John Sawers, former Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), shares his insights on how security threats have evolved with the rise of digital technologies and social media. In this interview, he offers a compelling exploration of the shift from traditional methods to contemporary security challenges. Sawers examines how intelligence approaches have adapted to address new threats, including the influence of social media on democratic processes and the evolving global geopolitical landscape. The discussion provides An insightful analysis of the current dynamics in intelligence work and highlights the critical issues facing intelligence services in an increasingly interconnected and digital world.
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December 22, 2020“When I got home late that night, the house was dark and Michelle was already asleep. After taking a shower and going through a stack of mail, I slipped under the covers and began drifting off. In that luminal space between wakefulness and sleep, I imagined myself stepping toward a portal of some sort, a bright and cold and airless place, uninhabited and severed from the world. And behind me, out of the darkness, I heard a voice, sharp and clear, as if someone were right next to me, ... -
December 16, 2020President Trump may not enact his threatened US drawdown of troops from the Sahel, but President Biden will still face pressure to end America’s “forever wars” and reduce the number of American lives and treasure lost to fighting terrorism in Africa. If the United States pulls back from... -
December 16, 2020Abdelhak Bassou, Senior Fellow au Policy Center for the New South, revient sur l’une des principales crises géopolitiques de ces dernières années, une crise qui se déroule à l’intersectio ... -
December 14, 2020Foreign powers are grappling for influence across the African continent, but competition has been particularly fierce in the Red Sea. With Ethiopia, long viewed as a bulwark against instability in the Horn of Africa, emerging from conflict, there is a new opportunity to cement the peace...
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December 11, 2020The Arab Spring led to the collapse of dictatorships that ruled the region for decades, creating a void that triggered increased rivalry between three axes seeking to expand influence and control in the region. Using the theoretical framework of ‘offensive realism’ developed by Mearsheimer, this paper analyzes the build-up and circumstances surrounding the intensification of the rivalry between Qatar/Turkey, Saudi Arabia/the UAE and Iran and how this rivalry has become a major drive ... -
December 10, 2020The Atlantic basin faces considerable challenges on multiple fronts. Financial and economic struggles, coupled with political shifts and social turmoil, are reshaping the region’s geopolitical landscape. Unemployment, poverty, violence, migration, extremism, climate change and other problems are on the rise and the need to tackle them effectively is pressing. To find adequate solutions to these challenges, it is crucial to create inclusive discussions between the North and the Sout ... -
December 10, 2020The purposeful dissemination of misleading or outright false information by news media and foreign state actors constitutes an increasingly important factor in both the growing erosion of trust in national institutions and political polarization in many countries around the world. The d...
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December 9, 2020The 2020 US elections have taken place amidst a highly polarized context, compounded by a devastating global health crisis, a far-reaching economic recession, and the mounting threat of populism worldwide, calling into question the limits of multilateral cooperation. The Presidential El...
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December 9, 2020Poker is a game for real men, cowboys, for example, ocean divers, stunt men, gambling away their meager pay. Poker is America, as oversized as its trucks, egos and steaks. Poker made its way from quaint southern New Orleans to the rough west, where gold diggers gambled away fortunes, and settlers risked their wagons and horses for a game of cards. Decades ago I met Johnny Moss, a descendent of this wild bunch in Las Vegas. He is the greatest poker player of our time, as his biograph ...
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