John,

We’re back with all of the foreign policy news that your inbox can handle.  We have updates on China, the civil conflict in Nigeria, the recent cyberattack against the US, and more. 

Interested in what’s going on beyond our borders and need a refresher post-election? We have you covered — get your foreign policy fix below.

[READ] RUSSIAN HACKERS CONDUCT CYBER ATTACK AGAINST MAJOR US AGENCIES

The bottom line: “Russian hackers working for the Kremlin are believed to be behind breaches of U.S. government computer systems at the departments of Treasury, Commerce and Homeland Security that may have lasted months before they were discovered, according to U.S. officials and media reports.

The hackers reportedly broke into the email systems at the government departments, but the full extent of the breach was not immediately clear as U.S. officials scrambled to make an assessment. There are concerns that hackers may have penetrated other government departments and perhaps many private companies as well.” 

Do you think the recent cyber attack means the U.S. needs to invest more in cyber defense?  

Use the comment box below to share your thoughts.

[READ] ANOTHER GENERAL AT DEFENSE?: LLOYD AUSTIN’S RECORD AND VIEWS ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN HIS RACE.

The bottom line: “Joe Biden has picked retired Gen. Lloyd Austin to be his Defense Secretary, and anyone skimming the coverage might believe the most important recommendation is his race. But Senators interested more in substance than identity politics have plenty to think about.

Gen. Austin, 67, served the country well during his four-decade career in the Army. As commander of U.S. forces in Iraq from 2010-11, he oversaw America’s retreat from the country. The general wanted to keep tens of thousands of American forces, which is to his credit. Less defensible is his failure to anticipate the full withdrawal that Barack Obama ordered and prepare adequately, which led to a hasty exit. Mr. Biden, who worked with Gen. Austin during the Obama Administration, might be most attracted to him as a loyal lieutenant...

...Another concern is that Gen. Austin’s experience is fighting land wars in the Middle East while the growing threat is a sea conflict with China. GOP Rep. Mike Gallagher has it right that Gen. Austin is “a patriot” but “not the pick if you believe China is an urgent threat.” Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Mark Milley recently predicted “a lot of bloodletting” in the Pentagon to fund a more prepared Navy, but that will take political will from a defense chief."

[READ] CHINA CHARGES HONG KONG FREEDOM FIGHTERS HEADED TO TAIWAN

The bottom line: “Ten Hong Kong activists who were captured at sea while trying to flee to Taiwan in August were charged in mainland China on Wednesday with illegal boundary-crossing offenses that could put some of them behind bars for years.

The case has become a focal point for Hong Kong’s pro-democracy opposition, which, after months of intense protests last year, has been checked by a wide-ranging crackdown and the imposition of a tough national security law on the semiautonomous Chinese territory. The effects of the law were on display in Hong Kong on Wednesday, as a group of high-ranking officials swore an oath of loyalty to the local government and constitution as part of a new requirement.”

The bottom line: “China has said the arrest of a journalist working for the newswire Bloomberg is an "internal affair", warning others not to interfere. Chinese citizen Haze Fan was detained last week, accused of endangering national security by authorities. It is the latest in a string of arrests or expulsions of journalists in China.”

The bottom line: “The United Nations has warned that millions of children are still cut off from aid in Ethiopia's conflict-riven Tigray region, despite promises made by the federal government earlier this month to allow humanitarian agencies access.

Some 2.3 million minors are struggling to get basic humanitarian assistance like treatment for malnourishment, critical vaccines, emergency medicines, and water and sanitation supplies, UNICEF, the UN agency responsible for children, said Tuesday.”

The bottom line: “As the blackout lifted, civilians inside the city of half a million spoke of the joy of hearing loved ones for the first time in weeks -- and their desperation at trying to locate others in areas still in the dark.

"When communication came back, I felt really great, because family and friends from abroad and even locally, they were not sure whether I was alive or dead," said Mulubirhan Hailemariam, who spoke with AFP from Mekele.

"But I'm worried about my family in Adigrat," he added, referring to another city in Tigray where communications have not been fully restored. 'People are being killed'”

The bottom line: “Recent days have seen reports of at least two serious cyberattacks against Israeli companies. The first targeted Israeli software firm Amital Data and some 40 of its clients, and the second was against Habana Labs, a processor producer working under Intel. The two attacks are being attributed to the Iranian hackers Pay2Key, which is targeting Israeli firms at a rapid and alarming speed. New details of the attack, revealed by OP Innovate, show its scope was much wider than previously known.”

The bottom line: “The United States on Monday officially fingered Iran for the first time for the kidnapping, captivity and what it called the "probable death" of retired FBI Special Agent Bob Levinson 13 years ago, naming and shaming a pair of accused top Iranian intelligence officers.

Senior U.S. government officials said the two Iranians -- whose whereabouts are not known -- were responsible for Levinson's sad end.”

The bottom line: “Boko Haram on Tuesday claimed it was behind the abduction of hundreds of students in northwestern Nigeria, in what appears to be a major expansion of the jihadist group's activities into new areas. At least 333 students are still missing since the attack late Friday on the all-boys Government Science Secondary School in Katsina state — hundreds of miles from Boko Haram's stronghold in northeast Nigeria.”

As always, thanks for reading. You’ll be hearing from us soon.

-Gallagher Foreign Policy HQ