December 16, 2020

Weekly World News Update

Technology, A Dangerous Double-Edged Sword; Kremlin on the Spot; Erdoğan’s Rising Ambitions; China as Number One?; and Deep Challenges in Latin America Note: This will be WACA's final WWNU of the year. We look forward to brining you more world news updates in the New Year!

Quote of the Week “For my part, I am ready for interaction and contact with you. [...] Russia and the U.S., which bear special responsibility for global security and stability can, despite the differences, really contribute to solving many problems and challenges that the world is currently facing." -- Russian President Vladimir Putin was quoted by the Kremlin in congratulating Joe Biden on Tuesday for winning the U.S. election.

Hosting A Democracy Summit

"The United States Must Marshal the “Free World”" Alexander Vindman -- Foreign Affairs, December 7, 2020 Lt. Col. (Ret.) Alexander Vindman recently spoke at WACA's 2020 National Conference: New Frontiers in Diplomacy and National Security. You can watch his keynote discussion on our YouTube channel.

Technology, A Dangerous Double-Edged Sword “How to Save Democracy From Technology” Francis Fukuyama; Barak Richman; Ashish Goel -- Foreign Affairs January/February 2021 Issue  “Big Tech Turns Its Lobbyists Loose on Europe, Alarming Regulators” Adam Satariano; Matina Stevis-Gridneff -- The New York Times, December 14, 2020   "Hackers Have Vaulted Into the Heart of America’s Government" The Economist, December 14, 2020 “No One Knows How Deep Russia's Hacking Rampage Goes” Lily Hay Newman -- WIRED, December 14, 2020  “Cozy Bears and Hidden Cobras: The Hackers Targeting COVID-19 Vaccine Researchers” James Purtill -- ABC News Australia, December 14, 2020

Kremlin on the Spot

“Latest Navalny Investigation Puts an Increasingly Paranoid Kremlin on the Spot” Mark Galeotti -- The Moscow Times, December 14, 2020  “CNN-Bellingcat Investigation Identifies Russian Specialists Who Trailed Putin's Nemesis Alexey Navalny Before He Was Poisoned” Tim Lister; Clarissa Ward; Sebastian Shukla – CNN, December 15, 2020  "Russia’s Putin Congratulates Biden on Winning U.S. Election" Associated Press, December 15, 2020 “Russian Navy to Join First Drill with NATO Members in 10 Years” Al Jazeera, December 10, 2020

Erdoğan’s Rising Ambitions

“Can Erdoğan Reconcile With the West? Putin’s Betting Against It“ Henry Meyer; Stepan Kravchenko; Ilya Arkhipov -- Bloomberg News, December 12, 2020  “U.S. Sanctions NATO Ally Turkey Over Purchase Of Russian Missile-Defense System” Radio Free Europe, December 14, 2020  “Turkish Presence in Caucasus Ushers in New Balance of Power” Burhanettin Duran -- Daily Sabah, December 14, 2020

China as Number One?

“China’s Combative Nationalists See a World Turning Their Way” Chris Buckley -- The New York Times, December 14, 2020  "Chaos at the Top of China's Biggest Chipmaker" Jill Disis -- CNN Business, December 16, 2020 “China’s Drive to Make Semiconductor Chips Is Failing” Salvatore Babones -- Foreign Policy, December 14, 2020  “Brazilian Health Regulator Says Chinese Authorities Have Not Been Transparent About Covid-19 Vaccine” Siladitya Ray -- Forbes, December 15, 2020

Deep Challenges in Latin America

"Brazil Has the World’s Second-Highest Coronavirus Death Toll. But Bolsonaro is as Popular as Ever." Ishaan Tharoor -- The Washington Post, December 16, 2020 “Latin America’s Lost Decades” Luis Alberto Moreno -- Foreign Affairs, January/February 2021 Issue  "Mexico Poised to Curtail Cooperation with U.S. in Fight Against Drug Cartels" Andres Triay; Robert Legare -- CBS News, December 16, 2020 “Cuba’s Racial Reckoning, and What It Means for Biden” Javier Corrales -- Americas Quarterly, December 15, 2020