News & commentary by Dave Maxwell. Edited and published by Riley Murray.
1. America's vaccine rollout has been among the best in the world
2. Are Confucius Institutes in the US Really Necessary?
3. Austin vows stronger action against sexual assault in the military
4. How to Spot 11 Types of Media Bias
5. COVID Conspiracy Disinformation Campaign Has Had Vast Reach, Study Finds
6. Former Trump deputy national security adviser Matt Pottinger details "grave misstep" in pandemic response
7. The Journalistic Tattletale and Censorship Industry Suffers Several Well-Deserved Blows
8. A Macedonian misinformation site dominated Parler before the Capitol riot
9. Four Taiwan ex-intelligence officers charged with spying for mainland China
10. Tom Cotton’s big plan to “beat China,” explained
11. Conspiracy theories — unmasked! From Winston Churchill to QAnon in a few easy steps
12. US Citizen Among the Advisers to Myanmar Military Regime Despite Sanctions Imposed by US
13. Philippines military keen to keep U.S. troop deal - minister
14. Somalia Is Headed Towards Another Tragic Collapse
15. The AI research paper was real. The “co-author” wasn’t
1. America's vaccine rollout has been among the best in the world
Axios · by Dave Lawler
At least as "compared to other wealthy countries."
A global map at the link: https://www.axios.com/vaccine-distribution-by-country-us-rollout-doses-9c47fa53-6a2e-4c56-8792-dd31bee34b10.html?
2. Are Confucius Institutes in the US Really Necessary?
thediplomat.com – by Gary Sands - February 20, 2021
I want Americans to learn Mandarin and to understand China (Although as an English major and political science minor, our daughter is in her third year of Mandarin language study but through the normal college language classes with no association to Confucius Institutes - although her university did consider partnering with Confucius institutes about 6 years ago but were concerned with Chinese influence on the curriculum.) I just do not think we should "delegate" that responsibility to the Chinese Communist Party.
Excerpts:
There is nothing inherently wrong with the idea of a government-sponsored cultural institute assuming the important task of teaching the language, culture, and values of their nation to others (and there are many other examples: Alliance Francaise, American Centers, the British Council, the Goethe Institute, etc.). But should any institute censor certain information or distort history for geopolitical gain, host nations should either require changes or terminate their operation.
Any actions taken by the new Congress to further regulate Confucius Institutes will no doubt appeal to the two-thirds of U.S. voters holding a negative view of China. But the inherent difficulties in effectively regulating the remaining 75 Confucius Institutes and 500 Confucius classrooms argue for more funding for the NSEP and for the expansion of other home-grown, fact-based alternatives.
3. Austin vows stronger action against sexual assault in the military
The Washington Post · February 19, 2021
This scourge must be dealt with. The video is one of the most troubling I have seen recently. I hope the SECDEF (and leaders at all levels) will make progress.
One of the things I respect about the new SECDEF is his willingness to take things head on and how he has immediately (and I think correctly) handled this issue. Too often we have heard statements from senior leaders saying, "I have no knowledge of such a video."
“You can look for us to take additional steps in looking in detail at ourselves and what has worked, what hasn’t worked and what measures we need to take going forward to ensure that we provide for a safe and secure and productive environment for our teammates,” Austin told reporters. “I think any other approach is, in my view, irresponsible.”
Austin also addressed a raw, emotional TikTok video that spread widely on social media on Thursday night after it was posted by Not In My Marine Corps, a group that advocates for survivors of sexual assault and harassment among service members.
...
Asked about the Marine’s remarks, Austin said: “I found the video deeply disturbing, and I’ve asked my staff for additional information, and I’ll leave it at that.”
...
Austin declined to say more about any action he might take in the case. “We want to make sure that, you know, I preserve my ability to adjudicate or take action or whatever needs to happen,” he said. “But the first thing’s first — we have to get the facts.”
He admits seeing, provides his human view of it yet ensures the press he must preserve his ability to adjudicate the issues as a member of the chain of command.
