{"id":78274,"date":"2023-03-09T11:30:23","date_gmt":"2023-03-09T00:30:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?p=78274"},"modified":"2023-03-10T18:00:54","modified_gmt":"2023-03-10T07:00:54","slug":"the-threat-spectrum-43","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/the-threat-spectrum-43\/","title":{"rendered":"The threat spectrum"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/figure>\n

Planet A<\/strong><\/p>\n

Australia will be one of more than 100 states<\/a> to co-sponsor<\/a> Vanuatu\u2019s historic resolution<\/a> at the UN General Assembly calling on the International Court of Justice to provide an advisory opinion on nations\u2019 legal obligations to address the climate crisis.<\/p>\n

Backing Vanuatu\u2019s bid reinforces Australia\u2019s solidarity with the Pacific islands. It acknowledges the importance of placing Pacific island voices at the centre of international debates on climate change given the disproportionate and existential threat it poses to them.<\/p>\n

Parallel to this, Australia is taking steps to increase climate resilience in the region, including providing support<\/a> to cyclone-struck Vanuatu, enhancing<\/a> early warning systems in the Pacific, introducing domestic legislation<\/a> to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and bidding to co-host<\/a> the UN\u2019s climate summit with Pacific island nations in 2026. While gaps<\/a> remain, recent developments mark a significant shift from Australia\u2019s past slow-walk<\/a> on climate change that strained relations with its Pacific island neighbours.<\/p>\n

Democracy watch<\/strong><\/p>\n

Thousands of Mexican citizens have taken to the streets to protest<\/a> against a new law targeting the National Electoral Institute, which has played a pivotal role<\/a> in fostering a pluralistic democracy in Mexico. Legislation passed by the Mexican Congress<\/a> would significantly reduce the agency\u2019s budget and staff. Opponents contend<\/a> that the changes are unconstitutional and will weaken the country\u2019s electoral system and increase the risk of disputes in next year\u2019s presidential elections<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mexico is grappling with significant challenges, including a struggling economy, high levels of crime and violence, and an expanding drug trade. Despite the government\u2019s insistence that the electoral overhaul is necessary to strengthen democracy, many Mexicans remain sceptical<\/a> and fear it could lead to greater authoritarianism and undermine democratic institutions.<\/p>\n

The legislation is likely to be challenged<\/a> in Mexico\u2019s Supreme Court. Protesters have called for further demonstrations hoping to fill Mexico City\u2019s main square, which holds considerable political significance as a protest site and borders the presidential palace.<\/p>\n

Information operations<\/strong><\/p>\n

Pro-Beijing informers allegedly<\/a> faked the identities and credentials of two Reuters journalists to engage with a Chinese-language Telegram channel protesting China\u2019s strict Covid-19 controls. The two sought sensitive details<\/a> about links to the Citizens Daily group, which circulated protest art during anti-censorship demonstrations in November.<\/p>\n

In February, an Australia-based Chinese activist and dissident artist known as Badiucao exposed<\/a> the fake accounts on Twitter. The subterfuge is the latest in a series of coercive campaigns undertaken by suspected Chinese Communist Party agents and sympathisers.<\/p>\n

In January, it was reported<\/a> that an unidentified person also claiming to be a Reuters journalist tried to infiltrate a Telegram channel of Hong Kong expats wanting to join the British Army. The attempt was made a week before the group was to hold an online seminar and may have put army recruits at risk.<\/p>\n

Follow the money<\/strong><\/p>\n

The US Treasury has imposed sanctions<\/a> on 14 companies and individuals for their alleged involvement in Iran\u2019s shipping and petrochemical industries, which the US claims provide funding for Tehran\u2019s missile program. The sanctions<\/a> are part of a broader effort to put pressure on Iran, addressing concerns over its nuclear program, human rights record and alleged support for terrorism.<\/p>\n

The announcement comes amid stalled diplomatic efforts to resolve tensions between Iran and the US. Under Donald Trump\u2019s administration, the US withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in 2018<\/a> and reimposed sanctions. The sanctions have impacted Iran\u2019s economy, but it\u2019s suggested that they alone won\u2019t be sufficient<\/a> to deter its regime.<\/p>\n

Terror byte<\/strong><\/p>\n

ASIO Director-General Mike Burgess has warned <\/a>that Australia remains a potential terrorist target despite last year\u2019s decision to lower the terror threat assessment <\/a>level from \u2018probable\u2019 to \u2018possible\u2019. Speaking about Australia\u2019s counterterrorism efforts as part of ASIO\u2019s annual threat assessment, Burgess said that the radicalisation of individuals through the spread of extremist content online was a key challenge.<\/p>\n

Burgess took the opportunity to urge the media and counterterrorism experts to refrain from making quick judgements about attackers\u2019 motivations, citing the tragic killing of two Queensland police officers<\/a> last year. \u2018We believe the shooting was an act of politically motivated violence, primarily motivated by a Christian violent extremist ideology,\u2019 he said, adding that ASIO \u2018did not find evidence the killers embraced a racist and nationalist ideology\u2019.<\/p>\n

Australia will broaden its collaboration on combating terrorism in the Indo-Pacific through a new working group<\/a> announced at last week\u2019s Quad foreign ministers\u2019 meeting. The initiative will involve cooperation between the Quad countries and Indo-Pacific partners to counter new and emergent terrorist threats.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Planet A Australia will be one of more than 100 states to co-sponsor Vanuatu\u2019s historic resolution at the UN General Assembly calling on the International Court of Justice to provide an advisory opinion on nations\u2019 …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1672,"featured_media":78275,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[283,973,1037,379,127],"class_list":["post-78274","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-climate-change","tag-information-operation","tag-mexico","tag-sanctions","tag-terrorism"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe threat spectrum | The Strategist<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/the-threat-spectrum-43\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The threat spectrum | The Strategist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Planet A Australia will be one of more than 100 states to co-sponsor Vanuatu\u2019s historic resolution at the UN General Assembly calling on the International Court of Justice to provide an advisory opinion on nations\u2019 ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/the-threat-spectrum-43\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"The Strategist\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ASPI.org\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-03-09T00:30:23+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-03-10T07:00:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/GettyImages-1193339706.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"641\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Afeeya Akhand\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ASPI_org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ASPI_org\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Afeeya Akhand\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/\",\"name\":\"The Strategist\",\"description\":\"ASPI's analysis and commentary site\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-AU\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/the-threat-spectrum-43\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/GettyImages-1193339706.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.aspistrategist.ru\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/GettyImages-1193339706.jpg\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":641,\"caption\":\"PORT VILA, VANUATU - DECEMBER 07: An aerial view of the coastline on December 07, 2019 in Port Vila, Vanuatu. 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