Our picksTargeting Domestic Violent Extremism | Biden Squeezed on Immigration Policy | The Tyranny of Distance, and more

Published 26 February 2021

•  NATO Spy Drones Used to Monitor Borders Pose Crash Risk, Warn Experts

•  Why the Science Underpinning the U.K. Government’s Slow Lockdown Release Is Flawed

•  New DHS Grants Allocate $77 Million to Target Domestic Violent Extremism

•  Germany Bans Salafist Muslim Group

•  The Insurrection Highlights the Need for Civics Learning

•  Biden Squeezed on Immigration Policy, Bracing for Border Crisis

•  Don’t Knock Yourself Out: How America Can Turn the Tables on China by Giving Up the Fight for Command of the Seas

NATO Spy Drones Used to Monitor Borders Pose Crash Risk, Warn Experts  (Morgan Meaker, Telegraph)
The crash record of large drones raises concerns as Nato prepares to fly 14 metre remote-control aircraft along members’ borders.

Why the Science Underpinning the U.K. Government’s Slow Lockdown Release Is Flawed  (Sarah Knapton, Telegraph)
The data has shifted quite considerably since the modelling was drawn up on Feb 17.


Cayman Islands, Morocco Placed on Terror-Financing Watch List  (Mengqi Sun, Wall Street Journal)
Four jurisdictions, including the Cayman Islands and Morocco, will undergo increased monitoring as they face pressure from a global watchdog to address deficiencies in their anti-money-laundering efforts. The Financial Action Task Force, a Paris-based organization that sets anti-money-laundering law standards, on Thursday added Burkina Faso, the Cayman Islands, Morocco and Senegal to its list of jurisdictions under increased monitoring, joining 15 other countries. The identified deficiencies vary for each jurisdiction, but they include maintaining comprehensive beneficial ownership information and expanding the operations of countries’ financial intelligence units, according to FATF. For instance, FATF in a report said the Cayman Islands government needs to impose effective administrative penalties and enforcement actions against entities involved in money-laundering violations, as well as implement adequate sanctions in cases where accurate and timely beneficial ownership information isn’t provided. “The Cayman Islands are a major financial center; we expect from countries who have higher risks, we expect commensurate measures against these risks,” FATF President Marcus Pleyer said during a virtual press conference Thursday.

New DHS Grants Allocate $77 Million to Target Domestic Violent Extremism  (Julia Ainsley, NBC News)
The Department of Homeland Security announced Thursday that it is allocating more than $1.8 billion in grants to state and local jurisdictions to protect against terrorism and other disasters, with at least $77 million going to protect specifically against domestic violent extremism. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the most significant terrorism threat now comes from “small groups of individuals who commit acts of violence motivated by domestic extremist ideological beliefs.” (Cont.)