WORLD ROUNDUPWhat to Make of the ISIS-K Attack on Moscow | China’s Pursuit of Copper Is Changing Latin America | America Has Pressured Israel Before—and Can Do It Again, and more
· US, Britain Announce Partnership on AI Safety, Testing
Partnership on the science of artificial intelligence safety, amid growing concerns about upcoming next-generation versions
· The Moscow Attack Showed Terrorism Is Asia’s Problem Now
Increased geopolitical rivalry is allowing extremist groups to thrive—and threaten everyone
· What to Make of the ISIS-K Attack on Moscow
ISIS-K is a threat, but the jihadist movement as a whole faces many problems
· China’s Pursuit of Copper Is Changing Latin America
Copper mining has always been a highly competitive industry, and the geopolitical imperatives surrounding its production are thickening
· How the United States Lost Niger
Growing Russian, Chinese, and Iranian influence in the Sahel is testing Washington’s clout in an increasingly strategic continent
· The False Promise of Nuclear Deterrence for Postwar Ukrainian Security
Postwar Ukraine should avoid tying its security to nuclear weapons—its own or NATO’s—instead ensuring its conventional forces are robust and defensively oriented
· America Has Pressured Israel Before—and Can Do It Again
In 1991, President George H.W. Bush outraged Israeli leaders by conditioning aid and placing U.S. interests first
US, Britain Announce Partnership on AI Safety, Testing (Reuters / VOA News)
The United States and Britain on Monday announced a new partnership on the science of artificial intelligence safety, amid growing concerns about upcoming next-generation versions.
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and British Technology Secretary Michelle Donelan signed a memorandum of understanding in Washington to jointly develop advanced AI model testing, following commitments announced at an AI Safety Summit in Bletchley Park in November.
“We all know AI is the defining technology of our generation,” Raimondo said. “This partnership will accelerate both of our institutes work across the full spectrum to address the risks of our national security concerns and the concerns of our broader society.”
Britain and the United States are among countries establishing government-led AI safety institutes.
The Moscow Attack Showed Terrorism Is Asia’s Problem Now (Kabir Taneja, Foreign Policy)
As attention shifted eastward toward the Islamic State-Khorasan (ISK), the group’s branch based in Afghanistan, contrarian views, mostly in Russian media but amplified on social media platforms, of this being a false-flag operation designed by the West simultaneously took off.
In between such distractions, the victor was the Islamic State. The group’s spokesperson, known by his nom de guerre Abu Hudhayfah al-Ansari, released a 41-minute audio message a few days after the Moscow attack. Curiously, the message, titled “By God, this religion [Islam] will prevail,” mentioned Russia only in passing. It however congratulated Islamic State ecosystems and wilayas (Arabic for provinces), or offshoots, on a successful 10 years of the caliphate.
The message takes the listener on a world tour of sorts, highlighting the group’s presence across regions from Africa to Southeast Asia, challenging the notion that it is a spent force. Ansari also congratulated the group’s fighters for their campaigns against the Chinese, Russians, Sikhs, and Hindus. It also chastised the very idea of democracy—a long-standing ideological position for most jihadi groups.
What to Make of the ISIS-K Attack on Moscow (Daniel Byman, Lawfare)
The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the terrorist attack that killed over 130 people at the Crocus City Hall theater in Moscow on March 22—the worst terrorist attack Russia has seen in 20 years. U.S. officials attributed specific blame to the Islamic State Khorasan Province, commonly referred to as ISIS-K, a group based in Afghanistan and Pakistan that professes loyalty to the Islamic State’s overall leadership. (Cont.)
