v

COVID-19's Painful Lesson About Strategy and Power

Joseph Nye writes that while trade wars have set back economic globalization,  the environmental globalization represented by pandemics and climate change is unstoppable. Borders are becoming more porous to everything from drugs to infectious diseases to cyber terrorism, and the United States must use its soft power of attraction to develop networks and institutions that address these new threats.




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An Interview with Bruce Schneier, Renowned Security Technologist

Bruce Schneier discusses current security technology concerns with The Politic's Eric Wallach.




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Spies Are Fighting a Shadow War Against the Coronavirus

Calder Walton describes four ways how intelligence services are certain to contribute to defeating COVID-19 and why pandemic intelligence will become a central part of future U.S. national security.




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No, the Coronavirus Will Not Change the Global Order

Joseph Nye advises skepticism toward claims that the pandemic changes everything. China won't benefit, and the United States will remain preeminent.




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Getting Smart on Pandemics: Intelligence in the Wake of COVID-19

This episode of Horns of a Dilemma touches on whether the failure to properly anticipate and warn about the novel coronavirus constitutes an intelligence failure, what changes might be required in the intelligence community in the wake of the pandemic, and what type of investigation or inquiry might be appropriate in order to learn lessons and incorporate changes for both the intelligence community and the whole of government moving forward.




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This Virus Is Tough, but History Provides Perspective: The 1968 Pandemic and the Vietnam War

Nathaniel L. Moir recounts the events of 1968: The war in Vietnam and extensive civil unrest in the United States — and yet another big problem that made life harder. In 1968, the H3N2 pandemic killed more individuals in the United States than the combined total number of American fatalities during both the Vietnam and Korean Wars.




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Maxwell Taylor's Cold War: From Berlin to Vietnam

Nathaniel Moir reviews Maxwell Taylor's Cold War: From Berlin to Vietnam by Ingo Trauschweizer.




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Capital Choices: Sectoral Politics and the Variation of Sovereign Wealth

Capital Choices analyzes the creation of different SWFs from a comparative political economy perspective, arguing that different state-society structures at the sectoral level are the drivers for SWF variation. Juergen Braunstein focuses on the early formation period of SWFs, a critical but little understood area given the high levels of political sensitivity and lack of transparency that surround SWF creation. Braunstein’s novel analytical framework provides practical lessons for the business and finance organizations and policymakers of countries that have created, or are planning to create, SWFs.




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ISIS is a Survivor

Stephen Walt explains ISIS's ability to hang around despite its unrelieved brutality and its near-total failure to deliver on any its promises.




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Civil Action and the Dynamics of Violence

A new book edited by Erica Chenoweth, Deborah Avant, Marie Berry, Rachel Epstein, Cullen Hendrix, Oliver Kaplan, and Timothy Sisk, Civil Action and the Dynamics of Violence, looks at recent conflicts in Syria, Peru, Kenya, Northern Ireland, Mexico, Bosnia, Afghanistan, Spain, and Colombia to explore the role that civil action played.




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Home, Again: Refugee Return and Post-Conflict Violence in Burundi

In post-conflict societies, divisions can emerge between returnee and nonmigrant groups, which can in turn lead to violence and destabilization when government institutions favor one group over another.




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China’s African Envoys Take Twitter Tips from Trump in PR Offensive

Chinese diplomats in Africa are robustly defending Beijing’s policies on Twitter as part of a new and sometimes aggressive public relations campaign which is playing out across the globe as the country’s envoys answer President Xi Jinping’s call to “tell China stories well”.south chi




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Armed Rebel Groups Lobby in D.C., Just Like Governments. How Does That Influence U.S. Policy?

Armed rebel groups push for funding and recognition, and often get it.




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H-Diplo Review Essay 192 on Lawson. Anatomies of Revolution

Emily Whalen reviews Anatomies of Revolution by George Lawson (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019).




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Will the Coronavirus Trigger a Global Recession?

At the start of this year, things seemed to be looking up for the global economy. True, growth had slowed a bit in 2019: from 2.9% to 2.3% in the United States, and from 3.6% to 2.9% globally. Still, there had been no recession, and as recently as January, the International Monetary Fund projected a global growth rebound in 2020. The new coronavirus, COVID-19, has changed all of that.




