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In the spirit of <\/span>President Frank Underwood<\/span><\/a>, whelcome back to another wheek of ASPI suggests.<\/span><\/p>\n The Pulitzer Committee did us a great service this week in doling out the 2016 prizes. Some prime picks include the <\/span>Associated Press<\/em>\u2019 work<\/span><\/a> on labour exploitation in the Southeast Asian fishing industry; some incredible <\/span>New York Times<\/span><\/i> photography capturing <\/span>Europe\u2019s refugee crisis<\/span><\/a>; and a searing feature in <\/span>The New Yorker<\/span><\/i> on the <\/span>troubling earthquake hazard<\/span><\/a> that lays dormant in northwestern America. And if you\u2019re in NYC and happen to stumble upon\u00a0a ticket to Hamilton<\/a>\u2014the breakaway, sold-out and now Pulitzer-winning musical on the US’s\u00a0first Treasury Secretary,\u00a0Alexander Hamilton\u2014well, good luck to ya!<\/span><\/p>\n Here are two different but related pieces on the theme of hacking. First, a sharp essay from Harper\u2019s<\/em> on efforts to build an <\/span>email client that\u2019s impervious to government surveillance<\/span><\/a>. And second, from Bloomberg<\/em> comes a <\/span>gripping read on hacking elections<\/span><\/a>, as told by the man who rigged political contests in Latin America for a decade.<\/span><\/p>\n After their hugely successful <\/span>Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative<\/span><\/a> microsite, CSIS has this week launched a new effort to bring together the latest research, commentary, graphics and data on the Middle Kingdom. Bookmark it now, because the <\/span>ChinaPower microsite<\/span><\/a> will quickly become a go-to for answers and analysis around China\u2019s rise and the economic, technological and military might that goes along with it. One of the new site\u2019s first projects\u00a0has been to <\/span>explore China\u2019s <\/span>Liaoning<\/span><\/i> aircraft carrier<\/span><\/a> in 3D and offer comparative analytics on the PLA-N\u2019s solo carrier versus\u00a0its international counterparts.<\/span><\/p>\n The Atlantic Council\u2019s Brent Scowcroft Center on International Security delivered some thought-provoking new research this week looking at the health of NATO. The full report, ‘Alliance at Risk: Strengthening European Defense in an Age of Turbulence and Competition’, is available <\/span>here<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Readers will remember the <\/span>havoc wreaked last week<\/span><\/a>\u00a0as several Russian Sukhoi Su-24 aircraft buzzed the\u00a0USS Donald Cook<\/i>\u00a0in the Baltic Sea.<\/span>\u00a0This week, Russia’s mixing things up a little with Sukhoi Su-34 aircraft, which were used to bomb their own country. No, nothing to do with Ukrainian or Chechen border disputes\u2014rather, the jets were used to drop precision-guided explosives onto the Sukhona River to break up thick ice. <\/span>Watch videos of the aircraft and the aftermath here<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n US political\u00a0fanatics (West Wing obsessives\u00a0still included) had been waiting with bated breath for this week’s New York primary, and the results weren\u2019t at all surprising. With Hillary and The Donald taking out their respective parties\u2019 top spots, there\u2019s been plenty of uneasy chatter about the closing gap between the Trump and Cruz campaigns. <\/span>The New Yorker <\/span><\/i>offers some thoughts<\/span><\/a> on what Sanders\u2019 supporters should take away from their experience in the Big Apple, while <\/span>The New York Times<\/span><\/i> checks out<\/span><\/a>\u00a0the steep costs of the Clinton campaign, and the \u2018billion dollar onslaught\u2019 that she\u2019ll face from Republicans should she win the Democratic nomination. For different hypothetical angles on\u00a0the presidential race, <\/span>The Economist <\/span><\/i>takes an in-depth look<\/span><\/a> at the potential economic challenges that Clinton administration might face; and, not to be outdone, <\/span>check out this piece on <\/span>The New York Review of Books<\/span><\/i><\/a> which looks at what Russia stands to gain from a Trump presidency.<\/span><\/p>\n China\u2019s inaugural <\/span>National Security Education Day<\/span><\/a> took place on 15 April. The new \u2018holiday\u2019 is designed to help Chinese citizens understand the importance of safeguarding state secrets, and led to the promulgation of some pretty unique propaganda about foreigners practicing espionage in China. The Chinese Ministry of State Security released a <\/span>series of short videos <\/span><\/a>that quickly went viral depicting Western superheroes and pop culture figures as unemployed foreign spies, while a <\/span>16-page comic named <\/span>Dangerous Love<\/span><\/i><\/a> warns of \u00a0the dangers of sharing state secrets with your handsome, foreign boyfriend. For some background reading on cartoon depictions of spooks in China, check out <\/span>this longer read from <\/span>Quartz<\/span><\/i><\/a>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Podcast<\/b><\/p>\n The Loopcast<\/em> recently sat down with Nic Jenzen-Jones, head of <\/span>Armament Research Services<\/a>,<\/span> to talk about how illegal arms trading is facilitated by social media. It\u2019s a <\/span>fascinating chat<\/span><\/a> (34 mins). Also check out <\/span>this piece<\/span><\/a> on the subject over at <\/span>The New York Times<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n Videos<\/b><\/p>\n The UK\u2019s Minister of State, the Hon Hugo Swire, was in Washington this week to give a <\/span>rundown on the Britain\u2019s Asia policy<\/span><\/a>, with particular reference to strategic security issues. With Obama landing in the UK today to meet with David Cameron on <\/span>the state of the transatlantic alliance in the face of the Brexit<\/span><\/a>, the Minister\u2019s speech is a useful glimpse into the centrality, or otherwise, of Asia for British policymakers. The speech and moderated discussion is <\/span>over at YouTube<\/span><\/a> (43 mins). (On the topic of what the Brexit would spell for the UK\u2013US special relationship, see <\/span>this smackdown <\/span><\/a>from Brookings president Strobe Talbott.) <\/span><\/p>\n The Atlantic Council hosted a <\/span>panel of entrepreneurs and business leaders<\/span><\/a> to explore how America\u2019s tech community can \u00a0<\/span>assist the government’s response to complex and vexed national security challenges<\/span><\/a> (1 hour 42 mins).<\/span><\/p>\n Events<\/b><\/p>\n Canberra: Join Rory Medcalf, Ashley Townshend and Euan Graham for what’s sure to be a fascinating discussion about\u00a0how China\u2019s shifting approach to confidence-building measures in the South China Sea is increasing its ability to challenge the regional rules-based order. Mark your calendars for 29 April, and <\/span>register here<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n