The Week at Chatham House: Cambridge Analytica, Ending Syria’s Ceasefires plus is Italy the West’s Future?
The latest international news and analysis this week.
Even Without Cambridge Analytica, the Trump Campaign Already Had Everyone’s Data
This week, the revelations that data analytics consultancy, Cambridge Analytica, may have helped the Trump election campaign access the data of more than 50 million people during the US presidential election in 2016 have caused widespread concern. However, even without Cambridge Analytica, the Trump election campaign already had everyone’s data, argues Emily Taylor.
Stop Falling for Assad’s Bogus Ceasefires
As the civil war rages on in Syria, Mohammed Alaa Ghanem explains why the international community needs to understand how integral ceasefires are to the Assad regime’s military strategy. Instead of trumpeting each ceasefire as a step toward peace, he argues, the international community must deter the regime from the military option in the first place.
China’s Belt and Road Is Not a (Completely) Closed Shop
First announced in 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative promises to improve infrastructure and connectivity between China and the rest of Eurasia. Any plan to finance infrastructure on a large scale across so many low-income economies deserves a positive reception, writes Andrew Cainey, but many wonder how large the role can be for non-Chinese players.
Italy Is the West’s Future
Following the success of the populist Five Star Movement and the far-right League in the Italian election, a recent Chatham House event mapped the origins of far right movements across Europe. Meanwhile, Matthew Goodwin argues that the chaos of Italy’s election is the result of long-standing trends — and a preview of what’s to come in Europe.
Undercurrents — Episode 4
And finally, in this week’s episode of Undercurrents, the Chatham House team discusses the widespread practice across Africa and South Asia of detaining hospital patients in wards if they cannot afford to pay their medical bills, as well as the growth in activism around LGBTQ+ rights in Lebanon. Listen to the episode.
