foreignpolicy--2020-06-25--Deep in the Heart of Texas, a Chinese Wind Farm Raises Eyebrows

The decision comes after an analysis from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States ( CFIUS ) , a panel of different federal agencies that examines the impact of foreign investments in the United States , found that the wind farm does not currently pose a national security concern .
But GH America Energy , the U.S. unit of a Chinese firm , must still mitigate the impact of wind turbines that could interfere with low-level flight training routes at Laughlin Air Force Base .
Those plans are currently under review in a separate process led by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s Military Aviation and Installation Assurance Siting Clearinghouse .
For years the Trump administration has been on a collision course with China over trade , geopolitics , and , now , the coronavirus pandemic .
Amid a groundswell of anti-China sentiment in Washington , top administration officials have begun hammering other countries , including close allies , for allowing Chinese investment in their critical infrastructure and other industries relevant to national security .
Now , the prospect of turbines cropping up at the Blue Hills Wind development , just a few dozen miles @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bedrock of the Edwards Plateau , has brought the U.S. competition with China to an unlikely place : the small town of Del Rio , Texas , home to Laughlin and a dryland paradise for nature lovers and hunters that boasts ancient rock art dating back before the days of the Egyptian pharaohs .
The developer , GH America Energy , a subsidiary of Guanghui Energy Company , a firm owned by a former Chinese army officer and the richest person in China ’ s embattled Xinjiang province , declined requests to comment @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spokeswoman declined to comment , citing policy preventing the agency from talking publicly about individual CFIUS cases .
Under CFIUS law , the United States can put the project under review at any time if there are new developments at the site , or if the Chinese-owned company does not notify it of changes .
In the meantime , members of Congress and local officials fear the foreign company could interfere with the air base , sully the pristine wilderness , burrow into the electrical grid , or even use the project as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Why this location and why this project ?
” Rep. Will Hurd , a Republican who represents a district that stretches westward across Texas from San Antonio toward El Paso and includes the project , told Foreign Policy .
“ Why are we allowing a Chinese company to do that in the U.S. ?
A former U.S. general would not be able to do this kind of project in China.
” “ It triggered alarms the first time that we got evidence of Chinese money , ” said Kwast , who is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stops or the water stops flowing , those bases stop operating.
” Even more puzzling , the business case for the new venture didn ’ t make much sense to Kwast and local officials .
How would the property—which lawmakers and county advocates say is in the middle of nowhere and did not have significant road access at the time—be able to turn a profit ?
The Del Rio community also began to get worried .
Local leaders were intent on salvaging Air Force training routes that could be jeopardized by the construction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than 350 student pilots each year , according to a 2018 release , and its flight routes are critical to the area ’ s economy .
The base contributed $ 2 billion to the state ’ s economy last year , and it indirectly or directly provides more than 10,000 jobs , estimates from the Texas comptroller ’ s office show .
But the forces that let Guanghui buy up the acreage near Laughlin and Del Rio have been brewing for more than two decades .
Project developers love the lack of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to love the Texas ’ s deregulatory swagger and loose rules on property purchases .
( The state ’ s land is about 95 percent privately owned . )
The federal government has some legal authorities in place to review and block foreign investments over national security concerns , such as the CFIUS process .
In Texas , however , there ’ s a high bar for authorities to step in and stop development on wind farms .
Ever since the Texas legislature put in place a 1999 mandate calling on the state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from renewable sources , it ’ s been hard to stop these ventures from going forward .
In Texas , there ’ s a high bar for authorities to step in and stop development on wind farms .
“ On the state and federal level there are no regulations regarding the development of these wind farms , ” said Jack Hession , a senior vice president at Madison Government Affairs , a Washington lobbying shop that is representing the Del Rio community , told Foreign Policy .
“ There ’ s no way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The proposal to do a wind farm was a viable option for the owner.
” The issue first came to the attention of local officials in early 2018 , after Guanghui purchased properties including nine ranches under the name of Brazos Highland Properties LP , environmentalists say , a holding company controlled by the firm .
The company proposed building 50 to 130 wind turbines that could reach up to 700 feet above ground level , according to estimates that local officials provided to the Trump administration .
Beyond the geopolitics and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also riled up local environmentalists who worry that the wind farm could despoil prime clear waters cherished by boaters , nature lovers , and hunters from across the state .
“ Hunters from Houston , Dallas , they don ’ t want to be looking at tall turbines and watching red lights blinking on the horizon all night , ” said Randy Nunns , a landowner and the president of the board of the Devils River Conservancy , a local environmental advocacy group that has opposed the wind farm .
For now , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were its biggest potential hurdle other than CFIUS , the Air Force ’ s requirement to clear turbines from the proposed low-level training route , Hession said , though he cautioned there is no deal or agreement in place .
An Air Force spokesperson told Foreign Policy that an agreement has not been finalized but is currently under review by both the service and the Pentagon ’ s Military Aviation and Installation Assurance Siting Clearinghouse .
That hasn ’ t fully satisfied local officials or Congress , though , who fear that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eyes further development of wind and solar projects in the area that could encroach upon flight routes .
Letters obtained by Foreign Policy show that by February , a Val Verde County judge and Del Rio ’ s mayor had told Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin , Secretary of State Mike Pompeo , and Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett that the project posed long-term challenges to flight training operations at Laughlin .
Some local officials and members Congress fear that the worst is yet to come as Guanghui eyes further development of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that could encroach upon flight routes .
