Best of the fortnight - 10 March 2023
BISA Director Juliet Dryden and Communications Assistant Louis Newstead have scoured the internet for IR-related content that might interest you. Here they bring you the past fortnight's best readings and podcasts to keep you up to date with what's happening around the world.
Global Issues
Women politicians pay too high a personal cost for their leadership. Parveen Akhtar, Anne Jenichen, and Patricia Correa for The Conversation
Innovation Power: Why Technology Will Define the Future of Geopolitics. Eric Schmidt for Foreign Affairs
Podcast: Where are the women? Exploring the experiences of women in conflict. KCL War Studies
Podcast: Empathy in decision making analysis and OSINT with Claire Yorke from The World of Intelligence, Janes Podcasts
Russia and Ukraine
The astonishing endurance of unity in Ukraine. Nigel Gould-Davies in Foreign Affairs
How close is the world to a wider conflict? Tim Willasey-Wilsey for RUSI
Ukraine war is blurring the lines between Nato and the EU on defence policy. Baris Celik for The Conversation
Podcast: Russia invasion one year on. Independent Thinking, Chatham House podcast
Podcast: Axis of Autocrats: Putin, Xi and Lukashenko. World Review from the New Statesman
China
China’s hidden tech revolution. How Beijing threatens US dominance. Dan Wang in Foreign Affairs.
Ukraine: Beijing’s peace initiative offers glimpse at how China plans to win the war. Stefan Wolff for The Conversation
China: why Beijing has decided this is the year to ‘unify’ with Taiwan. Jose Caballero for The Conversation
How to avoid war over Taiwan. The Economist
Podcast: Not so Pacific: The frightening prospect of war over Taiwan. The Intelligence from The Economist
Podcast: How China lost Europe – European relations with Beijing. World Review from the Economist.
Asia
Georgia’s new foreign agent law puts the country on the verge of a human rights crisis. Nino Ugrekhelidze and Salome Chagelishvili for openDemocracy
It took an earthquake to reopen the border between Turkey and Armenia. Christina Soloyan for openDemocracy
What Limits Any U.S. Alliance With India Over China. Michael Schuman for The Atlantic
USA
Why Biden might drop his vice president (and reasons why he shouldn’t). Dafydd Townley for the Conversation
Why the 2024 election cycle could result in more threats to US democracy. Richard Hargy for The Conversation
The U.S. wants Europe to stand up to China. Europe says: Not so fast. Suzanne Lynch, Nahal Toosi, Barbara Moens, and Erin Banco for Politico
Can Biden’s New Asylum Policy Help Solve the Migrant Crisis? Diana Roy for Council on Foreign Relations
United Kingdom and Europe
Britain must get real about its place in the world. John Kampfner for the World Today
How to fix the channel crossings. David Normington in Prospect Magazine
Illegal immigration bill does more than ‘push the boundaries’ of international law. Helen O’Nions for The Conversation
Inquiries differ on why the 2017 Manchester bombing wasn’t prevented – here’s why. Jamie Gaskarth for The Conversation
Prevent review: why we need a new – and clearer – definition of Islamist extremism. Julian Hargreaves for The Conversation
Sunak and Macron prepare show of unity as Putin looks on. Read on in Politico
Sunak’s EU reset. How the UK hopes to mend fences with Europe. Matthias Matthijs in Foreign Affairs
Ursula von der Leyen’s disgruntled party may snarl her re-election in Europe. Paul Hokenoss for Foreign Policy
The EU must accelerate its next enlargement. Jeremy Cliffe for the New Statesman
Why European Defense Still Depends on America. Max Bermann and Sophia Besch for Foreign Affairs
Finland’s Turn to the West. Gordon F. Sander for The New York Review of Books
Podcast: Who Blew Up the Nord Stream Pipelines? The Daily from The New York Times
Which European power is Britain’s closest ally? Stephen Booth for Council on Geostrategy
Middle East
After the Iran deal. Is plan B to contain the Islamic Republic? Suzanne Maloney in Foreign Affairs.
How Britain’s broken asylum system props up the Iranian government. Josh Askew for Open Democracy
Disenchantment and devastation in Syria. Charles Glass for the New York Review of Books.
Israelis protest Netanyahu government’s brutality and plans to undermine rule of law. John Strawson for The Conversation
Enforcing Apartheid in the West Bank. Tareq Baconi for The New York Review of Books
Netanyahu Can’t Have It All. Amos Yadlin for Foreign Affairs
Podcast: : The Afghan women who will not be silenced. From Intelligence Squared
Africa
The United States Should Not Play Russia’s Game in Africa. Michelle Gavin for Council on Foreign Relations
Mercenary Shocks: What The War In Ukraine Will Eventually Mean For Africa. Raphael Parens for War on the Rocks
How America plans to break China’s grip on African minerals. The Economist
Kenya: The political education of William Ruto. Carey Baraka for the New York Review of Books
Podcast: Nigeria votes from Independent Thinking. Chatham House
Latin America
Mexico protests: fears for democracy prompt mass demonstrations. Rosario Aguilar for The Conversation
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