State Duma, Hotel Moskva, Moscow Kremlin and Bolshoy Kamenny Bridge. Photo: Government of Moscow Press Centre wikimedia.org
Recent apocalyptic discourse surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic is now being made worse by a growing conflict between liberal globalisation and an alternative vision of the world championed by Russia and China. This is happening during yet another crisis of capitalism and social and economic change across the world.
The dream of the Roaring Twenties
Members of
an increasingly ambitious and provocative Kremlin recently announced the coming
of “The Roaring
Twenties”. This is a narrative driven only partly by Moscow’s traditional notion of a ‘Russian World’.
Since 2008, when
intelNews was launched, it has been our end-of-year tradition to take a look back and highlight what we believe were the most important intelligence-related stories of the past 12 months. In anticipation of what 2021 may bring in this highly volatile field, we present you with our selection of the top spy stories of 2020. They are listed below in reverse order of significance, starting from 10 and leading up to 1. This is part three in a three-part series. Part one is available here and part two is here.
01.
COVID-19 prompts spy agencies’ mission shift that is ‘reminiscent of the space race’. The worldwide competition to invent a vaccine that can curtail the spread of COVID-19, and to secure sufficient quantities of the vaccine, has prompted a mission shift in major intelligence agencies around the world. This mission shift is taking place with such speed that it is “reminiscent of the space race”, according to
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We wish you a Merry Christmas and a good start into the new year!
We’ll continue to keep you updated on all relevant EU foreign affairs news and
will be back for you with our
Special 2021 Edition on 7 January.
Thank you for your continued loyalty and readership!
EU IN THE WORLD
VETO POWER. The UK may have left the club only to be replaced by the new
enfants terribles of the EU – Poland and Hungary. But like it or not, the two Visegrad states were only protecting their national interests and, looking at the bloc’s internal squabbles this year, this kind of hypocrisy sets back the cause of a more unified EU foreign policy.
The growing interests and presence of Russia, China and the US in the Arctic have a destabilising effect on the region’s security, according to the annual risk assessment conducted by the Danish Defence Intelligence Service (DDIS).
Tensions within the Danish Kingdom, which includes Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands, may be more openly exploited, especially by Russia and China, according to a report published by DDIS on Thursday. Although Denmark is responsible for the Danish Kingdom’s defence and foreign affairs, the three countries have different views and interests when it comes to foreign relations.
China, which according to the Arctic Today web magazine, has already invested in mining projects in Greenland, might eventually benefit more from such investments, the Danish foreign agency pointed out.
COPENHAGEN
Arctic security could be destabilised by power rivalry between US, Russia, China. The growing interests and presence of Russia, China and the US in the Arctic have a destabilising effect on the region’s security, according to the annual risk assessment conducted by the Danish Defence Intelligence Service (DDIS). Read more.
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BERLIN
CDU party conference to go fully digital. After delays and debates around the format, the Christian Democrat Union (CDU) party will meet entirely virtually to decide on a new leader in mid-January, following a formal decision from the party’s executive committee on Monday. Read more.
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PARIS