“ Our greatest concern is the long-term implications this will have on the Air Force ’ s mission of pilot training not with a single application , but rather a cumulative strategy that can not be evaluated in the first filing , ” County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. and Del Rio Mayor Bruno Lozano wrote to Mnuchin in February .
“ We believe that this project and all future projects of a similar nature will result in unacceptable risk to national security of the United @ @ @ @ @ @ @ foreign investment with open arms are also looking askance at the project .
Leading the charge has been Sen. Ted Cruz , a Texas Republican , who traveled to Laughlin Air Force Base in February and raised concerns that the project poses a potential threat of Chinese espionage .
“ Sen .
Cruz is particularly concerned by the threat of a Chinese-owned company erecting wind farms near Laughlin .
China has demonstrated a willingness to invest billions of dollars in specific , targeted economic initiatives through private companies to expand the global reach @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” a spokesperson for Cruz told Foreign Policy .
“ Not only will these wind farms near Laughlin affect training routes , they could also risk our national security.
” But it ’ s not just any company buying up land at the Carma , Palmer , and Morningstar ranches , among the nine ranches Guanghui has purchased in Val Verde County .
When Rep. Hurd ’ s staff began looking into Sun Guangxin , the founder of the Guanghui Energy Company , they quickly learned he was a former People ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ largest landowners in China ’ s Xinjiang province , the current site of a sweeping campaign by Beijing to intern around 1 million ethnic Uighur minorities under the guise of a counterterrorism operation .
Sun first made his mark buying up swaths of formerly state-owned real estate in Xinjiang after leaving the Chinese military , through which he participated in the 1979 invasion of Vietnam , according to the South China Morning Post .
The firm outwardly advertises its connections to the Chinese Communist Party on its website .
President Donald Trump told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out on enacting Treasury sanctions against Chinese officials involved in the internment camps in order to secure a trade deal with Beijing , but under a law signed this month , the White House could impose penalties on Chinese Communist Party members involved in the camps .
Daniel Hoffman , a former high-ranking CIA official , urged Congress in an op-ed for Fox News to determine whether Sun or his associates should face sanctions for possible abuses of Uighurs .
The Trump administration had already raised questions about Guanghui ’ s investors engaging @ @ @ @ @ @ @ business .
In 2018 , the U.S. Trade Representative published a report that accused Evergrande Group , the largest minority shareholder in Guanghui and run by one of the richest people in China , of attempting to steal intellectual property from a California-based startup .
Just as Congress , fretful that China could use telecommunications companies as a Trojan horse in the development of 5G mobile networks , is pushing to ban companies like Huawei , there are concerns that Chinese firms with government and military connections could pose a threat to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t want to have that same concern when it comes to our grid , right ?
” Hurd told Foreign Policy .
“ So should another foreign-owned entity be able to put power on the grid which means they ’ re controlling some of that power right now ?
I think the answer is no.
” U.S. intelligence agencies have harbored concerns about China breaking into the grid with backdoor hacks for the better part of a decade .
Then-National Security Agency Director Mike Rogers told Congress in November 2014 that malicious hackers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into industrial control systems undergirding power networks and critical infrastructure , instructing turbines to go offline .
In May , Trump took a step to curtail possible manipulation of the power grid , signing an executive order that would ban acquisitions of electrical equipment built by “ foreign adversaries.
” The Energy Department has until the end of September to determine which countries the United States will designate as adversaries under the order .
But lawmakers are still worried that Chinese companies like Guanghui buying up wind farms , giving them inroads into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allow them another lever to manipulate and overload the system .
“ Would they be able to manipulate the industrial control systems on their side ?
Obviously , because they would they would own that , ” said Hurd .
“ Is there a way that by being connected to [ the ] electrical grid , that you would be able to overload that grid ?
” Asked if he was worried that foreign companies controlling swaths of the electrical grid could be capable of triggering statewide outages , Hurd , a former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ answer .
“ 100 percent , ” he said .
The Obama administration had a ready-made authority to intervene in that case , nearly a decade ago , under long-standing CFIUS rules that give the president the ability to block foreign acquisitions of U.S. businesses , known as “ brownfield investments , ” on national security grounds .
The U.S. military trains pilots for electronic warfare aircraft and tests drones at the site , in Eastern Oregon near the Columbia River .
U.S. presidents have only used CFIUS six times to stop foreign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1975 , but Obama and Trump have combined to stop five of those purchases in the past decade , with Trump most recently using a presidential order in March to force a Chinese company to divest interests in the cloud-based hotel management firm StayNTouch .
Investments on undeveloped land have historically been tougher to stop unless the U.S. government can cite a direct threat to national security .
Since then , Congress has given the Trump administration stronger powers to protect American companies from foreign acquisitions , especially in the tech sector , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crack down on foreign investment—particularly from China .
In 2018 , Trump signed the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act as part of the Pentagon ’ s annual authorizing bill .
That law gives CFIUS new authority to probe foreign investments in undeveloped land near U.S. government buildings and military bases , such as the Chinese-owned wind farm development near Laughlin Air Force Base .
“ We ’ re putting a lot of safeguards in , and we ’ re doing a lot of things against foreign acquisition of property , and especially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ installations , ” Trump said during a roundtable to roll out the law in August 2018 .
The new law has chagrined free-traders , who say that the reforms give CFIUS too much power to squash private foreign investments without stopping takeovers in larger sectors of the U.S. economy .
The number of yearly CFIUS notices had already more than tripled between 2009 and 2017 .
