Hemispheric securityColombia Gives Nearly 1 Million Venezuelan Migrants Legal Status and Right to Work By Erika Frydenlund, Jose J. Padilla, and Katherine Palacio Published 15 April 2021 Colombia will grant legal status to all Venezuelan migrants who fled there since 2016 to escape their country’s economic collapse and political crisis. The bold new policy –

Iran’s nukesNatanz Attack Sets Back Iran’s Nuclear Operations Published 14 April 2021 The Israeli Sunday sabotage operation against Iran’s nuclear facility at Natanz destroyed a well-protected electrical substation housed 40 to 50 meters underground.Iranian officials said that thedestruction of the power supply led to the damage or destruction of “thousands of centrifuges” by causing them

Iran’s nukesSabotage May Weaken Tehran’s Position in Indirect Talks with U.S. By Michael Lipin, Payam Yazdian, Katherine Ahn, Linda Gradstein Published 14 April 2021 With the U.S. and Iran planning their second round of indirect nuclear talks in Vienna this week, some analysts say Sunday’s sabotage of Iran’s Natanz nuclear site has weakened the Iranian

Iran’s nukesThe Natanz Blackout: Can the Iran Deal Talks Still Succeed? By Ray Takeyh Published 14 April 2021 Washington and Tehran seem determined to revive the deal that freezes Iran’s nuclear program, despite domestic criticism on both sides and the apparent sabotage of an Iranian facility. Did the April 11 explosion at the Natanz facility, which

Public healthWeather Forecasts Predict Meningitis Outbreaks Published 12 April 2021 Scientists are using weather forecasts to predict the location and scale of impending meningitis outbreaks in sub-Saharan Africa. It is part of an early-warning system being piloted with the aim of giving health agencies more time to activate emergency response plans. Scientists are using weather forecasts

Iran’s nukesIran Blames Israel for Suspected Sabotage at Nuclear Facility, Vows Revenge Published 12 April 2021 Iran has vowed to take “revenge” for an alleged act of sabotage at its main Natanz nuclear site that it blames on its archenemy Israel, an incident that could overshadow diplomatic efforts to revive the 2015 nuclear deal abandoned

VirusesNew Tool Assesses Risk of Wild-Life Origin Viruses Published 12 April 2021 Researchers have a developed a new framework and interactive web tool, SpillOver, which “estimates a risk score for wildlife-origin viruses, creating a comparative risk assessment of viruses with uncharacterized zoonotic spillover potential alongside those already known to be zoonotic.” A recent article in the Proceedings of the

China watchMessaging Authoritarianism: China’s Four Messaging Pillars and How ‘Wolf Warrior’ Tactics Undermine Them By Rachael Dean Wilson Published 12 April 2021 A messaging strategy is only as good as the goal it serves; as Xi Jinping has made clear, China is seeking to make the world safer for its brand of authoritarianism by reshaping

ARGUMENT: Militias & social mediaAfter the Islamic State: Social Media and Armed Groups Published 12 April 2021 The Islamic State is often credited with pioneering the use of social media in conflict, having created a global brand that drew between 20,000 and 40,000 volunteers from at least 85 countries. Social media served as a key

Iran’s nukesSabotage May Weaken Tehran’s Position in Indirect Talks with U.S. By Michael Lipin, Payam Yazdian, Katherine Ahn, Linda Gradstein Published 13 April 2021 With the U.S. and Iran planning their second round of indirect nuclear talks in Vienna this week, some analysts say Sunday’s sabotage of Iran’s Natanz nuclear site has weakened the Iranian