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The COVID-19 Cash Out

Because hand-to-hand exchange of physical currency could transmit the coronavirus, countries around the world are being forced to reconsider the use of cash. In fact, COVID-19 might turn out to be the catalyst that finally brings digital payments fully into the mainstream. Not surprisingly, the digital-payments industry is already focusing on the opportunities created by the crisis.




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U.S. Intervention in Russia-Saudi Impasse Isn't Tenable (Radio)

Meghan L. O’Sullivan, Professor of International Affairs at Harvard’s Kennedy School, former National Security Council advisor, and a Bloomberg Opinion columnist, discusses the oil market plunge, and the Russia-Saudi relationship. Hosted by Lisa Abramowicz and Paul Sweeney.




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COVID-19 Pandemic Accelerates the Rise of Digital Payments

Could using the cash in your pocket have the potential to spread covid-19? That question has rarely appeared in the news, but many governments and leaders in the digital payments industry are wondering how the virus might impact the use of cash. Several countries have already taken drastic measures to limit circulation of bank notes. Could such interventions lead to the end of cash payments?




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Oil Markets Provide a Glimpse of the Post-Pandemic Future

Henry Kissinger warns that many existing domestic and international institutions that have helped govern the past decades will not survive the Covid-19 crisis. He is surely correct.




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What Caused the COVID-19 Testing Deficit?

As the divergent experiences of the US and South Korea show, testing can be the difference between disease containment and catastrophe. Rather than relying on national governments to ensure the rapid development, production, and deployment of diagnostics during outbreaks, the world needs a global coordinating platform.




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Punjab govt advances paddy sowing, transplantation dates

The agriculture department had earlier fixed May 10 as the date to begin sowing of paddy nursery and June 20 for paddy transplantation, during the current kharif season. The farmers had raised concerns about meeting the cultivation/sowing requirements in view of the labour shortage resulting from migrant labourers returning to their homes in view of the COVID-19 crisis.




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Extinction Watch: This shark doesn’t need saltwater to survive

Unlike other members of this family, the eyes of the Ganges shark are tilted dorsally, instead of laterally or ventrally, indicating that it may swim along the river bed scanning the waters above for prey. Its sharp and slender teeth suggest that it is primarily a fi sh-eater. It is often confused with the bull shark, which is known to attack humans




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Blue skies, reduced emissions only temporary, won't benefit environment in long run: Experts

Environmentalists feel that carbon emissions may have reduced drastically but are likely to go back to the pre-corona levels in a few weeks' time, once the virus threat mitigates.




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Extinction Watch: Which species may vanish & why

This incredibly metallic blue tarantula is found within a 39-square mile reserve forest in Andhra Pradesh. Its behaviour parallels that of many arboreal spiders. In the wild, it lives in holes of tall trees where it makes asymmetric funnel webs. Spiders of this genus may live communally when territory, i.e. the number of holes per tree, is limited.




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Send us your questions to former ISRO chief Madhavan Nair guest at Idea Exchange

The father of India's moon mission will be our guest at the Idea Exchange on February 6, Monday. Grounded by the government for his alleged role in a scandal-tainted sale of rare radio frequency, former ISRO chief G Madhavan Nair surely has an arduous fight ahead. And his story to tell. We request our readers to send in questions they would like to ask Madhavan Nair. Is there anything in the probe reports of the Antrix-Devas deal? Will he be exonerated? Is he a victim? Controversy a slap on my face: G Madhavan Nair




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Idea Exchange with Ram Gopal Yadav: Send us your questions

Ram Gopal Yadav, senior Samajwadi Party leader, will be our guest at Idea Exchange on Tuesday, March 27 at 3.45pm. Yadav is party supremo's Mulayam Singh Yadav's cousin. Send us your questions for him here.




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Idea Exchange with Baba Ramdev: Send us your questions

Baba Ramdev will be our guest at The Idea Exchange, an interactive session organised by The Indian Express. Send us your questions for him.




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Idea Exchange with Virbhadra Singh: Send us your questions

Former Union Minister, Virbhadra Singh will be our guest at Idea Exchange on Friday June 29, at 3.45 pm. Send us your questions for him.




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Idea Exchange with Sir James David Bevan: Send us your questions

British High Commissioner to India Sir James David Bevan, who recently received Queen's birthday honour for Diplomatic Service And Overseas honours, will be our guest on Tuesday, July 10. Send us your questions for him. Send us your questions for him.




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Idea Exchange with Digvijay Singh: Send us your questions

Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh will be our guest at Idea Exchange on Tuesday. Send us your questions.