What ’ s more , any decision CFIUS makes is extremely difficult for companies to try to overturn , said David Mortlock , a former White House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council , a Washington-based think tank .
“ There really is very little ability to challenge CFIUS ’ s national security determinations , ” he said .
“ The statute itself protects CFIUS ’ s decisions from judicial intervention , ” he added .
“ But also the fact that they ’ re based on national security risks of foreign investments , the administration ’ s discretion is at its zenith and courts are very unlikely to intervene in such a decision.
” But even with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are worried that there ’ s not enough being done to stop powerful Chinese companies like Guanghui from passing along information about U.S. utilities to the nation ’ s army .
“ Something as large as this project down in Del Rio and particularly given the fact that it ’ s linked to the power grid in the U.S. could not be going on without PLA involvement , ” said James Olson , a former CIA chief of counterintelligence and now a professor at Texas A & M University .
“ Disrupting electronic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ potential platform in the vicinity of the military base is not something the PLA would overlook , ” he said .
In fact , it took a lot of digging to find out that the Chinese-owned company was involved at all .
When Brazos Highland Properties LP began buying up 140,000 acres of land in the county , the only reporting that advocates from the nearby Devils River Conservancy could find on it was through Val Verde County ’ s property appraisal search .
“ It was very cloak and dagger-esque , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Devils River Conservancy .
“ We didn ’ t know it was Chinese , we didn ’ t know anything .
We just knew they were planning to build wind farms.
” Lewey and her team only knew that a wind farm was in the works because another company had registered turbines on one Brazos-owned ranch with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas , a nonprofit that manages most of the state ’ s power grid .
“ It was very cloak and dagger-esque.
” It was only when the conservancy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that would have given the state ’ s Parks and Wildlife Department authority oversight on wind farm siting that representatives from GH America Energy—the U.S. subsidiary—showed up in Austin to oppose it .
The bill died in committee .
Lewey , the Laughlin base commander , and county commissioners were finally invited to meet Sun , introduced to the group as “ Chairman Sun , ” at his ranch in July 2019 .
But after they were escorted past the gates to his home in a large caravan , they found that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ big issues .
“ It was about 95 percent a social meeting , ” Lewey said .
“ Not a whole lot of business concerns were brought up there.
” Conservationists have had several follow-up meetings with company representatives , but they aren ’ t convinced they are being heard .
“ They have listened to us , ” she said .
“ I don ’ t know if they ’ ve heard us .
But they ’ ve listened to us.
” “ This gets to a larger debate about China ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ division between the state and private sector , ” said Ashley Feng , an expert on China ’ s economy at the Center for a New American Security .
“ Are Chinese private firms that are going abroad and acquiring technology and companies and land , are they actually acting independently from the state ?
That ’ s a blurred line.
” Others place China ’ s U.S. acquisitions alongside their stated plans to attain dominance in emerging high-tech industries by 2025 , setting up a much more zero-sum competition .
“ This @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the former Air Force commander , said of Chinese thinking driving investments in the United States .
“ China is looking to invest in anything that can give them a competitive advantage on anything .
They want to win this economic war without firing a shot .
”

The Trump administration will not block a Chinese-owned company from building a wind farm in Texas near the Air Force’s largest pilot training base, a person familiar with the decision told Foreign Policy, allowing a project to move forward that lawmakers fear could be used to spy on American troops, disrupt flight routes, and give Beijing a foothold in the U.S. electrical grid.
The decision comes after an analysis from the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), a panel of different federal agencies that examines the impact of foreign investments in the United States, found that the wind farm does not currently pose a national security concern. But GH America Energy, the U.S. unit of a Chinese firm, must still mitigate the impact of wind turbines that could interfere with low-level flight training routes at Laughlin Air Force Base. Those plans are currently under review in a separate process led by the Air Force and the Defense Department’s Military Aviation and Installation Assurance Siting Clearinghouse.
For years the Trump administration has been on a collision course with China over trade, geopolitics, and, now, the coronavirus pandemic. Amid a groundswell of anti-China sentiment in Washington, top administration officials have begun hammering other countries, including close allies, for allowing Chinese investment in their critical infrastructure and other industries relevant to national security.
Now, the prospect of turbines cropping up at the Blue Hills Wind development, just a few dozen miles from the U.S.-Mexico border and the limestone bedrock of the Edwards Plateau, has brought the U.S. competition with China to an unlikely place: the small town of Del Rio, Texas, home to Laughlin and a dryland paradise for nature lovers and hunters that boasts ancient rock art dating back before the days of the Egyptian pharaohs.
Chinese-Owned Wind Farm Proposed Near U.S. Military Base The project would put wind turbines at the Blue Hills Wind development, just a few dozen miles from the U.S.-Mexico border and near Laughlin Air Force Base.
The developer, GH America Energy, a subsidiary of Guanghui Energy Company, a firm owned by a former Chinese army officer and the richest person in China’s embattled Xinjiang province, declined requests to comment for this story. A Treasury Department spokeswoman declined to comment, citing policy preventing the agency from talking publicly about individual CFIUS cases.
Under CFIUS law, the United States can put the project under review at any time if there are new developments at the site, or if the Chinese-owned company does not notify it of changes. In the meantime, members of Congress and local officials fear the foreign company could interfere with the air base, sully the pristine wilderness, burrow into the electrical grid, or even use the project as a platform for Chinese government-directed espionage.
