“The secret of politics? Make a good treaty with Russia.”  
Otto Von Bismarck

By Azra Isakovic

Friday April 23, 2021

Good morning

Welcome to Your Friday Briefing

Featured

Wirecard Scandal – The Weird, Extremely German Origins of the Wirecard Scandal, Adrian Daub | The New Republic

“An over-identification with something so nebulous as ‘the economy‘ can easily become a trap. It sustains you in good times, but what happens when what you identify with is found to be a fraud?“ – @adriandaub https://t.co/hvAPzLShkB

— Quinn Slobodian (@zeithistoriker) April 22, 2021

Books

Covid19 – The Covid Consensus – The New Politics of Global Inequality, Toby Green | Hurst Publishers
Sanctions – The Economic Weapon – The Rise of Sanctions as a Tool of Modern War, Nicholas Mulder | yalebooks

For those interested in sanctions, interwar history, and political economy: my book "The Economic Weapon" is coming out with Yale University Press in early 2022. 11 January in the US and 22 February in the UK. https://t.co/WTX3zeetdq pic.twitter.com/frtBe9aLXf

— Nicholas Mulder (@njtmulder) April 22, 2021

Must-Reads

Europe/China/Technology – TikTok sued on behalf of millions of European children over data concerns, Madhumita Murgia | Financial Times
US/Japan – With U.S. Help, Japan’s Stance on China Hardens Jennifer Lind | Financial Times
US – Engage Americans in Foreign Policy Daniel Baer | Foreign Policy
US/Russia – Why Is Biden Risking War With Russia?  Ted Galen Carpenter | 1945
US/Russia – Did Biden Blink on Russia?  Paul Roderick Gregory | The Hill
Xinjiang – A Manitoba Couple Who Saw the Horrors in Xinjiang J. Chiu & J. Nuttall | The Star
Australia/China – Australia Vetoes Victoria’s Belt and Road Deal With China  | Stratfor Worldview
Australia/China – We Lead the World in Confronting China  Eryk Bagshaw | Sydney Morning Herald
Belarus – The Bizarre Belarus ‘Coup Plot’  Brian Whitmore [ Atlantic Council
Digital/Trade – The changing nature of digital trade, current and future barriers and ideas to overcome them, Javier López-González |  Wilson Center
Russia – Russia and the Future of Drone Swarms  Samuel Bendett | Modern War Institute Russia/Czech Republic – Russian attacks in the Czech Republic: domestic context, implications, perspectives | OSW
Defense – The Nine Commandments on Countering Hybrid Threats, Michael Rühle | Internationale Politik Quarterly

There are some rules that the Western strategic community should adhere to in order to create a common understanding of "hybrid" threats and responses, argues Michael Rühle @MichaelRhle2

Read his "nine commandments" here:https://t.co/VHi0fnlSBU pic.twitter.com/VMFakXdo2u

— lnternationale Politik Quarterly (@IPQuarterly) April 22, 2021

Research & Analysis

EU/Technology – Proposal for a Regulation on a European approach for Artificial Intelligence | European Commission
China – After Xi: Future Scenarios for Leadership Succession in Post-Xi Jinping Era, Richard McGregor, Jude Blanchette | CSIS

As Xi Jinping continues to concentrate political power and personalize his rule, the likelihood of a destabilizing succession crisis grows. https://t.co/1pPOf1B0Kc

— CSIS (@CSIS) April 22, 2021

Podcasts

Josep Borrell – La Commission européenne est-elle devenue vraiment géopolitique ? | IFRI