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Hi there Intriguer.ย 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 countryโs name to Eswatini. Which reminds us: itโs probably time Austria and Australia had a good heart-to-heart.
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Todayโs briefing is a 4 min read:
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๐ค This yearโs Aspen Security Forum.
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๐ฒ๐ฑย Mali introduces a new constitution.
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โ Plus: Bidenโs new cabinet member, how the papers are covering Chinaโs new economic stimulus, and can anyone stop Paris from drowning?
โฑ๏ธ Around the world in sixty seconds

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๐ฐ๐ทย 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.
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๐ฌ๐ทย Greece: Authorities have moved more than 19,000 people (mostly tourists) to safety in Greeceโs 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.
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๐น๐ฑย Timor-Leste: Singapore has announced itโll soon open its first embassy in Timor-Leste, becoming the sixth ASEAN country to do so. Timor-Leste received โin principleโ membership of the Southeast Asian bloc last year.
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๐ญ๐ณย 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.
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๐ฎ๐ฑย 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.
๐ค US | Intelligence & security

What went down at the Aspen Security Forum
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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).
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Hereโs what you need to know:
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๐ท๐บ Russia is still front of mind, with CIA chief Bill Burns observing that the countryโs elites are losing faith in President Putin; the CIAโs first post on Russian social media (with tips on how to leak info) reportedly had 2.5 million views in a week
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๐ฃ๏ธ The US and China are still talking, with Xie Feng (Chinaโs ambassador to the US) saying โwe must cherish and sustain the momentumโ, and the White Houseโs Jake Sullivan agreeing that โthere is a genuine possibility for a stable relationshipโ
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๐ฅ๏ธ 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
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๐ 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 Kenyaโs president).
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Intrigue’s take: The thing that really caught our eye?
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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 โI really donโt fear a country out thereโฆ because Iโll bet on free peoples any day.โ Riceโs main worry? โOur biggest adversary is us.โ
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Also worth noting:
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A ticket to the Aspen Security Forum will set you back $3k. Davos costs around $19k (plus $52k for Economic Forum membership).
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The Aspen agenda also featured a surprise magic show by former acting CIA chief, John McLaughlin.
๐ฐ How newspapers coveredโฆ
Chinaโs new initiative to spur private investment
โChina’s top economic planner rolls out measures to boost private investmentโ |
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|
โChina vows to support private businesses in bid to boost economic growthโ |
โChina’s pitch to foreign investors falls flat as incentives dwindleโ |
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Todayโs newsletter is supported by: 80,000 Hours
Your career is your biggest opportunity to make a positive difference.
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But itโs not always easy to know how best to make use of it.
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80,000 Hours is a nonprofit that aims to help people find ways to have a career that feels more meaningful, impactful, and helps solve one of the worldโs most pressing problems.
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Theyโve conducted over 10 years of research, alongside academics at Oxford university, into what makes for a high-impact career. All that research is available on their website, plus a podcast, a job board with open job opportunities, and free 1-1 calls with their impartial advisors.
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Everything they provide is free, forever โ their only aim is to help people find more fulfilling careers that do good.
๐จ๐บ Mali | Politics

Mali gets a new constitution
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Maliโs 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%).
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Among other things, the new constitution:
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๐ช Centralises more power in the president
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๐๏ธ Creates a senate (supporters say this will boost representation)
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๐ซ๐ท Demotes French from an โofficialโ to a โworkingโ language, and
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๐ Provides amnesty to former coup leaders.
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Some of these changes leave the juntaโs opponents wondering if its young leader, Colonel Assimi Goรฏta, plans to run for president in the 2024 elections.
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Intrigueโs 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.
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But three years on, itโs 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).
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Also worth noting:
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Maliโs military and the Wagner Group both faced fresh accusations of atrocities yesterday (Monday).
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Russia will host African leaders in St Petersburg this week for the second-ever Russia-Africa summit. Kenyaโs president said leaders were effectively being blackmailed into attending.
๐ง Today on Intrigue Outloud

Security forces in Ecuadorโs capital Quito. Credits: AP/Dolores Ochoa
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Whatโs behind once-peaceful Ecuadorโs historic crime surge?
โ Extra Intrigue
Weโre very online, so you donโt have to be.
๐ณ๏ธ Poll time!
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What do you think is the most important factor to spur private investment? |
๐ฑ Profile of the day

Credits: InsideOver.
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President Biden elevated CIA Director Bill Burns to his cabinet last week, highlighting the agencyโs work in providing โgood intelligence, delivered with honesty and integrityโ. Burns is a career diplomat who once penned an eye-opening cable about a raucous Dagestani wedding he attended as US ambassador to Russia.
Yesterdayโs poll: In light of India’s new rice export ban last week, which country do you think boasts the best rice dish?
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๐จ๐จ๐จ๐จโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธ ๐ฎ๐ณ Biryani (19%)
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๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฉย ๐ช๐ธ Paella (23%)
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๐จ๐จ๐จโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธ ๐ฐ๐ท Bibimbap (12%)
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๐จ๐จโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธ ๐บ๐ธ Jambalaya (8%)
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๐จโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธ ๐ธ๐ณ Jollof (4%)
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๐จ๐จ๐จ๐จ๐จ๐จย ๐ฎ๐น Risotto (23%)
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โฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธ ๐ฒ๐ฆ Pilaf (3%)
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โฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธ ๐ฌ๐ท Dolmades (2%)
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โฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธ ๐จ๐ณ Congee (2%)
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๐จโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธโฌ๏ธ โ๏ธ Other (write-in!) (4%)
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Your two cents:
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โ๏ธ ย M.W: โOh my goodness, how can one choose? So many are equally delicious, and the variety keeps them all desirable.โ
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Honourable mentions: Thai mango sticky rice, Maqluba, Indonesian chicken rice, Arroz e Feijรฃo, pelau with local Zaboka (avocado), and nasi goreng.
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This might be our favourite poll yet ๐ย