FDD Morning Brief

The Eastern Mediterranean has been an epicenter of great power competition for over two millennia. Located at the nexus of Africa, Asia, and Europe, the region’s strategic location, cultural significance, and vast natural resources require the United States to implement a coherent approach.

In what ways have recent developments, including the historic Abraham Accords normalization agreements and the launch of the Eastern Mediterranean Gas Forum, impacted the region? How does a more integrated Eastern Mediterranean advance U.S. interests and what can be done to support such efforts? What can the United States do to meet the rising challenges and take advantage of the emerging opportunities in region?

The event features introductory remarks from Hellenic American Leadership Council Executive Director Endy Zemenides with a panel discussion featuring Senior Director of FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power Bradley Bowman, FDD Senior Advisor Amb. Eric S. Edelman, Member of the Hellenic Parliament Dimitris Keridis, and FDD Senior Vice President for Research Jonathan Schanzer. The conversation is moderated by Washington Correspondent for Greek Public TV ERT Lena Argiri.

This event, hosted by FDD’s Turkey Program and Center on Military and Political Power, was a breakout session of the Delphi Economic Forum.

The security situation in the West Bank is volatile. A mosaic of terrorist groups — many backed by the Islamic Republic of Iran — have found the West Bank ripe ground for plotting violence and attacking Israelis. A major increase in terrorist attacks in Israel in early 2022 has made clear the Palestinian Authority has lost control of parts of the West Bank. What sparked the rising tensions? Can the Palestinian Authority regain control? What role does the Islamic Republic of Iran play in the violence? How has Israel been responding to the attacks? And what can Washington and allied nations do to deescalate the situation? To discuss these questions and more, FDD hosts an on-the-record event on the rising tensions in the West Bank.

The event features a panel discussion with Lt. Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Conricus, former international spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces and a member of the Israel Defense and Security Forum; Jonathan Schanzer, senior vice president for research at FDD and former terrorism finance analyst at the U.S. Department of the Treasury; and Enia Krivine, senior director of FDD’s Israel Program and National Security Network. The conversation will be moderated by Bradley Bowman, senior director of FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power.

Experts from FDD’s Nonproliferation and Biodefense Program were scheduled to attend the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) annual conference at The Hague when they learned their attendance was blocked. Iran, Syria, and/or Russia – all known rogue proliferators—managed to veto the attendance of FDD observers. What are the chemical weapons and proliferation concerns associated with each of these rogue states and North Korea? What can Washington and allied nations do to hold them to account? FDD hosted an on-the-record event to discuss the state of global nonproliferation efforts, the role each of these proliferators play individually and in coordination with each other, and recommendations for addressing these issues.

The event featured keynote remarks by Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation C.S. Eliot Kang followed by a panel discussion with Michael Allen, former Special Assistant to the President and NSC Senior Director for Counterproliferation Strategy; Anthony Ruggiero, Senior Director of FDD’s Nonproliferation and Biodefense Program and former Deputy Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs and NSC Senior Director for Counterproliferation and Biodefense; and Andrea Stricker, FDD Research Fellow and Deputy Director of FDD’s Nonproliferation and Biodefense Program. The conversation was moderated by Vivian Salama, national security reporter for The Wall Street Journal.

State-backed hackers and cybercriminals from Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea are stealing America’s technological edge and holding U.S. critical infrastructure at ransom. What are we doing to thwart or deter them?  

Nearly four years ago, the congressionally mandated Cyberspace Solarium Commission (CSC) was tasked with developing a strategic approach to defend U.S. national security and economic interests in cyberspace. The commission put forward more than 80 concrete recommendations (in a 2020 report and six subsequent white papers) for what it would take for the U.S. government to succeed. 

More than 85 percent of these initial recommendations are fully or partially implemented or on track for implementation. Following the commission’s planned sunset, CSC 2.0 is continuing efforts to assess and implement its recommendations. How resilient are we in cyberspace today? What is still left to be addressed? 

Commission co-chairs Sen. Angus King (I-ME) and Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) will join a discussion hosted by CSC 2.0 and FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation to discuss outstanding congressional and executive actions in cyberspace and the path forward for national cyber policy. The conversation will be moderated by Tim Starks, author of the Cybersecurity 202 newsletter at The Washington Post. 

 The event will coincide with the release of the second annual implementation assessment report. 

In the unclassified fact sheet that accompanied the Pentagon’s 2022 National Defense Strategy, the department’s priorities included “defending the homeland, paced to the growing multi-domain threat posed by the People’s Republic of China (PRC)” and “deterring aggression, while being prepared to prevail in conflict when necessary, prioritizing the PRC challenge in the Indo-Pacific.” That document describes the PRC as “the most consequential strategic competitor and the pacing challenge for the Department.”

If the United States hopes to field the modern and capable military forces urgently needed to deter and defeat aggression from the rapidly improving People’s Liberation Army (PLA), there is no time to waste. China is sprinting to field modern forces that can defeat the U.S. military, and absent urgent American efforts in coordination with allies and partners, Beijing may decide to use military force to accomplish its political objectives in the Pacific. INDOPACOM, the U.S. combatant command responsible for the Indo-Pacific region, is today’s most consequential frontline. To discuss the current threat from the PRC and what can be done to strengthen military deterrence in the vital INDOPACOM area of responsibility, FDD’s Center on Military and Political Power (CMPP) and China Program host a discussion with INDOPACOM Commander Admiral John Aquilino. The conversation was moderated by CMPP Senior Director Bradley Bowman.