4. How to Spot 11 Types of Media Bias
https://www.allsides.com/media-bias/how-to-spot-types-of-media-bias
I like the web site AllSides.com. This is a handy guide that we should all refer to regularly. A PDF of this can be downloaded here: https://www.allsides.com/sites/default/files/11%20Types%20of%20Media%20Bias-AllSides.pdf
5. COVID Conspiracy Disinformation Campaign Has Had Vast Reach, Study Finds
voanews.com · by VOA News
China doth protest too much. Admit nothing, deny everything, make counter accusations. I am glad to know the Chinese will not spread conspiracy theories.
Excerpts:
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs told AP it resolutely opposes spreading conspiracy theories.
"We have not done it before and will not do it in the future," the ministry said in a statement. "False information is the common enemy of mankind, and China has always opposed the creation and spread of false information."
6. Former Trump deputy national security adviser Matt Pottinger details "grave misstep" in pandemic response
CBS News · by Emily Tillett, Margaret Brennan · February 20, 2021
A fascinating interview excerpt with the former Deputy NSA.
Two important excerpts:
Pottinger turned to the government of Taiwan to secure a batch of masks that he distributed to White House medical staff and the national security team that reported to him. He said the remainder was donated to the national stockpile. The CDC did not issue formal guidance on mask wearing to the public until April.
...
Pottinger rang early alarms inside the Trump administration regarding the virus' potential ferocity and impact on the U.S. He said the information that he was receiving from making personal calls to doctors on the ground in China provided more accurate information than what was being shared by the Chinese government with their CDC counterparts.
Note the importance of personal relationships. I think we forget that before Matt was a national security official and a Marine Captain, he was a journalist with the Wall Street Journal. He was probably doing what few national security officials could do based on his fluency in Mandarin and his likely contacts cultivated while he was a journalist. In the era of fake news and the discrediting of journalists I think we should view this as an example of how important journalists and their skills can be to national security. Of course, it would be better if people had paid more attention to Matt's warnings as they should to journalists' warnings. Open source and all source information is vital to national security.
7. The Journalistic Tattletale and Censorship Industry Suffers Several Well-Deserved Blows
greenwald.substack.com · by Glenn Greenwald
I admit that I have never liked Glenn Greenwald's agenda or his reporting. But lately he has been writing some pretty useful exposes.
8. A Macedonian misinformation site dominated Parler before the Capitol riot
protocol.com · by Issie Lapowsky · February 17, 2021
Go figure:
According to the report, among the many misinformation sites that filled Parler before the Jan. 6 uprising, the site that appeared most frequently was American Conservatives Today, which launched just a month before the riot and appeared to be run out of Macedonia. It was linked to nearly 3,000 times in a single week.
Other sites that proliferated on Parler that week include a network of Islamophobic sites reportedly run out of Israel, a video site linked to InfoWars' Alex Jones and a QAnon conspiracy theory site. In addition to these peddlers of fake news, NewsGuard also found more than 1,000 links to weapon sales, prepper gear, nutritional supplements and other merchandise.
9. Four Taiwan ex-intelligence officers charged with spying for mainland China
View Original – by Agency France-Presse
So about 3 or 4 years ago I was in Taiwan participating in an Army asymmetric warfare conference. I was in a room with about a dozen Americans and about 100 Taiwanese army officers. The Chief of Staff of the Army was giving his remarks. He told us one of the challenges for the Taiwan military was Chinese espionage against the active duty military as well as the exploitation of retired military officers who were not well compensated by the Taiwanese government in retirement. He said to this audience that he knew there were PRC spies in the very room in which he was speaking.
