WORLD ROUNDUPA Nuclear Collision Course in South Asia | Chile’s Politics & the Global Energy Transition | Spies Can’t Work from Home, and more
· A Nuclear Collision Course in South Asia
The budding arms race among China, India, and Pakistan
· North Korea Spent the Pandemic Building a Huge Border Wall
As the pandemic began, North Korea moved to seal its northern borders
· Spies Can’t Work from Home — and That’s Hurting Recruitment in Germany
Would-be spies face many challenges, among them the lack of remote working
· Wagner Chief’s Feud with Russian Military Cracks Putin’s Image of Control
Challenging the mighty leadership structure the Russian president built
· Chinese Hackers Spying on US Critical Infrastructure, Western Intelligence Says
One of the largest known Chinese cyber-espionage campaigns against American critical infrastructure
· Germany Intensifies Scrutiny of Far-Right AfD, Labeling Its Youth Wing ‘Extremist’
The “extremist” designation allows German authorities to take action against members of the faction
· Israeli Agents Conducted Raid Against Militants in Civilian Area, Killing a Child
Videos from a March 16 raid in Jenin show increasingly deadly tactics by Israeli officers
· How Chile’s Politics Are Shaping the Global Energy Transition
Chile’s rightward lurch is an opportunity to expand the supply of lithium, a critical battery resource
· Machiavelli Preferred Democracy to Tyranny
The theorist’s magnum opus wasn’t a blueprint for dictators—it was an ode to institutional constraints on leaders
A Nuclear Collision Course in South Asia (Andrew F. Krepinevich Jr., Foreign Affairs
In the summer of 2021, the world learned that China was dramatically expanding its nuclear arsenal. Satellite imagery showed Beijing building as many as 300 new ballistic missile silos. The Pentagon now projects that China’s stockpile of nuclear weapons, which had for years rested in the low hundreds, could spike to 1,500 warheads by 2035, confirming suspicions that Beijing has decided to join Russia and the United States in the front rank of nuclear powers.
Security experts are only beginning to sort through the implications of China’s nuclear breakout. They would do well to consider Ashley Tellis’s new book, Striking Asymmetries, which assesses the implications of Beijing’s actions from the vantage point of the rivalries between South Asia’s three nuclear powers: China, India, and Pakistan. In a work that should be required reading for senior political and military leaders, Tellis presents a compelling case why this tripolar nuclear system, which has for decades remained remarkably stable, may be on the verge of becoming far more dangerous.
Tellis draws upon decades of experience in South Asian security affairs, unique access to senior policymakers and military leaders in the three rivals’ defense establishments, and a remarkable ability to make seemingly abstract technical concepts readily understood by those with even a passing interest in the subject matter. The result is the most comprehensive, informed, and accessible assessment to date of this nuclear rivalry—and one that cannot be ignored.
North Korea Spent the Pandemic Building a Huge Border Wall (Reuters)
For North Koreans, the country’s northern frontier long offered rare access to outside information, trade opportunities, and the best option for those seeking to flee.
Spies Can’t Work from Home — and That’s Hurting Recruitment in Germany (Victoria Bisset, Washington Post)
Germany’s intelligence chief said his agency’s work-from-home policy, lower wages and ban on personal cellphones has put off young workers.
Wagner Chief’s Feud with Russian Military Cracks Putin’s Image of Control (Yaroslav Trofimov, Wall Street Journal)
Prigozhin’s public criticism of Moscow’s generals and defense minister reveals strains in the mighty leadership structure the Russian president built.
Chinese Hackers Spying on US Critical Infrastructure, Western Intelligence Says (Zeba Siddiqui and Christopher Bing, Reuters)
A state-sponsored Chinese hacking group has been spying on a range of US critical infrastructure organizations, Western intelligence agencies and Microsoft said.
