

West Wodonga, 2 June, 5–6.30 pm, Voices for Indi, ‘Politics and rural Australia—in conversation with Gabrielle Chan’. Info and registration here.

The world

The US withdrawal from the Iran deal has been criticised around the globe. The BBC provides a quick video explainer on the implications of President Donald Trump’s decision for international trade policy, diplomacy and the potential for future conflict. Der Spiegel takes a deep dive into the consequences for Europe, while Carnegie explains why abandoning the nuclear deal could empower undemocratic forces in Tehran and assesses how this could further destabilise the Middle East.

International Crisis Group analyses how Libyan reconciliation is negatively affected by a disproportionate focus on individual personalities in key political and military positions, rather than a broader focus on better governance in state institutions as a whole. An older Chatham House research paper provides a helpful primer to understanding the effects of Libya’s war economy on restoring central governance.

The Lowy Institute has developed a fantastically innovative analytical tool to measure power across 25 countries in the Asia–Pacific region. Country ranking was based on eight measures of power, 27 sub-measures and 114 indicators. The interactive map allows users to explore the overall power rankings and to compare variations in performance between countries. It’s a great tool for anyone interested in understanding the current influence and performance of countries in this region and how power shifts over time.

Reporting on conflict is complicated for journalists and their subjects alike. The Columbia Journalism Review discusses the ethics of reporting on traumatic and sensitive topics through interviews with Yazidi women survivors of sexual violence. On the flipside, Longreads drills down into the challenges faced by journalists reporting in dangerous countries, their battle against restricted press freedoms, and the role that low media literacy plays in the dissemination and digestion of fake news. Case studies examined are Myanmar and Mexico.

This week marked Karl Marx’s 200th birthday. For The Moscow Times, Evan Gershkovich explores the potential for the influential thinker to become trendy again in Russia and elsewhere. The Economist also grapples with the continuing fascination with Marx, and shows why it would be a good idea for current leaders to (re)read his theories on capitalism. DW has released an informative documentary on the relevance of Marxism today.

An excellent piece from Foreign Affairs assesses the future of democracy by exploring the ramifications of increasingly polarised societies, a shift towards authoritarianism, and the effects of security and technology. Technological advances represent one of the greatest factors propelling these shifts because they are likely to create democratic setbacks if governments can’t respond to the changes they introduce—such as the automation of the global economy—fast enough. These challenges are expanded upon in more detail in CapX’s review of Jamie Bartlett’s latest book The people vs tech, including how companies are able to use personal data to influence the political process. All that being said, the EU’s forthcoming General Data Protection Regulation aims to give individuals more control of their personal data and to improve the user benefits of the digital economy.

Tech geek

The 2018 Budget saw the new Australian Space Agency funded with $41 million over the next four years, with $15 million of that dedicated to boosting international collaboration with overseas space agencies. The $41 million is part of a total investment of $300 million in the Australian space industry. This includes $225 million to enhance GPS and improve access to satellite imagery. It’s a good start, but it’s vital to maintain funding and momentum if Australia is to do more in space in coming years.

China has deployed YJ-12B anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCMs) and HQ-9B surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) to Fiery Cross Reef, Mischief Reef and Subi Reef in the Spratly Islands. Mike Yeo provides a good analysis on the potential range of these systems, as has the CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative.

Europe’s Airbus launched its future airpower vision. This is similar to a US Air Force video released last month. A key component of both videos is swarming drones launched from transport aircraft, and the US Defense Advanced Research Project Agency (DARPA) is moving closer to making such a capability a reality. China also hinted about its new H‑20 bomber in a video that looks remarkably similar to Northrop Grumman’s teaser for the B‑21 Raider.

Finally, Australia’s Major General Mick Ryan has suggested that Australia should be investing more in military robotics as a sovereign capability, making the point that ‘Australia’s at the end of a very long line of industrial resupply, and we might want to have the capacity ourselves.’

Multimedia

Both the Guardian and the Times offer photo series featuring impressions from Russia’s victory parades to mark the 73rd anniversary of the end of World War II.

This is a very impressive colour restoration on original footage of war-destroyed Berlin in June 1945. [7:04]

Al-Jazeera World portrays five Egyptian women who sell local products in the street to assure their and their families’ survival. [44:00]

Podcasts

Episode 231 of The Irish Times Women’s Podcast features Ciairín de Bush on her efforts to support women running for office and how she convinces people that female leadership is nothing to be afraid of. [21:04]

The SpyCast hosts Monte Reel and talks about his recently published book, A brotherhood of spies, about the U2 program and its use during the Cold War. [57:00]

Doubling up on the theme of internet and democracy, listen to this episode of BBC Radio 4’s Thinking Allowed, discussing the social and political consequences of our digitised world. [27:58]

Events

Canberra, 14 May, 5.30–6.30 pm, ANU College of Law, ‘The Timor Sea conciliation’. Free tickets here.

Sydney, 18 May, 10 am–5 pm, Sydney Southeast Asia Centre, ‘Politics in action’. Program here, register here.

Canberra, 21 May, 6–7 pm, ANU National Security College, ‘Mapping our future: towards an Indo-Pacific strategy for Australia’. Register now!