As part of the conference in one of the working groups we were asked to provide counterintelligence recommendations for the Chinese espionage threat. Here is the summary of the proposal I outlined. Since it was understood the military was penetrated they could take advantage of this by establishing a new program for retired military personnel. In simple terms if a retired military officer is approached by a Chinese recruiter he can immediately report it to the Taiwanese CI service. He will be allowed to be recruited and accept Chinese compensation. However, he will also have such compensation matched by the Taiwanese government to work as a double agent and feed Taiwanese CI approved information to his Chinese handlers. Because this program will be immediately exposed to the Chinese upon development and implementation through their already established network, it will likely fail. However, the real purpose of the program is to make all retired Taiwanese officers of no more value to the Chinese since they will have to assume every one of them will act as a double agent and therefore cannot be trusted. Of course another course of action would be to sufficiently compensate retired military personnel in retirement.
10. Tom Cotton’s big plan to “beat China,” explained
Vox · by Alex Ward · February 19, 2021
The 84 page report can be downloaded here: https://www.cotton.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/210216_1700_China%20Report_FINAL.pdf
Excerpts:
The senator highlighted how the World Trade Organization has failed to rein in China’s economic malpractices on a large scale. That’s not to say the US shouldn’t try to reform that or other institutions.
But if China won’t play by the rules, or the group won’t hold China’s actions accountable, then he’d rather Washington leave and form new bodies. That way, the US “can ensure that international rules and standards are written to support emerging technologies where America is naturally suited to prevail.”
This stance is similar to Donald Trump’s, who as president also didn’t want to stay in international organizations he deemed friendly to China. President Joe Biden, meanwhile, thinks the US can only challenge Beijing if the US stays in such institutions.
Cotton’s other suggestions are essentially just restatements of proposals he espoused in the “how to decouple” section, namely government funding for research, development, and training in key industries. They underscore the senator’s central thesis that any moves to untangle US-China economic ties must feature corresponding actions to mitigate the resulting disruption.
For Wake Forest’s Benabdallah, that vision reflects the growing bipartisan consensus about America’s future economic ties with China. “This really puts into writing the view coming from DC that US-China relations are a zero-sum game,” she told me. “It’s very logical to say the US needs to do all this, but it’s another story when you see what that really means.”
Maine’s Vekasi echoed that sentiment: A lot of what Cotton said should be considered and thought about more deeply, especially the rare-earth materials part. But until it’s clear that unless the US can find less painful and cumbersome ways to sever economic relations with China, little of what the senator proposes will come true.
“It’s a pipe dream,” she said.
11. Conspiracy theories — unmasked! From Winston Churchill to QAnon in a few easy steps
Salon – by Paul Rosenberg - February 20, 2021
Yes this is from Salon for those who check sources and will disregard information based on the source. But I would submit this is a fascinating interview and provides some very useful food for thought from a historical perspective. I will look for the follow-on parts in this series.
12. US Citizen Among the Advisers to Myanmar Military Regime Despite Sanctions Imposed by US
irrawaddy.com – by Nyein Nyein - February 20, 2021
Unlike other Americans such as Dave Eubank and the Free Burma Rangers and Tim Heinneman and Worldwide Impact Now who continue to support the oppressed tribes of Burma.
13. Philippines military keen to keep U.S. troop deal - minister
news.yahoo.com – by Karen Lema
Yes I am sure he is. It is only the president who wants to extort the US.
14. Somalia Is Headed Towards Another Tragic Collapse
19fortyfive.com · by Michael Rubin · February 19, 2021
Excerpt: Somalis are today putting their lives on the line for democracy. It is time to listen. If the international community remains deaf or arrogantly insists they know better, the result will be a disaster that will reverberate far beyond Somalia’s borders.
15. The AI research paper was real. The “co-author” wasn’t
Ars Technica · by Will Knight · February 21, 2021
"Own only what you can always carry with you: know languages, know countries, know people. Let your memory be your travel bag."
- Alexander Solzhenitsyn
“Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world”
- Miyamoto Musashi, A Book of Five Rings: The Classic Guide to Strategy
“Democracy not only requires equality but also an unshakable conviction in the value of each person, who is then equal”
- Jeane Kirkpatrick