Flagship

DC shooting deepens tensions over troops

An Afghan refugee suspected of shooting two US National Guard members in Washington, DC worked for a CIA-backed paramilitary force in Afghanistan, the agency said Thursday. Rahmanullah Lakanwal was evacuated following the US withdrawal in August 2021, and received asylum this year. Authorities said he drove from Washington state to commit Wednesday’s attack, which the FBI is investigating as terrorism. Both victims are in critical condition, and one is unlikely to survive, her father said. The shooting will further inflame a highly politicized debate over US President Donald Trump’s deployment of National Guard troops, who are “stranded somewhere on this battlefield of partisan politics,” a former Homeland Security official argued in The Atlantic. “Politics is not a military mission.”

HK fire fuels anger over housing crisis

A deadly inferno that engulfed a Hong Kong apartment complex has fueled public anger over the city’s housing crisis. Police on Thursday arrested three people linked to the construction company overseeing the estate’s renovation work; authorities are also probing the firm over potentially using flammable materials. But Hong Kongers believe blaming bamboo scaffolding for the blaze — the city’s deadliest in decades — deflects from the underlying problem: A lack of affordable housing has led to millions living in tightly-packed towers that “become death traps when disaster strikes,” The Guardian’s China correspondent wrote. Efforts to resolve the crisis have languished, but the fire’s political fallout for Hong Kong’s Beijing-backed leader could “reshape one of the world’s priciest property markets,” Reuter’s China columnist said.

Europe quietly prepares for war

Europe is quietly preparing for war with Russia. France on Thursday announced a new military program for volunteers aged 18 and 19, aiming to boost the country’s reservists to 100,000 by 2030; a general warned that France must be prepared to “lose its children” in a potential conflict with Moscow. German officials believe Russia could attack NATO in 2029, and have secretly prepared a blueprint for war that envisions Germany as a vast NATO staging ground, with plans to move as many as 800,000 troops to a hypothetical eastern front, The Wall Street Journal reported: “The goal is to prevent war by making it clear to our enemies that if they attack us, they won’t be successful,” the plan’s author said.

‘Undefended’ Ireland is risky for Europe

Ireland’s military neutrality poses a security risk to Europe, experts argued. Three-quarters of the Northern Hemisphere’s undersea cables pass through Irish marine territory, and the country is heavily integrated into the global tech and pharmaceutical industries, rendering it a “high-value target” for sabotage, an Irish former commando and legislator told the Financial Times. However, Ireland — which is in the EU but isn’t a NATO member — has only four naval vessels, no radar capability, and no dedicated intelligence agency; it also lacks the systems to receive classified information. While the Irish public broadly supports neutrality, it also supports boosting military spending, as Russian spying vessels are repeatedly glimpsed offshore. “Ireland is undefended,” a former European security official told the FT.

A snapshot of US-Russia relations

The story of a Russian colonel who once studied alongside American soldiers and later fought against Ukraine encapsulates Moscow-Washington relations over the last four decades. Andrei Demurenko, now in his late 60s, was chosen to take classes at a US Army college in 1992 during a hopeful period of post-Cold War cooperation between the countries. Despite his time in the US, Demurenko later came to believe Kremlin narratives that Ukrainians were Nazis and that the West threatened Russia’s existence. In 2023, he came out of retirement to fight the Ukrainians; he was wounded in a mortar blast after six weeks. His saga reveals “the deep suspicions baked into the US-Russian relationship from the beginning,” The New York Times wrote.

Europe concerns over Chinese tech

Europe has growing concerns over whether Chinese-made infrastructure can be remotely hacked. Oslo’s transit authority recently drove one of its Chinese-built electric buses into a mine, to shield it from outside signals, and discovered that it contained a SIM card that gave the manufacturer access to its power system, in theory allowing it to be remotely disabled. Much of Europe relies on Chinese equipment in its renewable energy systems, and some countries are restricting its use in critical installations, The Wall Street Journal reported. Civil infrastructure is one thing: The UK’s defense ministry has warned staff not to discuss military secrets when inside electric cars or connect their devices to the cars’ Bluetooth, for fear Beijing could eavesdrop.

China boosts foreign police training

China is boosting efforts to train foreign police and security forces, a new report said. Beijing’s Global Security Initiative trains officers in at least 138 countries, many in Africa, Asia, and Latin America — both in a law-enforcement capacity as well as “more controversial training” for regime security or authoritarian repression, according to the Carnegie Endowment. The GSI is key to Beijing’s soft power efforts, the report argued: The trainings shape security institutions and norms in recipient countries, and bolster the Chinese idea of what security is “and who is best at providing it.” But much of the curriculum’s content is undisclosed, Carnegie said, because Beijing believes it “could be used by outsiders to portray China in a negative light.”

As the AI boom intensifies pressure on America’s energy systems and infrastructure, lawmakers across the aisle are pursuing permitting reform to unlock new opportunities and cut through the political and regulatory barriers standing in the way of viable solutions.

On Tuesday, December 9, join Gov. Josh Shapiro, D-Pa., and Gov. Kevin Stitt, R-Okla., for on-stage conversations examining what’s at stake and potential bipartisan solutions to the challenges emerging from this greater technological revolution.

Korean instant noodles go global

Korean instant noodle brands are making a global push on the back of the K-pop wave. Nongshim and Samyang Foods are building new facilities to ramp up exports, with plans to target Europe and China; both companies have reported bumper earnings this year, Nikkei reported. Japan’s Nissin Foods is the dominant player in low-cost instant noodles — which are becoming more popular as living costs rise — but Korea’s industry garnered global attention after Nongshim’s ramen featured prominently in Netflix’s KPop Demon Hunters earlier this year. The company capitalized on the movie’s success with a limited-edition themed line of noodles. The expansion plans suggest the snack could become Seoul’s newest cultural export, further boosting its soft power.

Colorado loses access to wolves

Several years after Colorado passed the US’ first law to reintroduce wild gray wolves, its program may end. Oregon has declined to send more wolves to augment Colorado’s population of 30 — too few for genetic viability — after 10 relocated wolves died. Washington, citing its own canid shortage, hasn’t said yes, while Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, each with rancher lobbies that take a dim view of predator restoration, have refused outright. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has forbidden importing Canadian wolves, drawing charges of political meddling. Colorado’s Republican gubernatorial candidate told the Aspen Times that “there is nothing wrong in admitting if in fact the experiment has failed and it will not be able to be fulfilled.”