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Jan 9 • 11 tweets • 14 min read
🧵 Tik . . . tik . . . boom?
On Friday, the US Supreme Court will hear arguments over the fate of TikTok.
For more context and to make sense of all the competing arguments, get insights from Atlantic Council experts: atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atla…
The Supreme Court’s decision will shape global tech competition
The United States Supreme Court is set to start 2025 with a blockbuster case on a tight timeline with significant domestic tech and geopolitical ramifications.
The law in question in the case of TikTok v. Garland—the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act—was passed by Congress in April 2024 with widespread bipartisan support: a 352–65 vote in the House and 79–18 in the Senate. US President Joe Biden signed the bill into law, giving him the authority to force TikTok’s divestiture from its Chinese parent company or be banned from the United States. The Department of Justice set a deadline of January 19—forcing this dramatic showdown. The Supreme Court will proceed in hearing the case on January 10 despite Trump’s request to delay until after his inauguration and the fact that the high court typically defers to its two co-equal branches of government on matters of national security.
The Atlantic Council previously published an in-depth technical analysis of whether the threats of legal control, data access, algorithmic tampering, or broad influence efforts by the Chinese government are unique or singularly focused on TikTok. The threat of legal control proved to be real and ongoing. The other potential risks remain considerable with loopholes not specific to TikTok, such as the sheer amount of Americans’ data for sale on the open market or the litany of US-owned platforms the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has used to perpetrate influence efforts. Chinese ownership of TikTok is undoubtedly a core strength in its global approach to “discourse power.” The key questions remain whether a Chinese company’s ownership of such a popular social media platform poses unique national security risks to the United States, whether banning such a popular app violates the rights of the company or the app’s US users, and how China may react or force ByteDance to react. Beyond TikTok v. Garland, any outcome will shape global tech competition from the global reach of digital platforms to broader tech governance. If new evidence is surfaced, it will shape both.
— @GrahamBrookie is the vice president of technology programs and founding director of the @DFRLab at the Atlantic Council.
Jan 3 • 11 tweets • 7 min read
If you want to know what sets the Atlantic Council apart, look at the impressive range and quality of work involved in our “greatest hits of 2024.”
In November, the Atlantic Council inaugurated our state-of-the-art facility in Washington, DC.
At eighty thousand square feet across five floors, it is nearly double the size of the Council’s previous headquarters.
Nov 6, 2024 • 20 tweets • 19 min read
🧵 Donald Trump has won the 2024 US presidential election.
How will his administration respond to the world’s most pressing challenges?
Our experts provide answers across twenty-four of the most significant policy matters: atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atla…
US leadership in the world
What can we expect from a Trump 2.0 foreign policy? In defense and security policy, we can anticipate a return of a “peace through strength” approach. This will mean big investments in US defense capabilities to strengthen deterrence and use force decisively if deterrence fails. Trump will rightly ask allies to contribute more to ensure US alliances in Europe and Asia have the capabilities they need.
In economic policy, we can expect a focus on fair and reciprocal trade, prioritizing addressing China’s unfair trading practices, and an unleashing of the United States’ domestic energy potential. Values will center around an “America first, but not alone” orientation that will ensure that US global engagement benefits the peace, prosperity, and freedom of the American people and, in so doing, the broader free world.
— @MatthewKroenig is vice president and senior director of the Atlantic Council’s @ACScowcroft Center for Strategy and Security.
Aug 22, 2024 • 7 tweets • 2 min read
On August 6, Ukraine launched a surprise cross-border attack on Russia’s Kursk region.
Follow this thread for analysis and insights from Atlantic Council experts on what the incursion means for Ukraine, Russia, and Vladimir Putin. 🧵
“Ukraine’s current raid does not mean that Ukraine will win its war of national survival,” writes @AmbDanFried.
🧵 Since retaking Afghanistan, the Taliban has issued decrees to systematically oppress women and girls.
In this audio thread compiled by @SHalaimzai, @Metra_Mehran, and @mari_thero, #AfghanWomen narrate their ordeal under gender apartheid in Afghanistan:bit.ly/3Tt3JZ2
“Women are ordered to stay indoors because Taliban soldiers are not trained to respect women.” #AfghanWomen #GenderApartheid 🎧⬇️
Jan 26, 2024 • 10 tweets • 4 min read
On Friday, @CIJ_ICJ issued its ruling on provisional measures in South Africa’s case against Israel.
