News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Daniel Riggs.
1. Chinese bots had key role in debunked ballot video shared by Eric Trump
2. Homeland security bulletin warns Americans about violence by grievance-fueled domestic extremists
3. Op-Ed: Are there pieces of Trump's foreign policy worth keeping?
4. Is America prepared for a catastrophic cyberattack?
5. The United States Smuggled A Russian-Made Pantsir Air Defense System Out Of Libya: Report
6. Navalny Poison Squad Implicated in Murders of Three Russian Activists - bellingcat
7. US Plan to Withdraw Troops from Germany Up for Reconsideration, SecDef Says
8. Amid Biden-Ordered Review of Afghanistan Troop Drawdown, Report Finds al-Qaida Gaining Strength
9. DoD to Investigate Special Operations' Compliance with War Crimes Laws
10. Army Rolls Out Army Green Uniform Wear Guidelines, Renames Combat Patch
11. Regulate Social-Media Companies
12. Homeland security bulletin warns Americans about violence by grievance-fueled domestic extremists
13. Self-styled militia members in three states began planning in November for recruits, weapons ahead of Capitol breach, U.S. alleges
14. Beijing’s Welcome Gift to Biden: More Threats and Tensions
15. A butterfly flaps its wings in Beijing and the stock market crashes
16. Biden Orders Pentagon To Include Climate Change In New Strategy & War Games
17. Why Attempts to Build a New Anti-China Alliance Will Fail
18. Biden sends messages rejecting China expansionism
19. A World Divided: The Conflict with Chinese Techno-Nationalism Isn’t Coming - It’s Already Here
20. WHO team studying COVID-19 origins in China out of quarantine
21. Study ranks New Zealand Covid-19 response best, Brazil worst, US in bottom five
22. Is the SolarWinds Cyberattack an Act of War? It Is, If the United States Says It Is.
23. This Over-the-Counter Medication Can Kill COVID, Study Says
24. Declassified U.S. intelligence bolsters Wuhan lab theory in coronavirus outbreak
1. Chinese bots had key role in debunked ballot video shared by Eric Trump
The Guardian · by Luke Harding · January 27, 2021
Some more food for thought. I will bet those who attacked the capitol will not like to hear they may have been manipulated by the Chinese.
2. Homeland security bulletin warns Americans about violence by grievance-fueled domestic extremists
The Washington Post· by Nick Miroff · January 27, 2021
Things are getting serious.
3. Op-Ed: Are there pieces of Trump's foreign policy worth keeping?
Los Angeles Times· by Dennis and Juan Zarate · January 27, 2021
Yes.
Conclusion: The beginning of a new administration is often a time for reversing course, but reflexive impulses in foreign policy are seldom right. Biden will need to demonstrate his ability to lead globally and heal America’s democracy in the wake of the Jan. 6 attack and the effects of the pandemic. Still, in forming his own foreign policy agenda, Biden should consider seriously the elements of his predecessor’s approach worth keeping.
4. Is America prepared for a catastrophic cyberattack?
washingtontimes.com · by Clifford D. May
I do not think we will ever be prepared for a catastrophic cyber attack. But we must develop resiliency now to be able to be best prepared for when it does happen. And I fear it will.
And I have to say that is a very cool graphic.
The key question:
How about the possibility that Russia (prime suspect in the SolarWinds hack), China, the Islamic Republic of Iran or North Korea (all of which have carried out multiple and seriously damaging breaches in the past) might wage full-out cyberwar?
What that would mean: attacks intended to shut down financial systems, electricity, water supplies, transportation, communications - perhaps even the entire U.S. economy. Should that happen, what’s the plan?
5. The United States Smuggled A Russian-Made Pantsir Air Defense System Out Of Libya: Report
thedrive.com · by Joseph Trevithick · January 27, 2021
Excellent work. But we need better OPSEC (unless there is a deliberate IO plan).
British newspaper The Times was first to report the covert mission, which it said took place in June 2020. A U.S. Air Force C-17A Globemaster III transport aircraft is said to have flown to Zuwarah International Airport, situated to the west of Tripoli, to pick up the Pantsir-S1, which it then flew to Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
6. Navalny Poison Squad Implicated in Murders of Three Russian Activists - bellingcat
bellingcat.com · January 27, 2021
Bellingcat makes a great contribution to open source information. Their investigators do some very good work uncovering these threats and actions from malign actors (namely Russia)
7. US Plan to Withdraw Troops from Germany Up for Reconsideration, SecDef Says
military.com · by Richard Sisk · January 27, 2021
We need to ensure we have the right forces forward stationed in the right places so that we can effectively project power to protect US interests, ideally by deterring conflict by demonstrating strategic reassurance and strategic resolve.