“Why this location and why this project?” Rep. Will Hurd, a Republican who represents a district that stretches westward across Texas from San Antonio toward El Paso and includes the project, told Foreign Policy. “Why are we allowing a Chinese company to do that in the U.S.? A former U.S. general would not be able to do this kind of project in China.”
Members of the 48th Rescue Squadron from Arizona participate in an exercise near Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas in this undated photograph. Some have expressed concern that a proposed Chinese-owned wind farm near the Texas military base could be a national security risk.
That is a question that’s bedeviled military officials, local leaders, activists, and lawmakers who have tracked this case for two years. The problem of wind farms popping up near military flight routes isn’t new: Then-Lt. Gen. Steven Kwast had been dealing with the issue for more than a decade when in November 2017 he took over the Air Force’s San Antonio-based Education and Training Command, which oversees Laughlin. But while Kwast believed the military’s improving technology could prevent wind-powered turbines from messing with radar signals, when he learned that a Chinese company was buying up acreage near Laughlin Air Force Base just a year into his tenure, it alerted him to a potential national security risk.
“It triggered alarms the first time that we got evidence of Chinese money,” said Kwast, who is now retired. “If the electricity stops or the water stops flowing, those bases stop operating.”
Even more puzzling, the business case for the new venture didn’t make much sense to Kwast and local officials. How would the property—which lawmakers and county advocates say is in the middle of nowhere and did not have significant road access at the time—be able to turn a profit?
The Del Rio community also began to get worried. Local leaders were intent on salvaging Air Force training routes that could be jeopardized by the construction of large wind turbines. Laughlin graduates more than 350 student pilots each year, according to a 2018 release, and its flight routes are critical to the area’s economy. The base contributed $2 billion to the state’s economy last year, and it indirectly or directly provides more than 10,000 jobs, estimates from the Texas comptroller’s office show.
But the forces that let Guanghui buy up the acreage near Laughlin and Del Rio have been brewing for more than two decades. Project developers love the lack of red tape; foreign buyers have come to love the Texas’s deregulatory swagger and loose rules on property purchases. (The state’s land is about 95 percent privately owned.) The federal government has some legal authorities in place to review and block foreign investments over national security concerns, such as the CFIUS process.
In Texas, however, there’s a high bar for authorities to step in and stop development on wind farms. Ever since the Texas legislature put in place a 1999 mandate calling on the state’s utilities to get more power from renewable sources, it’s been hard to stop these ventures from going forward.
In Texas, there’s a high bar for authorities to step in and stop development on wind farms.
“On the state and federal level there are no regulations regarding the development of these wind farms,” said Jack Hession, a senior vice president at Madison Government Affairs, a Washington lobbying shop that is representing the Del Rio community, told Foreign Policy. “There’s no way to deny it as it was purchased. The proposal to do a wind farm was a viable option for the owner.”
The issue first came to the attention of local officials in early 2018, after Guanghui purchased properties including nine ranches under the name of Brazos Highland Properties LP, environmentalists say, a holding company controlled by the firm. The company proposed building 50 to 130 wind turbines that could reach up to 700 feet above ground level, according to estimates that local officials provided to the Trump administration.
Beyond the geopolitics and national security concerns, the project has also riled up local environmentalists who worry that the wind farm could despoil prime clear waters cherished by boaters, nature lovers, and hunters from across the state.
“Hunters from Houston, Dallas, they don’t want to be looking at tall turbines and watching red lights blinking on the horizon all night,” said Randy Nunns, a landowner and the president of the board of the Devils River Conservancy, a local environmental advocacy group that has opposed the wind farm.
A portion of the Amistad National Recreation Area, outside Del Rio in Val Verde County, Texas, is pictured in 2014. Local environmental advocates worry that the wind farm could harm the area’s pristine aquifers and migratory routes for eagles, bats, and butterflies.
For now, Guanghui appears to have assuaged—just barely—concerns that were its biggest potential hurdle other than CFIUS, the Air Force’s requirement to clear turbines from the proposed low-level training route, Hession said, though he cautioned there is no deal or agreement in place. An Air Force spokesperson told Foreign Policy that an agreement has not been finalized but is currently under review by both the service and the Pentagon’s Military Aviation and Installation Assurance Siting Clearinghouse.
That hasn’t fully satisfied local officials or Congress, though, who fear that the worst is yet to come as Guanghui eyes further development of wind and solar projects in the area that could encroach upon flight routes.
Letters obtained by Foreign Policy show that by February, a Val Verde County judge and Del Rio’s mayor had told Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett that the project posed long-term challenges to flight training operations at Laughlin.
Some local officials and members Congress fear that the worst is yet to come as Guanghui eyes further development of wind and solar projects in the area that could encroach upon flight routes.
“Our greatest concern is the long-term implications this will have on the Air Force’s mission of pilot training not with a single application, but rather a cumulative strategy that cannot be evaluated in the first filing,” County Judge Lewis G. Owens Jr. and Del Rio Mayor Bruno Lozano wrote to Mnuchin in February. “We believe that this project and all future projects of a similar nature will result in unacceptable risk to national security of the United States.”
Lawmakers who might normally welcome foreign investment with open arms are also looking askance at the project. Leading the charge has been Sen. Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican, who traveled to Laughlin Air Force Base in February and raised concerns that the project poses a potential threat of Chinese espionage.
