August, 2021

• 8 August

  Digital Authoritarianism and Nonviolent Action: Challenging the Digital Counterrevolution

  

  Nonviolent action campaigns are one of the most common ways citizens seek to peacefully change nonresponsive political systems. Yet recently developed and emergent technologies are transforming the nature of interactions between activists and authoritarian governments. This report examines the increasingly sophisticated set of tools—such as facial recognition and surveillance of …

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• 8 August

  How to Pull Lebanon out of its Torturous Fall

  

  Ahead of next year’s legislative elections, international accountability and public engagement will be key to countering endemic corruption. A year after the horrific Beirut port explosion on August 4, 2020, the legal pursuit of justice and accountability is proving pointless. Little to no progress has been made, due to how …

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• 8 August

  Four Years After ISIS, Iraq’s Tal Afar Remains Riven by Communal Divisions

  

  What can help allay perceptions of marginalization and tension in the district? Iraq is a country beset by a host of political, security, economic and social challenges, including addressing the human legacy of the Islamic State’s (ISIS) rampage through the country just a few years ago. Almost four years after …

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• 8 August

  As China Poses Challenges, Europe Makes its Presence Known in the Indo-Pacific

  

  Germany, the U.K. and France deploy warships as Europe increasingly recognizes the security challenges posed by China’s rise. A German frigate that left the country yesterday for the Indo-Pacific region will be Berlin’s first warship to cross the South China Sea in almost 20 years. This follows the United Kingdom’s …

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• 8 August

  India, Pakistan Watch Warily as Taliban Move to Takeover

  

  Afghanistan’s neighbors all prefer a negotiated political settlement — but are preparing for a worst-case scenario. The Taliban’s rapid advances have caught the region and the United States off guard. The deterioration in security has forced India, along with many other countries, to retrench its diplomatic presence in the country, …

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• 8 August

  Lebanese Druze confront, detain Hezbollah rocket crew after it fires at Israel

  

  Angry villagers in Chouya accuse terror group of endangering lives by firing from near civilian areas; Lebanon army arrives, confiscates launcher, arrests 4 suspects Druze residents in a southern Lebanese village halted the Hezbollah crew with its rocket launchers that had fired into Israel on Friday, and detained its members …

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• 8 August

  Israel warns of ‘overt and covert’ response if Hezbollah rocket fire continues

  

  IDF carries out artillery strikes in response to 19-rocket barrage by terror group, heaviest since 2006 war; Hezbollah releases video of rocket fire Israel is preparing a wide range of military and covert responses to a barrage of 19 rockets fired at Israel on Friday by the Hezbollah terror group, …

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• 8 August

  Hezbollah fires 19 rockets at Israel, in heaviest barrage since 2006 war

  

  Military says 10 projectiles were intercepted by air defenses, 6 struck open areas and 3 landed in Lebanon; terror group says attack was in response to recent Israeli airstrikes Nineteen rockets were fired at northern Israel from Lebanon on Friday morning, sending residents in a number of towns in the …

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• 8 August

  Can Yemen Maintain Its Territorial Integrity? – Analysis

  Yemeni President Abed Rabbo Mansur Hadi, backed by the Saudi alliance, seems unable to enforce territorial unity throughout his shrunken sphere of influence. Not even against allied powers. Incidents on two islands offshore from Yemen suggest as much. Among the greatest attractions of the Arabian Peninsula are Yemen’s mud skyscrapers, …

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• 8 August

  Poland Should Not Stay In EU At All Costs, Says Minister

  Poland should not remain a member of the European Union at all costs, the justice minister said in an interview published on Friday, as he railed against what he called “blackmail” from the bloc over Poland’s judicial reforms. The comments come as tensions between Warsaw and Brussels are intensifying, with …

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