Backgrounders

Flashpoint: Chad

A Chadian Special Forces soldier receives basic rifle marksmanship training at a live fire range Mar. 6, 2017 in Massaguet, Chad as part of Flintlock 17. Flintlock is an annual special operations exercise involving more than 20 nation forces that strengthens security institutions, promotes multilateral sharing of information, and develops interoperability among partner nations in North and West Africa. (Army photo by Sgt. Derek Hamilton) Unit: U.S. Africa Command DVIDS Tags: marksmanship; Flintlock; Chad; Flintlock17, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Marksmanship_training_in_Chad_during_Flintlock_2017_170306-A-KH850-007.jpg

Today’s vulnerable states give way to tomorrow’s regional crises. First in a new series, we examine the challenges faced by Chad in the COVID-19 era.

East Coast Rail Link: Full Steam Ahead for China’s Belt and Road in Malaysia

Malaysia Train, CC Flickr, Khairil Yusof, Modified, https://www.flickr.com/photos/57634952@N00/15362968700/, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has vowed to go ahead with large-scale Chinese-backed infrastructure projects, notably the renegotiated East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), to boost Malaysia’ COVID19-hit economy.

Warfare Evolved: Hypersonic Missiles

cc Flickr Naval Surface Warriors, modified, PACIFIC OCEAN (Sept. 18, 2018) A Tomahawk cruise missile launches from the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Shoup (DDG 86) during a live fire exercise, part of Valiant Shield ’18 in the Pacific Ocean Sept. 18, 2018. Valiant Shield is a U.S. only, biennial field training exercise (FTX) with a focus on integration of joint training in a blue-water environment among U.S. forces. This training enable real-world proficiency in sustaining joint forces through detecting, locating, tracking, and engaging units at sea, in the air, on land, and in cyberspace in response to a range of mission areas. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class William Collins III)

Gauging the strategic impact of a new generation of missiles that defy all known manners of conventional interception.

Backgrounder: What Would a China-India War over the Himalayas Look Like?

cc US Navy, modified, English: Indian Ocean (Sept. 25, 2005) – The Indian aircraft carrier CVH Viraat (R 22) underway in the Indian Ocean as part of exercise Malabar 2005. The exercise is designed to increase interoperability between the two navies while enhancing the cooperative security relationship between India and the United States. The at-sea exercise includes maritime interdiction, surface events, sub-surface, air events and personnel exchanges. U.S. Navy photo by Photographer’s Mate 3rd Class Shannon E. Renfroe (RELEASED), https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:US_Navy_050925-N-0413R-043_The_Indian_aircraft_carrier_CVH_Viraat_(R_22)_underway_in_the_Indian_Ocean_as_part_of_exercise_Malabar_2005.jpg

Though it remains an unlikely scenario, a China-India military conflict could be expected to reverberate far from the Line of Actual Control in the Himalayas.

Warfare Evolved: Quantum Encryption

cc Nasa, modified, public domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GPS_Satellite_NASA_art-iif.jpg

Advances in quantum encryption could change the way that modern states conduct their intelligence-gathering.

Japan: New Leader, Old Geopolitics

cc VOA, modified, https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:VOA_interviews_Yoshihide_Suga.jpg

Japan’s new leader can expect to face ongoing hostility in East Asia and a warm welcome from India.

Testing Europe’s Mettle: The EU’s Raw Materials Alliance

EU Symbol, CC Flickr, Christiaan Colen, Modified, https://www.flickr.com/photos/christiaancolen/22540337821/, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Is the EU’s quest for self-sufficiency in key raw material inputs a case of wishful thinking?

Backgrounder: Geopolitics of the Eastern Mediterranean Conflict

Santorini, Maggie Meng, CC Flickr, Modified, https://www.flickr.com/photos/snowfish2014/14210200684/in/

Who is backing who in simmering geopolitical tensions over energy deposits in the Eastern Mediterranean?

The Wagner Group: Intrigue, War, and Resource Extraction in Africa and Beyond

cc Flickr, Kevin Rheese, modified

After initial deployments in Ukraine and Syria, the African continent has become the main theater for Wagner Group operations.

Belt and Road: China-Mongolia-Russia Corridor

China-Mongolia-Russia-Corridor-Header

An overview of the China-Mongolia-Russia corridor, one of the main economic conduits envisioned by China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).

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