Best of the fortnight - 20 May 2023
Guest Editor Louis Newstead has scoured the internet for IR-related content that might interest you. Here he brings you the past fortnight's best readings and podcasts to keep you up to date with what's happening around the world.
Global Issues
G7 summit in Hiroshima will force world leaders to confront the continuing nuclear threat. Elizabeth Chappell for The Conversation
Why the west needs to offer Brazil, India and South Africa a new deal. Jose Caballero for The Conversation
Intelligence agencies have used AI since the cold war – but now face new security challenges. Dafydd Townley for The Conversation
Five priorities for G7 to strengthen economic security. Marianne Schneider-Petsinger for Chatham House
UK and Europe
Wagner Group: what it would mean for the UK to designate Putin’s private army a ‘terrorist organisation’. Brian J. Phillips for The Conversation
Turkey’s next leader may be pro-West but not anti-Russia. Galip Dalay for Chatham House
Podcast: Nuclear weapons in Belarus. Independent Thinking by Chatham House
Russia and Ukraine
Russia’s appeal to ‘warrior masculinity’ is unlikely to encourage men to enlist in the army. Marina Yusupova for The Conversation
Will US support for Ukraine and Putin’s spin at home keep both sides fighting? Paul Rogers for openDemocracy
Russia’s New Nuclear Normal. Dmitry Adamsky for Foreign Affairs
Why Putin Needs Wagner. Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan for Foreign Affairs
USA
It’s a bad idea for Biden to broker Saudi-Israeli normalization. Daniel Larison for Responsible Statecraft
US foreign arms and training programs are out of control. William Hartung for Responsible Statecraft
Ukraine aid — and US stockpiles — are running out. What’s next? Kelley Beaucar Vlahos for Responsible Statecraft
Why America Is Struggling to Stop the Fentanyl Epidemic. Vanda Felbab-Brown for Foreign Affairs
China
Three scenarios for the next phase of the Ukraine war and what each means for China. Natasha Kuhrt and Marcin Kaczmarski for The Conversation
China’s Status Anxiety. Rohan Mukherjee for Foreign Affairs
Can China Thread the Needle on Ukraine? Bonny Lin for Foreign Affairs
Surprise high level talks could calm US-China tensions over Taiwan. Connor Echols for Responsible Statecraft
Asia
The New Meaning of Hiroshima. Fumio Kishida for Foreign Affairs
Japan’s G7 Moment. Sheila A. Smith for Council on Foreign Relations
Myanmar and South China Sea crises test ASEAN’s mettle. Walden Bello for Responsible Statecraft
Podcast: The shifting geopolitics of Central Asia – with Raffaello Pantucci. World Review by the New Statesman
Middle East
Israel is a powder keg waiting to blow. James Sunderland for The Conversation
The Palestinian Succession Crisis. Ghaith al-Omari for Foreign Affairs
Saudi oil production cuts: A self-interested move. Patricia Karam for Responsible Statecraft
Podcast: In from the cold: Assad’s diplomatic redemption. The Intelligence from The Economist
Africa
Calls for US anti-rights groups to face action over Uganda anti-gay law. Khatondi Soita Wepukhulu for openDemocracy
How the lithium rush in West Africa is harming rural communities. Jack Wolf and Alix Smidman and Noel Konan for openDemocracy
Sudan’s Two Truths. Michelle Gavin for Council on Foreign Relations
Zambia reaps rewards of positive neutrality and economic diplomacy. Christopher Vandome for Chatham House
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