| | | | How to Handle Illiberal Europe | | As Secretary of State Mike Pompeo makes the rounds in Central Europe, there's both good and bad in America's engagement with Europe's illiberal wing, Foreign Policy's Robbie Gramer writes. On one hand, engaging with Hungary and Poland counters Russian influence; on the other, it enables those countries as they feud with the EU over liberal values.
Scolding Central Europe gets America nowhere, and we should keep in mind that Hungary may have right-wing political strains, but it's still a democracy, writes Atlantic Council Executive Vice President Damon Wilson—which leaves room both for security cooperation and a values-based alliance. It's important to keep Central Europe in the sphere of Western capitalism as Russia and China lead the charge on state-run economics, Wilson adds.
Of course, as the Trump administration's own liberalism comes into question, so does the kind of alliance America is drawing Hungary and Poland toward. | | Is Huawei Really a Security Threat? | | Perhaps no one has taken a closer look at Huawei's technology than the UK, where a review board scrutinizes it for security threats. It's notable, then, that a former top British intelligence official says concerns about Huawei are overblown—even as the US pushes allies to bar it from building 5G networks over concerns about Chinese spying, which Huawei has denied.
Robert Hannigan, who directed the UK's intelligence agency GCHQ, writes in the Financial Times that blanket bans aren't necessary.
In July, the UK's board examining Huawei's technology could only provide "limited assurance" about security risks, but Hannigan's point is that the UK has never found malware in Huawei's code, and as countries move toward 5G networks, they don't have to let Huawei construct the whole thing: If countries pick and choose what parts to let Huawei build, security concerns can be avoided. | | | The Wall Street Journal rightly identifies Europe's problems signaling decline—a downgraded eurozone growth forecast to 1.3% and internal political rifts—but it also points to an advantage Europe still holds: A wealthy consumer class that allows it to regulate heavily how foreign companies operate within its borders.
With a robust data-privacy law and heavy fines slapped on Google and Facebook, Europe has taken the lead, in particular, on tech. But signs of trouble exist in that sector, too: Europe lags its American and Chinese competitors on tech production, if not regulation, and André Loesekrug-Pietri, speaker of the Joint European Disruptive Initiative, calls in Project Syndicate for Europe to reorganize the way it develops tech and for France and Germany to lead the way on how Europe handles cyber and space. | | Becoming more assertive under Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabia's latest move involves oil. The Saudi state oil company will begin producing overseas for the first time, the Financial Times reports; the country's energy minister tells the FT the "world is going to be Saudi Aramco's playground." Until now, Saudi Arabia has relied on its own oil reserves while exerting influence over global prices—but without developing its state-run company into a global entity like Western oil giants Exxon, Shell, and BP.
Saudi Arabia will also look to expand its energy sector overseas this week in areas that don't involve pumping oil out of the ground: It's preparing to sign $10 billion worth of deals with Pakistan on refining, liquefied natural gas, and mineral development. | | Venezuela and the Limits of Russian Influence | | The limits of Russian influence in Venezuela are beginning to show, writes Ana Palacio at Project Syndicate, as Russia is now calling for dialogue—a softening of its staunch support for President Nicolas Maduro. It offers a contrast with Syria and a lesson on Russia's limits: Venezuela's crisis involves a unified international coalition behind Guaido, a strong US stance, and no power vacuum—all elements that allowed Russia to step into Syria more aggressively.
If the US is to prevail in its backing of Guaido—under President Trump's veiled military threat—it will be a victory for the Monroe Doctrine of America only intervening in its own neighborhood, but The Economist points out that idea has led to American adventures that have fueled Latin American socialism, and Trump's allusion to military force may end up disquieting some in the region. | | | | | | |
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