BY HARUT SASSOUNIAN
While it was widely publicized that Russia attempted to interfere in the 2020 U.S. presidential election, very little was reported about similar meddling by Turkey.
The US National Intelligence Council (NIC) released on March 15, 2021 a declassified report which confirmed Turkish hackers’ cyber-attack in the 2020 election on Joe Biden’s campaign website, to support Pres. Donald Trump.
This should not come as a surprise to anyone, given the warm personal relationship between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pres. Trump. Erdogan made weekly phone calls to the White House securing Pres. Trump’s agreement on many pro-Turkish issues. Erdogan was certain that Biden would not be as accommodating as Trump.
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Recently, the U.S. Treasury Department s Office of Foreign
Assets Control ( OFAC ) sanctioned various individuals
and entities connected to Russia s technology sector and also
expanded sanctions against dealings in Russian sovereign
debt. In addition to these immediate actions, President Biden
also issued a new Executive Order which will significantly expand
OFAC s authority to impose future sanctions against Russia.
Background
The White House published a Fact Sheet which explains the recent sanctions
actions were a response to Russian election interference and
cyber-attacks directed at the United States. A month prior to
Arctic Meltdown Could Hurt Singapore
Although climate change affects the entire world, one region in particular is feeling the heat: the Arctic. Rising temperatures have caused significant melting of the Arctic’s ice during the summer months, leading to a nearly navigable Northern Sea Route during this season. Such a phenomenon is welcome news to many shipping companies, as using the Northern Sea Route could cut as many as 5,000 nautical miles from shippers’ journeys. On the other hand, the news is not universally good as some countries’ ports, including Singapore, stand to lose a great deal of business should ships begin to use this route. While estimates of when the route will be fully navigable cover a broad range – from as early as 2013 to as late as 2060 – Singapore, as well as shippers operating out of Europe and Southeast Asia, will need to figure out how to respond to this new competition. Addressing climate change would now seem to require not only a view to envir
US analysts have raised concerns that the Taliban would return to its harsh treatment of women if it regains power in Afghanistan when NATO troops leave.
WASHINGTON: The Taliban “would roll back much” of the progress made in Afghan women’s rights if they regain power, according to an assessment released on Tuesday by top US intelligence analysts.
The US National Intelligence Council report is likely to reinforce fears that the Taliban will resume the harsh treatment that women and girls suffered under their 1996-2001 rule should they prevail in a full-blown civil war.
“The Taliban remain broadly consistent in restrictive approach to women’s rights and would roll back much of the past two decades of progress if the group regains national power,” said the US intelligence community’s top analytical body.