Global Scans · Neobiota · Weekly Summary

• [New] North Korea is using its support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine to test weapons it could deploy against the South in a future conflict. The American Legion
• [New] Eric Beranger said last year he had forecast there would be a 50% increase in production of the Aster surface-to-air missile in 2026 compared to 2022, the year seen as baseline, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Second Line of Defense
• [New] In the short term, China is likely to prioritise peaceful reunification with Taiwan, rather than seizing it by military force, in a bid to avoid economic crisis, alienating the Taiwanese people, and the risk of losing if other countries such as the US backed Taiwan. The i Paper
• [New] KLAIPEDA, Lithuania - As Russia has carried out its brutal invasion of Ukraine, it has increasingly resorted to hybrid warfare tactics-sabotage and cyber threats - to destabilize the European Union and NATO. The Dispatch
• [New] Officials in the United States - Taipei's main backer and biggest arms supplier - have previously cited 2027 as a possible timeline for a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. philstar.com
• [New] Rather than a full-scale invasion, Russia is more likely to test NATO's unity by pressuring a Baltic state and using nuclear threats to deter any NATO allies intervening in support. The Conversation
• [New] Taiwanese policymakers must contend with deterring an outright invasion of Taiwan, but China could also launch a blockade of the island designed to choke off trade and supplies until it submits to Beijing. RFE/RL
• [New] The Kremlin has used similar false narratives about the Ukrainian government's discrimination of Russian-speaking minorities in Ukraine and the military threats that Ukraine supposedly poses to Russia in order to justify Moscow's invasions of Ukraine. Institute for the Study of War
• [New] The Syrian government is facing a low-grade border war with Israel in the south, while the SDF is facing a low-grade border war with Turkey in the north, both of which threaten to become wider invasions. Reason.com
• [New] Vietnam's actions stem from its fear that Russia's justification for its invasion of Ukraine could embolden China to escalate aggression in the South China Sea. The Vietnamese Magazine
• [New] Lithuania, a Baltic state of 2.8 million people which was previously under Soviet rule, has said it wants to strengthen its defences following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, fearing it could be next in line if Moscow succeeds. Space War
• [New] Three years ago Russia's invasion of Ukraine sent a wave of disruption through financial markets, yanking up commodity prices, choking off gas supplies and fuelling inflation. The Economist
• [New] Without sufficient support, Russia could break Ukraine's defensive lines and force its government to capitulate - the original political aim of Russia's full-scale invasion. Eurasia Review
• [New] Wheat, a globally significant cereal crop and staple food, faces major production challenges due to abiotic stresses such as heat stress, which pose a threat to global food security. BioMed Central
• [New] Many Ukrainians fear that a hastily negotiated peace - especially one that makes too many concessions to Russian demands - would allow Moscow to rearm and consolidate its forces for a future invasion after current hostilities cease. City AM
• [New] The European Commission is assessing whether the European Union could achieve a higher target of a 45% share of renewable energy by 2030, instead of its proposed 40%, to accelerate its shift from Russian fossil fuels following the invasion of Ukraine. Sichenzia Ross Ference Carmel LLP
• [New] Russia's invasion of Ukraine could upend fiscal and monetary policy in advanced economiesRussia's invasion of Ukraine is an unmitigated catastrophe for global peace and particularly for peace in Europe. Cospolon
• [New] Threats of nuclear warfare are a key element of Putin's strategy to preclude NATO and its members from providing Ukraine support that would enable it to decisively defeat Russia's invasion. Atlantic Council
• [New] If Russia's invasions of Ukraine were not sufficient warning while China eyes Taiwan, the re-emergence of old American positions but now on the global stage should bring home an awareness of increased risk. The Central Association for Agricultural Valuers
• [New] Tangible threats to jobs and financial prosperity have pushed topics like climate action down the list of German voters' priorities, notably in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Reccessary
• [New] There are new technologies emerging that pose a formidable threat to stratgeic targets as seen by the tit-for-tat missile exchange between Iran and Israel last year to Russia's brutal invasion of Ukraine. Naval Technology
• [New] The Trump administration's destruction of many U.S. soft power tools, from aid to broadcasting, is only going to further alienate much of Southeast and South Asia and allow China to bolster its regional public diplomacy. Council on Foreign Relations

Last updated: 30 March 2025