“Sen. Cruz is particularly concerned by the threat of a Chinese-owned company erecting wind farms near Laughlin. China has demonstrated a willingness to invest billions of dollars in specific, targeted economic initiatives through private companies to expand the global reach of their security and espionage capabilities,” a spokesperson for Cruz told Foreign Policy. “Not only will these wind farms near Laughlin affect training routes, they could also risk our national security.”
Sun Guangxin, the founder of the Guanghui Energy Company—which has purchased nine ranches in Val Verde County, Texas—is a former Chinese military officer and one of the largest landowners in China’s Xinjiang province.
In recent years, Chinese companies have jumped headlong into the Texas energy market, despite worsening political relations between Washington and Beijing. Chinese turbine-makers sparked a political row a decade ago when they sought to use Obama-era recovery funds to build a wind farm there. Another Chinese company began constructing Rattlesnake Wind Farm in Brady, Texas, in 2017, and one Chinese firm snapped up shale assets in the oil-rich Permian Basin, a trend experts figure could continue with plunging oil prices amid the coronavirus pandemic.
But it’s not just any company buying up land at the Carma, Palmer, and Morningstar ranches, among the nine ranches Guanghui has purchased in Val Verde County. When Rep. Hurd’s staff began looking into Sun Guangxin, the founder of the Guanghui Energy Company, they quickly learned he was a former People’s Liberation Army officer and one of the largest landowners in China’s Xinjiang province, the current site of a sweeping campaign by Beijing to intern around 1 million ethnic Uighur minorities under the guise of a counterterrorism operation.
Sun first made his mark buying up swaths of formerly state-owned real estate in Xinjiang after leaving the Chinese military, through which he participated in the 1979 invasion of Vietnam, according to the South China Morning Post. The firm outwardly advertises its connections to the Chinese Communist Party on its website.
President Donald Trump told Axios this week that he had held out on enacting Treasury sanctions against Chinese officials involved in the internment camps in order to secure a trade deal with Beijing, but under a law signed this month, the White House could impose penalties on Chinese Communist Party members involved in the camps. Daniel Hoffman, a former high-ranking CIA official, urged Congress in an op-ed for Fox News to determine whether Sun or his associates should face sanctions for possible abuses of Uighurs.
The Trump administration had already raised questions about Guanghui’s investors engaging in a pattern of double-dealing in American business. In 2018, the U.S. Trade Representative published a report that accused Evergrande Group, the largest minority shareholder in Guanghui and run by one of the richest people in China, of attempting to steal intellectual property from a California-based startup.
Just as Congress, fretful that China could use telecommunications companies as a Trojan horse in the development of 5G mobile networks, is pushing to ban companies like Huawei, there are concerns that Chinese firms with government and military connections could pose a threat to the electricity grid.
“We don’t want to have that same concern when it comes to our grid, right?” Hurd told Foreign Policy. “So should another foreign-owned entity be able to put power on the grid which means they’re controlling some of that power right now? I think the answer is no.”
“Why this location and why this project?” said U.S. Rep. Will Hurd, who represents a district that stretches westward across Texas from San Antonio toward El Paso and includes the project. “Why are we allowing a Chinese company to do that in the U.S.? A former U.S. general would not be able to do this kind of project in China.”
U.S. intelligence agencies have harbored concerns about China breaking into the grid with backdoor hacks for the better part of a decade. Then-National Security Agency Director Mike Rogers told Congress in November 2014 that malicious hackers could potentially target the grid by breaking into industrial control systems undergirding power networks and critical infrastructure, instructing turbines to go offline.
In May, Trump took a step to curtail possible manipulation of the power grid, signing an executive order that would ban acquisitions of electrical equipment built by “foreign adversaries.” The Energy Department has until the end of September to determine which countries the United States will designate as adversaries under the order.
But lawmakers are still worried that Chinese companies like Guanghui buying up wind farms, giving them inroads into Texas’s electrical grid, could allow them another lever to manipulate and overload the system.
“Would they be able to manipulate the industrial control systems on their side? Obviously, because they would they would own that,” said Hurd. “Is there a way that by being connected to [the] electrical grid, that you would be able to overload that grid?”
Asked if he was worried that foreign companies controlling swaths of the electrical grid could be capable of triggering statewide outages, Hurd, a former CIA officer, did not hesitate to answer. “100 percent,” he said.
U.S. President Donald Trump meets with members of Congress and administration officials to discuss the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act at the White House in Washington on Aug. 23, 2018.
Top U.S. officials have also raised alarm bells about Chinese energy investments in the past if the projects were too close to U.S. military installations, for fear of exposing the bases to electronic surveillance or other forms of espionage. President Barack Obama in 2012 blocked a Chinese-owned firm from pursuing a wind farm close to a naval test facility in Oregon, citing national security concerns.
The Obama administration had a ready-made authority to intervene in that case, nearly a decade ago, under long-standing CFIUS rules that give the president the ability to block foreign acquisitions of U.S. businesses, known as “brownfield investments,” on national security grounds. The U.S. military trains pilots for electronic warfare aircraft and tests drones at the site, in Eastern Oregon near the Columbia River.
U.S. presidents have only used CFIUS six times to stop foreign transactions since the body was founded in 1975, but Obama and Trump have combined to stop five of those purchases in the past decade, with Trump most recently using a presidential order in March to force a Chinese company to divest interests in the cloud-based hotel management firm StayNTouch.
Investments on undeveloped land have historically been tougher to stop unless the U.S. government can cite a direct threat to national security.