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Idea Exchange with Veerappa Moily: Send us your questions

Veerappa Moily, Union Minister for Corporate Affairs and Power, will be our guest at the Idea Exchange. Please send us your questions for him.




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Idea Exchange with Irina Bokova: Send us your questions

UNESCO Director General Irina Bokova will be our guest at Idea Exchange on Monday, November 12 at 2.15 pm. Send us your questions for her.




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Idea Exchange with Justice J S Verma: Send us your questions

Justice J S Verma will be our guest at Idea Exchange on Tuesday, January 29 at 12.15 pm. Send us your questions for him.




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'It is a pity that PPPs are not working too well...India badly needs infrastructure and half of that investment has to come through PPPs'

Gustavo Manuel speaks about killing of soldier in London, business with India and football.




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'Some people in Pak feel China still thinks like it did in '60s, '70s. It has moved on... In recent years, it has only advised good ties with India''

Pakistan's ex-Ambassador to US Husain Haqqani speaks about the battle for Pakistan.




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'State powers have been taken over by Centre. They are taking over functions in the state as well as concurrent list'

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal says the Centre has not been fair to Punjab.




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'Terrorist organisations, terrorists have direct or indirect access to Congress''

Nitin Gadkari plays down differences over the choice for the party''s CM candidate in the state.




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'Sanctions or threats can't take us to Geneva. We were there for a new approach. The world, the region needed this... Terror is a real threat'

At this Idea Exchange, Iranian Ambassador Gholamreza Ansari says Tehran achieved what it wanted to in the Geneva nuclear deal.




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I have had 95 partners. I didn't choose all of them: Leander Paes

Leander Paes on how he keeps himself fit at 40, and his interest in films.




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People believe that on Kashmir, Modi will be able to do something: Mehbooba

In this Idea Exchange the PDP president also expresses disappointment with Rahul Gandhi.




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Joseph S. Nye: U.S. and China Need a More Cooperative Security Stance

Joseph S. Nye: U.S. and China Need a More Cooperative Security Stance




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Breaking Down the Huawei v. Pentagon Dispute

If nothing else, the long-running Huawei situation shows the importance of considering the supply chain when it comes to cybersecurity. Huawei being the Chinese telecommunications equipment maker basically banned by the federal government. Bruce Schneier joins Host Tom Temin on Federal Drive.




v

COVID-19's Painful Lesson About Strategy and Power

Joseph Nye writes that while trade wars have set back economic globalization,  the environmental globalization represented by pandemics and climate change is unstoppable. Borders are becoming more porous to everything from drugs to infectious diseases to cyber terrorism, and the United States must use its soft power of attraction to develop networks and institutions that address these new threats.




v

An Interview with Bruce Schneier, Renowned Security Technologist

Bruce Schneier discusses current security technology concerns with The Politic's Eric Wallach.




v

Spies Are Fighting a Shadow War Against the Coronavirus

Calder Walton describes four ways how intelligence services are certain to contribute to defeating COVID-19 and why pandemic intelligence will become a central part of future U.S. national security.




v

No, the Coronavirus Will Not Change the Global Order

Joseph Nye advises skepticism toward claims that the pandemic changes everything. China won't benefit, and the United States will remain preeminent.




v

Getting Smart on Pandemics: Intelligence in the Wake of COVID-19

This episode of Horns of a Dilemma touches on whether the failure to properly anticipate and warn about the novel coronavirus constitutes an intelligence failure, what changes might be required in the intelligence community in the wake of the pandemic, and what type of investigation or inquiry might be appropriate in order to learn lessons and incorporate changes for both the intelligence community and the whole of government moving forward.




v

This Virus Is Tough, but History Provides Perspective: The 1968 Pandemic and the Vietnam War

Nathaniel L. Moir recounts the events of 1968: The war in Vietnam and extensive civil unrest in the United States — and yet another big problem that made life harder. In 1968, the H3N2 pandemic killed more individuals in the United States than the combined total number of American fatalities during both the Vietnam and Korean Wars.




v

Maxwell Taylor's Cold War: From Berlin to Vietnam

Nathaniel Moir reviews Maxwell Taylor's Cold War: From Berlin to Vietnam by Ingo Trauschweizer.




v

Oil Markets Provide a Glimpse of the Post-Pandemic Future

Henry Kissinger warns that many existing domestic and international institutions that have helped govern the past decades will not survive the Covid-19 crisis. He is surely correct.