WORLD ROUNDUPMilei’s Rise Exposes Argentina’s Malaise | India Becomes Fourth Country to Land on the Moon | Logistics Interdiction for Taiwan Unification Campaigns, and more
· AI-Enhanced Identification: A Danger in the Middle East?
The use of personal biometric information by Middle Eastern governments raises worries about increased repression
· BRICS: Why Saudi Arabia and Others Are Vying for Membership
Some see the 5-member club as a counterweight to traditional Western-led forums and institutions. But what exactly is BRICS and why does it matter?
· India Becomes Fourth Country to Land on the Moon, First on the South Pole
The feat makes India the fourth country – after Russia, the U.S. and China – to land on the moon, and the first to land on one of the moon’s lunar poles
· Impacts of Section 7008, the ‘Coup Restriction’, on U.S. Policy in Niger
Why the U.S. government will find no easy answers in the Sahel’s coup belt
· Changes to UK Surveillance Regime May Violate International Law
The U.K. likely would be in breach of international human rights law by interfering with the privacy and security of online users both within and outside of its borders
· An Arab League Interpol-Like Security Network Puts Dissidents and Human Rights Defenders At Risk
Repressive members of the Arab League might decide to target the citizens of non-Arab League countries
· Logistics Interdiction for Taiwan Unification Campaigns
If China attacks Taiwan, its ability to move the requisite levels of troops and supplies in a contested environment will be critical in determining its success
· Milei’s Rise Exposes Argentina’s Malaise
The presidential front-runner may be hard to pin down politically, but his “us vs. them” rhetoric is part of a long Latin American tradition
AI-Enhanced Identification: A Danger in the Middle East? (Cathrin Schaer, DW)
The use of digital biometric identification — recognizing people by their unique features — is growing in the Middle East. There’s concern it provides an opportunity for repression.
BRICS: Why Saudi Arabia and Others Are Vying for Membership (Ashutosh Pandey, DW)
This year’s summit of the BRICS nations — Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — has gained prominence amid expectations that the grouping could add new members as China and Russia seek to increase their political influence with tensions with the US and its allies running high.
India Becomes Fourth Country to Land on the Moon, First on the South Pole (Michael Sheetz and Charmaine Jacob, CNBC)
India staked new claim as a national superpower in space on Wednesday, landing its Chandrayaan-3 mission safely on the moon’s unexplored south pole.
The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft launched last month and touched down on the lunar surface around 8:34 a.m. ET.
The feat makes India the fourth country to land on the moon, and the first to land on one of the moon’s lunar poles. Previously, Russia (then the Soviet Union), the U.S. and China landed spacecraft successfully on the moon.
Impacts of Section 7008, the ‘Coup Restriction’, on U.S. Policy in Niger (Sarah Harrison, Lawfare)
This summer another coup unfolded in the Sahel, this time in Niger, creating a coup belt across the African continent. With yet another coup to contend with, the U.S. faces the formidable challenge of quickly organizing and coordinating its diplomatic response while also weighing the limits of legal restrictions and policy objectives in Niger, a country that hosts multiple U.S. military bases and upward of 1,100 U.S. military forces.
Only two years ago, Niger experienced its first peaceful and (at least somewhat) democratic transition of power since independence from France in 1960. But on July 26, Niger’s President Mohamed Bazoum’s own guard detained him and his family, declaring intent to take control of the country. After the presidential guard reached consensus through negotiations with other Nigerien military forces, they announced the creation of the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP) and its interim leadership, the head of the presidential guard, General Abdourahmane Tiani. Now, from Guinea to Sudan, militaries control a contiguous string of six countries across the top of sub-Saharan Africa.