Since then, Congress has given the Trump administration stronger powers to protect American companies from foreign acquisitions, especially in the tech sector, as the White House has pledged to crack down on foreign investment—particularly from China. In 2018, Trump signed the Foreign Investment Risk Review Modernization Act as part of the Pentagon’s annual authorizing bill. That law gives CFIUS new authority to probe foreign investments in undeveloped land near U.S. government buildings and military bases, such as the Chinese-owned wind farm development near Laughlin Air Force Base.
“We’re putting a lot of safeguards in, and we’re doing a lot of things against foreign acquisition of property, and especially where they’re near sensitive military installations,” Trump said during a roundtable to roll out the law in August 2018.
The new law has chagrined free-traders, who say that the reforms give CFIUS too much power to squash private foreign investments without stopping takeovers in larger sectors of the U.S. economy. The number of yearly CFIUS notices had already more than tripled between 2009 and 2017.
What’s more, any decision CFIUS makes is extremely difficult for companies to try to overturn, said David Mortlock, a former White House and State Department sanctions official and now a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think tank. “There really is very little ability to challenge CFIUS’s national security determinations,” he said.
“The statute itself protects CFIUS’s decisions from judicial intervention,” he added. “But also the fact that they’re based on national security risks of foreign investments, the administration’s discretion is at its zenith and courts are very unlikely to intervene in such a decision.”
But even with the beefed-up protections, veteran national security experts are worried that there’s not enough being done to stop powerful Chinese companies like Guanghui from passing along information about U.S. utilities to the nation’s army.
“Something as large as this project down in Del Rio and particularly given the fact that it’s linked to the power grid in the U.S. could not be going on without PLA involvement,” said James Olson, a former CIA chief of counterintelligence and now a professor at Texas A&M University.
“Disrupting electronic activities of all kinds giving them a potential platform in the vicinity of the military base is not something the PLA would overlook,” he said.
A bald eagle is pictured in Val Verde County, Texas.
It took more than a year of lobbying from local officials and environmental advocates and to get a meeting with Sun, the Guanghui chief. Local conservationists had been blindsided when the French-owned Rocksprings Val Verde wind farm popped up in the county without warning in March 2017. They were determined not to be dealt another blow that could harm the area’s pristine aquifers and migratory routes for eagles, bats, and butterflies.
In fact, it took a lot of digging to find out that the Chinese-owned company was involved at all. When Brazos Highland Properties LP began buying up 140,000 acres of land in the county, the only reporting that advocates from the nearby Devils River Conservancy could find on it was through Val Verde County’s property appraisal search.
“It was very cloak and dagger-esque,” said Julie Lewey, the executive director of the Devils River Conservancy. “We didn’t know it was Chinese, we didn’t know anything. We just knew they were planning to build wind farms.”
Lewey and her team only knew that a wind farm was in the works because another company had registered turbines on one Brazos-owned ranch with the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, a nonprofit that manages most of the state’s power grid.
“It was very cloak and dagger-esque.”
It was only when the conservancy backed a bill in the Texas legislature that would have given the state’s Parks and Wildlife Department authority oversight on wind farm siting that representatives from GH America Energy—the U.S. subsidiary—showed up in Austin to oppose it. The bill died in committee.
Lewey, the Laughlin base commander, and county commissioners were finally invited to meet Sun, introduced to the group as “Chairman Sun,” at his ranch in July 2019. But after they were escorted past the gates to his home in a large caravan, they found that the conversation didn’t get to the big issues.
“It was about 95 percent a social meeting,” Lewey said. “Not a whole lot of business concerns were brought up there.”
Conservationists have had several follow-up meetings with company representatives, but they aren’t convinced they are being heard. “They have listened to us,” she said. “I don’t know if they’ve heard us. But they’ve listened to us.”
Turbines are pictured at a wind farm in Taft, Texas, on March 27, 2015. Texas produces the most wind power of any U.S. state.
Questions over Guanghui exemplify broader concerns about Chinese investment in foreign countries. Given how centralized China’s entire governing model is, it’s difficult to tell in a Chinese business venture where purely business interests end, and geopolitical interests begin.
“This gets to a larger debate about China’s economic system itself, about the division between the state and private sector,” said Ashley Feng, an expert on China’s economy at the Center for a New American Security. “Are Chinese private firms that are going abroad and acquiring technology and companies and land, are they actually acting independently from the state? That’s a blurred line.”
Others place China’s U.S. acquisitions alongside their stated plans to attain dominance in emerging high-tech industries by 2025, setting up a much more zero-sum competition.
“This is an economic war,” Kwast, the former Air Force commander, said of Chinese thinking driving investments in the United States. “China is looking to invest in anything that can give them a competitive advantage on anything. They want to win this economic war without firing a shot.”


foreignpolicy--2020-06-25--Turkey’s Great New Hope Is the Same Old News

Turkey ’ s Great New Hope Is the Same Old News The Turkish opposition ’ s wait is finally over .
After years of speculation , two of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ’ s former confidants , former Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan and former Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu , recently volunteered to directly challenge the Turkish president ’ s grip on power .
Davutoglu ’ s Future Party has positioned itself as a traditionally conservative grouping that aims to preserve Erdogan ’ s basic governing philosophy , but curb his power over the country ; the party has generated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Progress Party—known by the acronym DEVA , which translates to “ cure ” —however , has sparked excitement among Turkey ’ s pollsters and pundits .
That ’ s because he has presented himself as a force of wide-reaching change at a time when many Turks have tired of their leadership .
