WORLD ROUNDUPAfrica as an Energy Source | Threat to Britain’s Undersea Cables | China’s Stake in Hamburg Port, and more
··Putin’s Nuclear Threats to Ukraine Could Easily Spiral Out of Control
It is not a good idea to use nuclear threats for diplomatic signaling
··A New Chapter in India-Africa Relations?
A more engaged and ambitious India eyes Africa
··Ukraine Says It Needs More Guns, Shells, and Firepower
Ukraine has asked the U.S. for cold-war-era cluster munitions
··A Power Balance Shifts as Europe, Facing a Gas Crisis, Turns to Africa for Help
Ukraine war may drive a new wave of gas investments in Africa
··Russia’s Elite Begins to Ponder a Putinless Future
Those who run Russia and own assets there are losing confidence in their president
··The Technological Escalation
Will the U.S. semiconductor strategy prevail against China?
··The Threat to Britain’s Undersea Cables
Undersea cables are essential to global commerce and communication – and they are unprotected
··Germany Finds Compromise Over Chinese Hamburg Terminal Deal
Chinese company acquires 25% stake in Europe’s second largest port
··German Cyber Agency Warns Threat Situation Is ‘Higher Than Ever’
Criminal actors, Russian operatives responsible for wave of cyberattacks
Putin’s Nuclear Threats to Ukraine Could Easily Spiral Out of Control (William Leben, The Strategist)
We should be deeply concerned that, in the midst of what US President Joe Biden has described as the greatest risk of Armageddon since the Cuban missile crisis, Russia and NATO are this week conducting virtually simultaneous exercises of their nuclear forces, including live (conventional) missile launches. Both Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin no doubt believe the risks involved in signaling their resolve this way are manageable, but experience during the Cold War suggests otherwise.
Clearly, Putin would not use a tactical nuclear weapon against Ukraine if he believed it would ultimately lead to a nuclear exchange with the United States. That would be suicidal for the Russian regime, to say nothing of the broader global implications. But even threatening their use or conducting military exercises in a crisis can trigger events that rapidly increase the risk of a wider war. Richard Ned Lebow, an expert on nuclear risk, has identified three primary paths by which this can occur: pre-emption, miscalculated escalation and loss of control.
A New Chapter in India-Africa Relations? (Ronak Gopaldas, ISS)
With India on the rise globally, Africa could benefit from a more engaged and ambitious New Delhi.
Ukraine Says It Needs More Guns, Shells, and Firepower (Jack Detsch, Foreign Policy)
Ukrainian officials have asked the U.S. for cold-war-era cluster munitions. The so-called dual-purpose improved conventional munitions, or DPICMs, are currently banned from export. However, Ukrainian officials have claimed that these artillery-launched weapons, which are designed to burst into scores of smaller submunitions to destroy mobile targets, are needed to reduce wear and tear on NATO-grade artillery.
A Power Balance Shifts as Europe, Facing a Gas Crisis, Turns to Africa for Help (Max Bearak, Melissa Eddy and Dionne Searcey, New York Times)
Officials from Algeria to Mozambique say they hope to take advantage of an abrupt change in a long-unequal relationship.
Russia’s Elite Begins to Ponder a Putinless Future (Economist)
Once unthinkable, the president’s removal can at least be contemplated.
