So what’s cooking in the field of geopolitics, global challenges and international security issues worldwide? Well, in case you hadn’t heard: apparently next week there are some important elections taking place on the other side of the Atlantic. Read all about it (and more!) in this new HCSS Digest.
We’re all anxious to find out who will be the winner on November 3rd, current President Donald Trump or his Democratic opponent Joe Biden. But China will also be curious about the results – the big question is: will the outcome make any difference to China? Listen to Rob de Wijk in conversation with Ties Dams en Li’ao Wang on BNR’s China Podcast.
Data scientist and expert on US politics Paul Verhagen will be pulling an all-nighter on Election Night, when he’ll be the guest on NPO Radio 1’s “Amerika Kiest” election special, to guide the listener through the polls and results. Earlier this week, Paul was interviewed on radio 3-FM about why these elections matter so much.
It was a busy year for cyber diplomacy. The Global Commission on the Stability of Cyberspace (GCSC) is pleased to invite you to its 2020 Internet Governance Forum (IGF) online sessions, where we engage with a stellar panel of speakers and explore new ways to advance the implementation and adherence to cybernorms:
- “2020 Cyberstability Stocktaking of Norms and Institutional Dialogues” on Monday, November 2 – click here to add the event to your schedule.
- “The Protection of the Public Core of the Internet: from formulation to implementation” on Tuesday, November 3 – click here to add the event to your schedule.
Trump has reinforced right-wing, national-conservative populism, angry people around the world who are more interested in conspiracy theories than facts. If Biden becomes President, that will be bad news for far-right violent groups, but good news for democracy, social stability and decency – and Rob de Wijk’s faith in humanity, he writes in his weekly column for Trouw.
The UN celebrated its 75th anniversary last weekend: the ideal time to implement much-needed reforms, experts argue, among them HCSS Director of Political Affairs Han ten Broeke. “There are many conflicts in the world over which the United Nations has little or no influence,” he commented at WNL Vandaag. “Yet the UN remains incredibly important. If it wouldn’t exist, you’d want to establish it today.”
Are China and the U.S. careening towards conflict? What will it mean for Europe?
What are the consequences of the Sino-American maritime competition for US grand strategy, Asian and European security? Join our Webinar on November 16th, featuring Paul van Hooft and an awesome collection of security scholars moderated by Tim Sweijs, for the launch of a special issue of Security Studies.
HCSS Subject Matter Expert Friso Stevens writes in Clingendael Spectator that despite its growing influence, China does not pose a direct military threat to Europe, arguing for a realistic China policy without getting into a new Cold War.
How can technologies like geodata, crowdsourcing intelligence, and machine learning contribute to resilience of food systems and communities during and after shocks like the Covid-19 crisis? This was the central focus of an online meeting that provided feedback to a consortium of HCSS, 52impact, and BlackShore, which recently started a European Space Agency-funded project in this area called ‘Crowds & Machines’. Read the meeting report here and see the presentation by Laura Birkman and Nino Malekovich (HCSS), Koen Verberne (52Impact) and Hans van ‘t Woud (BlackShore).
Out now: the Global Early Warning Tool quarterly update of the Water, Peace & Security partnership, reflecting the latest projections and accompanying our updated map, highlighting some of the conflict hotspots in Africa, the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia. Read more about the WPS Partnership here.
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See you next week, in a new Digest. Will we know who’s gonna be POTUS for the next four years?
