Thread by @Olivia_Gazis

New: The U.S. intelligence community is warning in its Annual Threat Assessment of a “diverse array” of global threats that could further destabilize a world shaken by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, technological change and interstate competition:

dni.gov/files/ODNI/doc…

The 27pg document contains the collective view of the country’s 18 intel agencies; it said “the potential for cascading events in an increasingly interconnected & mobile world” would create new challenges, as adversaries jockey for influence & climate change heightens instability

It said China, Russia, Iran and North Korea would seek to challenge U.S. interests in different arenas and on multiple levels, and that transnational crime, cyber attacks and terrorist plots posed continued threats. Domestic violent extremists will pose an “elevated threat.”

And COVID-19, the assessment said, would “continue to strain governments and societies, fueling humanitarian and economic crises, political unrest, and geopolitical competition” – even after the broad administration of vaccines.

“Economic fallout from the pandemic is likely to create or worsen instability in at least a few—& perhaps many—countries, as people grow more desperate in the face of interlocking pressures that include sustained economic downturns, job losses & disrupted supply chains,” it said

In a statement accompanying the report, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines said the U.S. public “should know as much as possible about the threats facing our nation and what their intelligence agencies are doing to protect them.”

Haines and the leaders of key U.S intelligence and national security agencies are expected to testify on the assessment and other threats before two congressional committees tomorrow and Thursday – marking the first such public appearance in more than two years.

A quick sketch of the assessment and the week's congressional hearings here - cbsnews.com/news/us-intell…