This article looks at the way the warming ocean exerts a growing pressure on food security and the economy. It is a follow-up to “The U.S. Navy vs Climate Change Insecurity” (Jean-Michel Valantin, June 15, 2018), where we focused on the current climate and ocean change becoming a major strategic threat, because of the rapid …
Category Archives: Middle-East and North Africa
Artificial Intelligence, Computing Power and Geopolitics (2)
This article focuses on the political and geopolitical consequences of the feedback relationship linking Artificial Intelligence (AI) in its Deep Learning component and computing power – hardware – or rather high performance computing power (HPC). It builds on a first part where we explained and detailed this connection. Related Artificial Intelligence, Computing Power and Geopolitics …
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The Future of Iran’s Regional Role – The Islamic Revolution and Iran’s Political System
Trump’s decision to pull out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA, better known as the Iran Nuclear Deal) is a highly destabilizing element in an already unstable regional scenario characterized by wars in Syria and Yemen, the never-ending Israeli-Palestinian question, the rift between Qatar and the other Gulf countries (chiefly Saudi Arabia and …
The Future of Iran’s Regional Role – A Historical Backgrounder
For this strategic foresight and warning series focused on the future of Iran notably as a regional player, within the next three to five years, we shall start analysing Iran’s history and political institutions and then we shall investigate Iran’s relations with leading regional and global powers.
The U.A.E. and the Artificial Intelligence and Sustainability Revolution
The United Arab Emirates is shifting rapidly towards the artificial intelligence revolution. This shift is expressed by numerous decisions taken by the highest U.A.E. political authorities. For example, on 16 October 2017, the Sheikh Mohamed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, vice-president of the U.A.E. and ruler of Dubai, appointed Omar Bin Sultan al Olama as minister …
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Signals: Jerusalem – The U.S. Defeated at the U.N., China Seeks Advantage?
Impacts and Consequences Increased likelihood to see a global perception of the global U.S. influence and power lowered; Increased likelihood to see a global perception of the regional (Middle East) U.S. influence and power lowered. Should China step in successfully as peace broker between Israelis and Palestinians Increased likelihood to see global perception of a …
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Signal: Libya and Italy Increase Efforts to Combat Migrant Smuggling
Impacts and Consequences If the planned center truly becomes operational and efficient, which cannot be estimated with confidence currently considering unknowns, Increased likelihood to mitigate spillover from the Libyan conflict Facts and analysis Related Final Scenario for the Future of Libya and their Likelihoods; Estimating Likelihoods (detailed): Scenario 2 Increased Spillover and Partition; Narratives Sc 2.2 (2), …
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Signal: U.S. President Trump’s Statement on Jerusalem
On 6 December 2017, U.S. President Donald Trump declared that the U.S. recognises Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and, as a result will move its embassy there (see sources below), while also reasserting commitment to the peace process and specifying that the U.S. would support a two-state solution, if approved by both the Israelis …
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Signal: Latest NATO 2017 Strategic Foresight Analysis Report
Nato has released its latest 2017 Strategic Foresight Analysis Report. According to General Denis Mercier, NATO Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT) interviewed by Reuters, the report will be used with a SACT “companion report that maps out what NATO should do to respond to these trends in the spring” … “to inform the 2019 NATO political guidance”. …
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Signals: A Russian-backed Congress in Sochi for Future Peace in Syria?
Impacts and ConsequencesIf Russia succeeds in gathering major actors in a congress in Sochi, which we estimate as likely (55% to 70%)Increased likelihood to see, at the end of the process, a constructive peace settling in Syria Increased likelihood to see the birth of a Federal Syria Increased likelihood to see the survival of the Kurdish-led Federation of Northern Syria Increased likelihood to see a serious lowering of tensions in the Middle East and even some kind of stabilisation Increased Russian influence(Nota: The symbolic board has been moved to the end of the analysis and before the sources/signals)Facts and analysisAs stated by Russian President Putin, the overarching goal is now, for Syria, “the political settlement process, with the finalization of the …
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