Any new entrant on Turkey ’ s political stage is a cause for celebration ; from the clash of opinions emerge the sparks of truth , as Ottoman poet Namik Kemal once wrote .
The heir of a sizable fortune @ @ @ @ @ @ @ financial elite , Babacan could have returned to a corporate career with fewer risks and more rewards .
He could have also succumbed to the many tempting offers that must have been made to dissuade him from politics .
It is commendable that he has not .
But there ’ s good reason to doubt Babacan ’ s promise as a national leader and his commitment to the liberal democratic values he now claims to uphold .
First , despite all his talk about a change of blood , Babacan ’ s inner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ same .
His second-in-command , Sadullah Ergin , was Turkey ’ s justice minister from 2009 to 2013 , and his tenure saw some of the Erdogan era ’ s worst excesses .
The wholesale purging of hundreds of secular generals , intellectuals , and activists in the Ergenekon and Sledgehammer coup plot trials happened mostly under his watch .
Accusations of fabricated charges , forged evidence , and political interference surrounded the trials .
Critics decried them as “ Soviet-style show trials ” and a “ miscarriage of justice.
” Even Erdogan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his erstwhile ally Fethullah Gulen , the Pennsylvania-based cleric , and his alleged decades-long conspiracy to install his followers to critical positions at the army , the courts , and the police .
After the failed coup in July 2016 , which Erdogan accused Gulen of having orchestrated , Erdogan and others offered mea culpas for their association with him , and investigations have only just begun to scratch the surface of his past deeds .
The courts were an epicenter of Gulen ’ s influence , and Ergin was in charge of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he has even more to explain .
What did he know , and when did he know it ?
Another of Babacan ’ s top associates is Selma Aliye Kavaf , who chaired the women ’ s organization of Erdogan ’ s Justice and Development Party ( AKP ) for seven years and later served two years as the Turkish minister for women and family affairs .
Kavaf was extraordinarily notorious .
She described homosexuality as a “ biological disorder , ” which was rebuked by not only by medical professionals and the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s own health minister , who retorted that sexual orientation is “ a matter of personal liberty ” that must be handled with “ conscience and compassion.
” She proposed censoring kissing scenes and other “ irritating ” themes in movies and TV shows , only backing down after public backlash .
After the parliamentary inquiry into reports that more than 700 girls were missing from state orphanages , she responded that was it is a matter for the police , not herself .
Her husband ’ s plum appointments to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also drew intense criticism .
In the words of Ece Temelkuran , one of Turkey ’ s best-known female novelists , Kavaf was “ so silent to the plight of Turkey ’ s women that they literally don ’ t know what her voice sounds like.
” In the end , she was forced out of both the cabinet and the parliament .
Two of the Turkish opposition ’ s long-standing grievances are the politicization of the judiciary and the Islamization of society .
Erdogan ’ s critics blame him for packing the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to persecute dissidents while giving cronies a free pass .
They also accuse him of a campaign for religious conservatism , citing a litany of evidence from the increase in femicides to the privileging of clerical schools , and from the construction of large mosques to the growing political influence of Turkey ’ s top religious authority , the Diyanet .
Since joining the opposition , Babacan also started singing the same tune .
“ There can be no economy without liberty and the rule of law , ” he declared recently in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that there are very few people who have done those principles as much disservice as his top lieutenants such as Ergin and Kavaf .
Indeed , Babacan ’ s own stance on most issues remains unclear .
On national security matters such as the wars in Syria and Libya , the refugee problem , the fight against the Kurdistan Workers ’ Party , or accountability for the 2016 coup ’ s alleged ringleaders , he offers little more than platitudes .
He talks of “ equal citizenship for all citizens , ” but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as more equal than others .
When a BBC journalist asked him about the Diyanet chairman ’ s remarks blaming homosexuality for the COVID-19 pandemic , for example , his criticism was directed not at the cleric but those protesting him .
A second issue is Babacan ’ s unconvincing answer to the most obvious question : why didn ’ t he speak up earlier ?
His story so far is that he tried to change things from within , used his power to keep the economy steady while reining in the worst @ @ @ @ @ @ @ circle , but he ultimately realized that his efforts were in vain , and that ’ s when he jumped ship .
Until then , Babacan argues , his grievances were a matter within the family , and he could not have aired them publicly .
This excuse does not pass muster .
One of Babacan ’ s predecessors as deputy prime minister , Abdullatif Sener , a veteran of Islamist politics and one of AKP ’ s co-founders , had resigned from the party in 2008 after publicly challenging Erdogan for turning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Was he right ?
Looking at Babacan ’ s current statements , it seems like he was .
If Sener was right , why could he take a stand , but not Babacan ?
Could it be because Sener ’ s courage practically banished him from politics for more than a decade while Babacan ’ s complicity made him one of Ankara ’ s power brokers ?
Third , Babacan ’ s sales pitch is not as convincing as he makes it sound .
According to Babacan , all was well when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ helm .
They knew how to grow the economy , support local industry , and attract foreign investors .
Erdogan changed course because he wanted to enrich his cronies and keep himself in power , and that is when the country ’ s troubles began .
The solution is easy : Bring Babacan back , and he will make Turkey great again with a snap of the finger .
But is that really true ?
As I previously wrote with Durmus Yilmaz , the former Central Bank governor who is also now in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more complicated .
And , it casts Babacan in a less favorable light .
Turkey ’ s economic miracle was a high-risk gambit that worked perfectly until it didn ’ t .