8. Amid Biden-Ordered Review of Afghanistan Troop Drawdown, Report Finds al-Qaida Gaining Strength
military.com · by Richard Sisk · January 27, 2021
I do not think this was unexpected by professional intelligence analysts.
9. DoD to Investigate Special Operations' Compliance with War Crimes Laws
military.com · by Richard Sisk · January 27, 2021
Only special operations?
10. Army Rolls Out Army Green Uniform Wear Guidelines, Renames Combat Patch
military.com · by Matthew Cox · January 27, 2021
But I am sure the troops will always call it the "combat patch."
Excerpt:
The Shoulder Sleeve Insignia Former Wartime Service will now be called the Shoulder Sleeve Insignia Military Operations in Hostile Conditions. It is authorized for soldiers who served on combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, but also those who served in certain countries considered hostile areas.
11. Regulate Social-Media Companies
defenseone.com · by Divya Ramjee and Elsa Kanias· January 27, 2021
This is going to require a lot of debate and critical thought. If the government gets involved in regulating social media companies how do we ensure protection of civil liberties?
12. Homeland security bulletin warns Americans about violence by grievance-fueled domestic extremists
The Washington Post· by Nick Miroff · January 27, 2021
This seems like an unprecedented and significant warning. Things are getting serious.
13. Self-styled militia members in three states began planning in November for recruits, weapons ahead of Capitol breach, U.S. alleges
The Washington Post · by Spencer S. Hsu, Rachel Weiner and Tom Jackman · January 28, 2021
All based on the big lie and conspiracy theories.
14. Beijing’s Welcome Gift to Biden: More Threats and Tensions
Foreign Policy · by Robert A. Manning, Patrick M. Cronin · January 27, 2021
Excerpts:
“What can Biden do? At his confirmation hearing, Biden’s Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the Trump administration’s tougher approach toward China was right, but the tactics were wrong. While there is consensus that China is a strategic competitor, the Trump administration never defined the terms of that competition. Kurt Campbell, Biden’s new Asia adviser in the White House, has written, together with National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, about the need for “clear-eyed coexistence” between the two nuclear states. With Brookings China Strategy Initiative director Rush Doshi, Campbell has also called for building a durable and flexible balance of power. The Biden team undoubtedly hoped to begin a thorough policy review as they assemble the full complement of appointees to steer an Indo-Pacific strategy. But now, Beijing has given the nascent Biden team no choice but to preoccupy itself with crisis management, beginning with better risk-reduction mechanisms to minimize the danger of inadvertent escalation.The Trump administration made a grave mistake in turning Asia strategy into a bilateral U.S.-Chinese problem.
...
The new thinking of the Biden administration must narrow differences with China while expanding the toolkit. There is no daylight between Biden and his team regarding the need to work with allies and partners. Further, the team understands policy must not just counter malign activities but create a positive counterweight across all realms—economic, technological, trade, and security—with tangible benefits for the well-being of the United States as well as China’s Asian neighbors.
Whatever terms one uses to describe China’s activities—political warfare, gray-zone operations, technological supremacy, or information dominance—the United States’ best strategic approach should be based on a positive vision of the future. China is a formidable competitor, exploiting the United States’ desire and need to protect the boundaries of a fraying rules-based international order. But rather than reacting to Beijing by escalating a mindless tit-for-tat that risks a major war, Washington needs to reclaim credibility by offering a path to a new balance in Asia—in which the interests of allies and partners are addressed and the limits of Chinese power is defined.”
15. A butterfly flaps its wings in Beijing and the stock market crashes
asiatimes.com · by David P. Goldman · January 27, 2021
Excerpt: What happened was a literal illustration of chaos theory, namely the proverbial butterfly that flapped its wings in Beijing and caused a hurricane in the Caribbean. The Beijing butterfly in this case was the People’s Bank of China (PBOC), which pushed up the benchmark 7-day repo rate to 3.1% from 2.5% on January 25, a significant tightening that was mirrored in banks’ cost of funding. Hong Kong stocks and European stock futures dropped immediately, followed by S&P futures (the subsequent drop in the S&P during the Wednesday New York trading session isn’t shown on the chart).
