May, 2020

• 5 May

  Social media platforms allow blacklisted extremists to use accounts

  Social media giants have been criticised for allowing sanctioned terrorists to use their platforms, including a Qatari who allegedly gave Al Qaeda £1.6 million (Dh7.37m) a month.

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• 5 May

  The Beginning of the End for Oil? Energy in a Post-Pandemic World

  Energy analysts have long assumed that, given time, growing international concern over climate change would result in a vast restructuring of the global energy enterprise. The result: a greener, less climate-degrading system. In this future, fossil fuels would be overtaken by renewables, while oil, gas, and coal would be relegated …

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• 5 May

  “Self-rule” in Aden and the implications for Russia

  Since Russia’s military intervention in Syria intensified in September 2015, many analysts have been busy trying to assess and understand Moscow’s role in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). When discussing Russia’s regional foreign policy, the following three points are key. First, Russia is generally cautious and pragmatic when …

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• 5 May

  US Navy Awards Guided Missile Frigate (FFG(X)) Contract

  Navy awarded a contract to design and produce the next generation small surface combatant, the Guided Missile Frigate (FFG(X)) April 30. The contract for detail design and construction (DD&C) of up to 10 Guided Missile Frigates (consisting of one base ship and nine option ships) was awarded to Marinette Marine …

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• 5 May

  IntelBrief: United States and Iran Heading Slowly Toward the Brink Again

  Bottom Line up Front The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated both Iran and the United States, but has not prevented tensions between them from escalating again. Iran’s willingness to undertake provocative actions indicates that the U.S. campaign of ‘maximum pressure’ has not mitigated the threat from Iran. Iranian leaders assess that …

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• 5 May

  IntelBrief: The Future of the U.S.-China Relationship in a Post-COVID World

  Bottom Line Up Front Through a series of unforced errors and myopic policy choices, the United States is abdicating its position as a global leader, leaving a vacuum that China and other powers vying for hegemony are eagerly filling. By forfeiting leadership on the most pressing challenges of our time, …

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• 5 May

  IntelBrief: Is Mohammed bin Salman Leading Saudi Arabia into the Abyss?

  Bottom Line Up Front The combination of record-low oil prices and mounting demographic pressures poses significant challenges to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s (MBS) future plans in Saudi Arabia. In mid-April, a Saudi citizen named Abdul Rahim Ahmad Mahmoud al-Hwaiti refused to abandon his home so that MBS could pursue …

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• 5 May

  When will holidays restart? A country-by-country guide, including France, Spain and Italy

  While the UK remains firmly in lockdown, with social distancing rules in place and only essential shops and services still running, many countries around the world are tentatively loosening their lockdown measures.

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• 5 May

  Brutal Choices: Anders Tegnell and Sweden’s Herd Immunity Goal

  If the title of epidemiological czar were to be created, its first occupant would have to be Sweden’s Anders Tegnell. He has held sway in the face of sceptics and concern that his “herd immunity” approach to COVID-19 is a dangerous, and breathtakingly cavalier approach, to public health. Tegnell T-shirts …

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• 5 May

  PLO's Program of Deception and Lies

  “The PLO recognizes the right of the State of Israel to exist in peace and security… accepts United Nations Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338… commits itself… to a peaceful resolution of the conflict between the two sides… the PLO renounces the use of terrorism and other acts of violence… …

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