Stories We’re Watching

US Government Averts Shutdown, Trump Declares National Emergency to Build Wall Along Southern Border

President Trump has declared a national emergency at the US-Mexico border in order to divert billions of dollars to build a border wall. A standoff between the President and Congress over border wall funding caused the longest US government shutdown in history. POTUS claims that illegal immigration and drug trade have created a national emergency. National security experts have largely disagreed. The move has faced widespread criticism as a dangerous expansion of executive power.

• Vox: The real national emergency is Trump’s incompetence
• Lawfare: The Constitutional Quandary Already at the Border ICYMI
• NYT: Trump Declares National Emergency to Build Border Wall
• Mashable: Looks like Trump declared a ‘national emergency’ via Notes app
• The Hill: Pelosi warns GOP: Next president could declare national emergency on guns

Top General Breaks Rank with POTUS over Syria Withdrawal

Yesterday, General Joseph Votel, the leader of US forces in Syria, publicly disagreed with President Trump’s decision to withdraw US troops from Syria. General Votel also rebuked POTUS’s claim that Daesh had been defeated, countering that militants were still active and that US-allied forces still needed support. Last week, General Votel told Senators that the President had not consulted him ahead of announcing the troop withdrawals. US lawmakers, NATO allies, regional allies, and defense analysts have all criticized the President’s Middle East policies.

• Daily Beast: Top US General Joseph Votel: Trump Is Wrong on Syria and ISIS
• Fortune: Trump Did Not Consult His Top Military General Before Announcing
• BBC: General Joseph Votel breaks rank with Trump over Syria
• Reuters: Exclusive: US may trim over 1000 troops from Afghanistan in belt
• Lawfare: The U.S. Withdrawal From Syria Is an Opportunity for China

US-China Trade Talks End without a Deal, Delegates to Meet Again in DC Next Week

The US trade delegation has returned from Beijing without a solution to the US-China trade dispute. The two sides have two weeks to reach a deal before $200bn worth of Chinese goods is subject to 25% tariffs. Earlier this week, President Trump indicated that the deadline could be extended past March 2. Insiders cite new concerns over enforcement mechanisms to guarantee structural changes as the main sticking points in this most recent round of negotiations.

• Reuters: US-China trade talks to resume in Washington next week
• Nasdaq: US STOCKS-Wall St gains as US-China trade talks advance
• Bloomberg: What US-China Trade Talks Mean to Commodities

India Blames Pakistan for Attack in Kashmir, Vows Retaliation

Yesterday, a car bomb in India-controlled Kashmir killed at least 40 Indian police troops and wounded nearly 20 more. Pakistan-affiliated terror group Jaish-e Mohammad claimed responsibility for the region’s deadliest attack in past 30 years. However, India has attributed the attack to Pakistan. Earlier today, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi warned that “We will give a befitting reply; our neighbor will not be allowed to destabilize us”. Pakistan has denied the accusations. Regional experts have expressed worry over the pace of escalation.

• TIME: Kashmir Car Bombing Becomes Region’s Deadliest Attack as Toll
• BBC: Viewpoint: How far might India go to ‘punish’ Pakistan?
• NPR: India Vows ‘Befitting Reply’ After Attack On Security Forces In Kashmir
• The National Interest: Billions Dead: That’s What Could Happen if India and Pakistan Wage

NATO Members $100bn Short of Spending Pledge

A new report by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) concludes that European members of the NATO security alliance have fallen $100bn short of their 2% defense spending pledges. Tensions over Iran; sudden US troop withdrawals from the Middle East; and defense spending have strained relationships in the alliance. Earlier this week, NATO’s Communications and Information Agency launched a cyber defense encrypted workspace featuring video, voice, and chat capabilities. In response, Italian lawmakers have proposed amending defense spending rules since they currently don’t count spending on cyber security.

• IISS: On the up: Western defence spending in 2018 official
• Lawfare: Don’t Let Cyber Attribution Debates Tear Apart the NATO Alliance
• Reuters: Acting Pentagon chief backs NATO, despite Trump’s past criticism
• POLITICO EU: Italy seeks changes to NATO defense spending rules
• NATO: New NATO hub will gather the Alliance’s cyber defenders (press release)

From Deep State Radio

NATIONAL SECURITY MAGAZINE: Are we ready for the future of war? A Conversation with General (Ret.) Charles Jacoby

In his 37 year career in the U.S. Army, General Charles Jacoby rose to become the commanding general of U.S. Northcom and the North American Aerospace Defense Command and a leading thinker of some of the most pressing issues the U.S. military faces.  Today, he chairs the Modern War Institute at West Point, a think tank within the military academy that contemplates the future of conflict, new technologies, shifting geopolitical rivalries and what the consequences may and should be for the U.S.  In this wide-ranging discussion, we explore with Gen. Jacoby some of the biggest challenges we face and how best to address them.  Don’t miss this vitally important conversation. Tune in!

DEEPTECH: Big Tech Tax Breaks, Phone Security FAQs, Russian Internet Wargames, & More!

Russia Plans to ‘Turn off’ the Internet
Russia plans to completely disconnect from the global internet sometime before April as part of an operation meant to test the nation’s cyberdefenses. The plan is part of a larger “sovereign internet” bill which calls for the establishment of Russia’s own Domain Name System and which reroutes all domestic internet traffic through state-controlled servers. The plan was announced in response to the release of the 2018 US National Security Strategy, which attributes some cyber attacks against the US to Russia. Just two weeks ago, special counsel Robert Mueller accused Russia’s Internet Research Agency troll farm of dezinformatsiya by leaking spurious documents to discredit the investigation. Researchers believe that the operation is being used to facilitate censorship and to prevent foreign interception of Russian internet traffic. Opposition lawmakers have echoed such criticism but have also called into question the Kremlin’s ability to carry out the operation since it calls for equipment that the state can neither manufacture nor afford to purchase. CONTINUE 

FP INTERRUPTED: Solidarity?

We’re coming to you from Prague and Berlin this week, where Elmira has dived deep into the importance of gender in press freedom. Ironically, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who represents an administration that actively attacks both women and the press, is just next door in Poland. On his agenda: a summit on Middle East peace. Originally, it was meant to strong arm the Europeans on Iran. Nah-ah said the Euros. We ain’t gangin’ up on the Iranians. (You do that so well on your own…) Washington took note and pivoted. Still, the snubs poured in, namely from Federica Mogherini, the EU external affairs chief, and the French and Germans, who are sending low-level reps. We’re guessing that hurt Jared Kushner, who gave a speech about “peace” between the Palestinians and Israelis on Valentine’s Day. Benjamin Netanyahu, who was in attendance, swooned. CONTINUE