Please go to the link to view the chart:
16. Biden Orders Pentagon To Include Climate Change In New Strategy & War Games
breakingdefense.com · by Paul McLeary
Buried lede - New NDS in 2022.
17. Why Attempts to Build a New Anti-China Alliance Will Fail
Foreign Policy · by Kishore Mahbubani · January 27, 2021
That is one of the biggest differences about a European security architecture (e.g., NATO) and one in Asia. In Asia there needs to be an economic security relationship and not just a military security relationship and the economic relationship has to take priority over the military.
Conclusion: This is why the Quad’s naval exercises in the Indian Ocean will not move the needle of Asian history. Over time, the different economic interests and historical vulnerabilities of the four countries will make the rationale for the Quad less and less tenable. Here’s one leading indicator: No other Asian country—not even the staunchest U.S. ally, South Korea—is rushing to join the Quad. The future of Asia will be written in four letters, RCEP, and not the four letters in Quad.
18. Biden sends messages rejecting China expansionism
asiatimes.com · by Sylvie Lanteaume · January 28, 2021
A similar China-directed refrain echoed through Austin’s call with Australian defense minister Linda Reynolds on Tuesday.
Austin “emphasized the importance of maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific, founded on existing international law and norms in a region free of malign behavior,” Kirby said.
To underscore the unchanged US stance in Asia, on January 24, the fourth day of the new Biden administration, the US aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt embarked on a so-called “freedom of navigation” mission in the South China Sea, sailing in or close to waters that China claims to underscore Washington’s rejection of those claims.
In addition, even as his initial focus for the US Defense Department is battling the coronavirus, Austin is expected to make Asia his first destination on an international trip.
19. A World Divided: The Conflict with Chinese Techno-Nationalism Isn’t Coming - It’s Already Here
warontherocks.com · by James Mulvenon · January 28, 2021
Conclusion: If implemented, these measures will help the new Biden administration adapt to the significant changes in the trade and security environment over the last four years and ensure its ability to achieve simultaneous goals: strengthening the American economy, accelerating the domestic innovation and job growth, deepening cooperative relationships with like-minded countries, bolstering U.S. military capabilities, and protecting critical intellectual property and core technologies of the future from wholesale technology and cyber theft.
20. WHO team studying COVID-19 origins in China out of quarantine
upi.com· by Daryl Coote · January 28, 2021
Now we will see how much access they will have. Will they be able to definitively pinpoint the origin?
21. Study ranks New Zealand Covid-19 response best, Brazil worst, US in bottom five
France 24 · by FRANCE 24 · January 28, 2021
Are we surprised? More importantly are we ashamed of our poor performance? Do we understand why our response has been so poor?
Excerpts:
“Aside from New Zealand – which has largely kept the virus at bay with border closures and "go early, go hard" lockdowns and testing regimes – Vietnam, Taiwan, Thailand, Cyprus, Rwanda, Iceland, Australia, Latvia and Sri Lanka made the top 10 for their responses.”
22. Is the SolarWinds Cyberattack an Act of War? It Is, If the United States Says It Is.
lawfareblog.com· by Yevgeny Vindman · January 26, 2021
Conclusion: The Biden administration will need to determine how to respond to the SolarWinds cyberattack to establish deterrence and impose costs given the magnitude of the attack. These are policy issues, but they should be informed by the legal determination that the SolarWinds cyberattack may well constitute a casus belli under international law.
23. This Over-the-Counter Medication Can Kill COVID, Study Says
bestlifeonline.com · by Zachary Mack · January 27, 2021
If there is anything to this why aren't we reading about this in other media or from the COVID 19 task force?
When things seem too good to be true they usually are. Of course there is probably a conspiracy theory to explain the answer to my question above.
24. Declassified U.S. intelligence bolsters Wuhan lab theory in coronavirus outbreak
washingtontimes.com · by Bill Gertz
------------
“The media controls the mind.”
- Jim Morrison
“Some people awake each morning dreading the day looking for the negatives in their lives and in others, while some awaken fresh appreciating the opportunity to contribute to life, making the world a better place and see the positives. Neither is right or wrong for we are human, we all make a conscious choice everyday as to who we shall be.”
- Mark W Boyer
“Success of democracy lies within the analytical thought of a common man.”
- M.H. Rakib