The court ordered Israel to limit harm to Palestinians but declined to order a cease-fire.
Atlantic Council experts share their insights. 🧵⬇️ atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atla…
The decision puts other states offering support to Israel on notice, writes @SLPJustice’s @Celeste_Kmiotek.
“Should the ICJ determine that Israel is committing genocide, the states that have aided Israel could also face cases before the ICJ.” atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/new-atla…
Jun 1, 2022 • 8 tweets • 5 min read
Russia's war on Ukraine is also a war on global food security. A new issue brief by @anders_aslund breaks down how Ukraine's global granary has been stolen and suppressed by a Russian blockade on the Black Sea, and its impact on the global food crisis. atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-resea…
🇺🇸@RepMikeQuigley breaks down the global impact Russia's actions have had on food supplies and prices, and voices support for the recommendation that an international coalition ensures Ukraine's ports are open for critical shipping.
Mar 16, 2022 • 7 tweets • 4 min read
❝Russia has attacked not just us, not just our land, not just our cities, it went on a brutal offensive against our values, against our right to live freely in our own country, against our national dreams. Just like the same dreams you Americans have.❞ – @ZelenskyyUa
❝This is a terror that Europe has not seen for 80 years… Is this a lot to ask for to create a no-fly zone over Ukraine to save people? Is this too much to ask? If this is too much to ask, we offer an alternative. You know what kind of defense systems we need.❞ – @ZelenskyyUa
🔥Rising heat: It’s the theme of the summer with more than 1/3 of US states under extreme heat warnings.
Our conception of summer is changing from a time of fun & leisure to a period of emergency. @ArshtRock's @KBMcLeodFLA asks how we can relax when so many people are at risk?
Most people know the effects of global warming:
🌅Rising sea levels
🥀Mass extinction of plants + wildlife
🌊Worsening floods
🔥Fires
⛈Hurricanes
But heat is too often overlooked as a destructive force. Heat kills more Americans annually than any other natural disaster.
LIVE NOW from #360OS—Social media in war and peace with @nouraaljizawi, @maude_morrison0, @JaneEsberg, @markdsilverman, and moderator @arjunbisen1pscp.tv/w/c6H4hjFETEVC…
“Data can also only get us so far in conflict zones because the role of social media is so heavily contextual. Social media really tends to be the most harmful when it's amplifying and reflecting back underlying tensions in these conflict zones.” #360OS
#360OS is LIVE - Chinese tech in the world w/ Puma Shen, @alexandriasaha, @joshchin, @lotus_ruan, and moderator @isaacstonefishpscp.tv/w/c6HjNDFETEVC…
"I call it investment strategy, which means that [China] tries to invest in the entertainment enterprise, the PR firms, and try to have them to help them spread disinformation locally in their country and here in Taiwan." #360OS
👤|Puma Shen
Jun 23, 2021 • 11 tweets • 8 min read
TUNE IN for a #ACFrontPage event with @BrianDeeseNEC, Director of the National Economic Council, as he presents a detailed view of the Administration’s strategy to build domestic industrial strength. pscp.tv/w/c6HNojFETEVC…
❝We meet today at a unique, #InflectionPoint for American economic policy…Our economy is growing at the fastest growth rate in almost 40 years…This is a direct result of our vaccination effort & our fiscal response.❞#ACFrontPage
Both US and EU officials have launched widespread supply chain reviews in response to widespread semiconductor shortages. But what exactly does this mean? @ACGeoEcon Senior Fellow @jedmark888 breaks down the economic and diplomatic factors at play: atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/supply-c…
.@jedmark888 also joined @GrahamNiels to discuss the issue further in our recent #FastThinking video on the global semiconductor industry: bit.ly/3vYtKk1
@elisethoma5 says, legitimate political actors used this infodemic to crackdown on free speech OR legitimate political actors flirted with conspiracy theories or disinformation where it was politically advantageous. #360OS
"What we've seen is that activists will always use a platform. It doesn't really matter if there's a ban. If the Internet itself is switched off, they will figure out a way to use it."
Missed information: Gaps in online research with @AlyssaKann, @lageneralista, @dann_acosta, @LouMarieHSD, @yoyoel, and Joanna Rohozińska. #360OSpscp.tv/w/c6C11TFETEVC…
What we consume online can be just as impactful as the things we experience IRL. @dann_acosta says it ”can affect researchers’ mental health. We see terrible content in the darkest corners of the Internet, and that also has an effect on the people doing this research.” #360OS
