🌍 The Aspen Security Forum

Hi there Intriguer. Twitter just got a new name, but countries often do a sneaky brand refresh too: as recently as 2018, King Mswati III was so tired of folks confusing his Swaziland with Switzerland, he flat-out changed the country’s name to Eswatini. Which reminds us: it’s probably time Austria and Australia had a good heart-to-heart.

Today’s briefing is a 4 min read:

• 🤝 This year’s Aspen Security Forum.

• 🇲🇱 Mali introduces a new constitution.

• ➕ Plus: Biden’s new cabinet member, how the papers are covering China’s new economic stimulus, and can anyone stop Paris from drowning?

1. 🇰🇷 South Korea: A US nuclear-powered submarine has arrived in South Korea just days after a nuclear-armed sub visited for the first time in four decades. The US and South Korea are in the midst of contingency planning talks around conflict with North Korea.

2. 🇬🇷 Greece: Authorities have moved more than 19,000 people (mostly tourists) to safety in Greece’s biggest-ever evacuation, as wildfires rage on the island of Rhodes. Firefighters from the Czech Republic, France, and Turkey have flown in to help with the emergency efforts.

3. 🇹🇱 Timor-Leste: Singapore has announced it’ll soon open its first embassy in Timor-Leste, becoming the sixth ASEAN country to do so. Timor-Leste received “in principle” membership of the Southeast Asian bloc last year.

4. 🇭🇳 Honduras: Tegucigalpa is planning to build a high-security prison on a remote island to further isolate convicted gang members. The decision comes after 46 inmates died in a gang-related prison riot last month.

5. 🇮🇱 Israel: Parliament has passed the first of Prime Minister Netanyahu's controversial judicial reforms amid widespread protests. The new law strips the Supreme Court of its power to declare government decisions unreasonable.

🤝 US | Intelligence & security

What went down at the Aspen Security Forum

The annual Aspen Security Forum in the Rockies wrapped up on Friday after four days of talks and hand-shakes among national security types (largely though not exclusively from the US).

Here’s what you need to know:

1. 🇷🇺 Russia is still front of mind, with CIA chief Bill Burns observing that the country’s elites are losing faith in President Putin; the CIA’s first post on Russian social media (with tips on how to leak info) reportedly had 2.5 million views in a week

2. 🗣️ The US and China are still talking, with Xie Feng (China’s ambassador to the US) saying “we must cherish and sustain the momentum”, and the White House’s Jake Sullivan agreeing that “there is a genuine possibility for a stable relationship”

3. 🖥️ AI is the dark horse, with several sessions highlighting an urgent need to regulate the tech and harness it for good (the US ambassador to the UN argued the regulation should be UN-led), and

4. 🌍 Africa also came up a bit, not just in the context of China-US rivalry there, but as a player in its own right (points highlighted by Monica Juma, the national security advisor to Kenya’s president).

Intrigue's take: The thing that really caught our eye?

Several big names emphasised the importance of what happens within the US itself. Former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice put it rather memorably, saying “I really don’t fear a country out there… because I’ll bet on free peoples any day.” Rice’s main worry? “Our biggest adversary is us.”

Also worth noting:

• A ticket to the Aspen Security Forum will set you back $3k. Davos costs around $19k (plus $52k for Economic Forum membership).

• The Aspen agenda also featured a surprise magic show by former acting CIA chief, John McLaughlin.

📰 How newspapers covered…

China’s new initiative to spur private investment

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🇨🇺 Mali | Politics

Mali gets a new constitution

Mali’s military junta adopted a new constitution over the weekend, a month after 97% of folks reportedly voted in favour of the changes (official turn-out was 38%).

Among other things, the new constitution:

• 💪 Centralises more power in the president

• 🏛️ Creates a senate (supporters say this will boost representation)

• 🇫🇷 Demotes French from an ‘official’ to a ‘working’ language, and

• 👐 Provides amnesty to former coup leaders.

Some of these changes leave the junta’s opponents wondering if its young leader, Colonel Assimi Goïta, plans to run for president in the 2024 elections.

Intrigue’s take: There was genuine support for the junta when it first seized power three years ago, following mass protests against the then president. Folks were tired of the economic malaise and the years-long Islamist insurgency.

But three years on, it’s hard to see how a new constitution addresses those issues. And it seems brave of Mali to grant amnesty to coup leaders while also hosting the Wagner Group (of Russian mutiny fame).

Also worth noting:

• Mali’s military and the Wagner Group both faced fresh accusations of atrocities yesterday (Monday).

• Russia will host African leaders in St Petersburg this week for the second-ever Russia-Africa summit. Kenya’s president said leaders were effectively being blackmailed into attending.

🎧 Today on Intrigue Outloud

What’s behind once-peaceful Ecuador’s historic crime surge?

➕ Extra Intrigue

We’re very online, so you don’t have to be.

• China secretly sends enough gear to Russia to equip an army

• Can anyone stop Paris from drowning?

• Iranian women defiant as ‘morality police’ return

• Meet María Corina Machado, the top Venezuelan opposition candidate

• When failed coups strengthen leaders

🗳️ Poll time!

👱 Profile of the day

President Biden elevated CIA Director Bill Burns to his cabinet last week, highlighting the agency’s work in providing “good intelligence, delivered with honesty and integrity”. Burns is a career diplomat who once penned an eye-opening cable about a raucous Dagestani wedding he attended as US ambassador to Russia.

Yesterday’s poll: In light of India's new rice export ban last week, which country do you think boasts the best rice dish?

🟨🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️ 🇮🇳 Biryani (19%)

🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 🇪🇸 Paella (23%)

🟨🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🇰🇷 Bibimbap (12%)

🟨🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🇺🇸 Jambalaya (8%)

🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🇸🇳 Jollof (4%)

🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨🟨 🇮🇹 Risotto (23%)

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🇲🇦 Pilaf (3%)

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🇬🇷 Dolmades (2%)

⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ 🇨🇳 Congee (2%)

🟨⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️⬜️ ✍️ Other (write-in!) (4%)

Your two cents:

• ✍️  M.W: “Oh my goodness, how can one choose? So many are equally delicious, and the variety keeps them all desirable.”

• Honourable mentions: Thai mango sticky rice, Maqluba, Indonesian chicken rice, Arroz e Feijão, pelau with local Zaboka (avocado), and nasi goreng.

This might be our favourite poll yet 😋