The reform agenda that former World Bank official Kemal Dervis began during his tenure as economy minister after the country ’ s 2001 financial crisis had already put Turkey on the track to recovery , and Erdogan and his original team also deserve credit for not turning away from it .
There is also no denying , however , that the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Had this opportunity been used to invest in technology , increase competitive advantage , and create global brands , it could have had a lasting impact and sustained economic growth .
Instead , it was squandered in a construction bonanza , consumption frenzy , and government-financed spending spree .
Babacan , who succeeded Dervis as economy minister and had been trained at Northwestern University ’ s Kellogg School of Management , was either clueless about where this path went or too unbothered to do anything to change it other than voicing murmurs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tell which is worse .
Babacan has been relentlessly attacking Erdogan ’ s economic management , but he is deafeningly silent when it comes to his own responsibility for it .
The controversial megaprojects that poured billions into politically connected construction companies were made possible by a Treasury guarantee scheme that bears Babacan ’ s signature .
Turk Telekom ’ s sale was once touted as Turkey ’ s most successful privatization , but later turned into one of the worst scandals of the past decade after its Lebanese owners walked away with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with as much in debt .
Babacan was the man in charge as it happened .
If there is an excuse that exculpates him from blame , the public is yet to hear it .
“ Criticizing [ Erdogan ] is not enough , ” as veteran journalist Murat Yetkin wrote .
“ Some self-criticism is also in order.
” In the past , there was a vocal chorus that believed all that ’ s bad for the secularists is good and unquestioningly supported everything Erdogan did to bring them to heel .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ reverse , and it is just as big a mistake .
It is a necessity , not a mistake , to interrogate the disingenuousness of serving under Erdogan for a decade , and with immense power , only to accuse him of all that is evil once one is no longer in charge .
Babacan has to reckon with this history , not pretend that it does not matter .
Who is Babacan , really ?
Is he the market-minded Muslim democrat many once hoped Erdogan would be or just a cynical opportunist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ once had ?
Did he strive behind the scenes to right the wrongs he saw or stay silent to advance his career ?
Until it knows the answer , Turkey would be better off not taking his cure .

The Turkish opposition's wait is finally over. After years of speculation, two of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's former confidants, former Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan and former Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, recently volunteered to directly challenge the Turkish president’s grip on power. Davutoglu's Future Party has positioned itself as a traditionally conservative grouping that aims to preserve Erdogan’s basic governing philosophy, but curb his power over the country; the party has generated little enthusiasm.
The Turkish opposition’s wait is finally over. After years of speculation, two of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s former confidants, former Deputy Prime Minister Ali Babacan and former Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, recently volunteered to directly challenge the Turkish president’s grip on power. Davutoglu’s Future Party has positioned itself as a traditionally conservative grouping that aims to preserve Erdogan’s basic governing philosophy, but curb his power over the country; the party has generated little enthusiasm.
Babacan’s Democracy and Progress Party—known by the acronym DEVA, which translates to “cure”—however, has sparked excitement among Turkey’s pollsters and pundits. That’s because he has presented himself as a force of wide-reaching change at a time when many Turks have tired of their leadership.
Any new entrant on Turkey’s political stage is a cause for celebration; from the clash of opinions emerge the sparks of truth, as Ottoman poet Namik Kemal once wrote. The heir of a sizable fortune and still widely respected among the global financial elite, Babacan could have returned to a corporate career with fewer risks and more rewards. He could have also succumbed to the many tempting offers that must have been made to dissuade him from politics. It is commendable that he has not.
But there’s good reason to doubt Babacan’s promise as a national leader and his commitment to the liberal democratic values he now claims to uphold.
First, despite all his talk about a change of blood, Babacan’s inner circle mostly offers just more of the same. His second-in-command, Sadullah Ergin, was Turkey’s justice minister from 2009 to 2013, and his tenure saw some of the Erdogan era’s worst excesses. The wholesale purging of hundreds of secular generals, intellectuals, and activists in the Ergenekon and Sledgehammer coup plot trials happened mostly under his watch. Accusations of fabricated charges, forged evidence, and political interference surrounded the trials. Critics decried them as “Soviet-style show trials” and a “miscarriage of justice.” Even Erdogan ultimately disowned them, blaming excesses on his erstwhile ally Fethullah Gulen, the Pennsylvania-based cleric, and his alleged decades-long conspiracy to install his followers to critical positions at the army, the courts, and the police. After the failed coup in July 2016, which Erdogan accused Gulen of having orchestrated, Erdogan and others offered mea culpas for their association with him, and investigations have only just begun to scratch the surface of his past deeds. The courts were an epicenter of Gulen’s influence, and Ergin was in charge of them for a long time, so he has even more to explain. What did he know, and when did he know it?
Another of Babacan’s top associates is Selma Aliye Kavaf, who chaired the women’s organization of Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) for seven years and later served two years as the Turkish minister for women and family affairs. Kavaf was extraordinarily notorious. She described homosexuality as a “biological disorder,” which was rebuked by not only by medical professionals and the LGBT community, but even her party’s own health minister, who retorted that sexual orientation is “a matter of personal liberty” that must be handled with “conscience and compassion.” She proposed censoring kissing scenes and other “irritating” themes in movies and TV shows, only backing down after public backlash. After the parliamentary inquiry into reports that more than 700 girls were missing from state orphanages, she responded that was it is a matter for the police, not herself. Her husband’s plum appointments to the state-owned coal monopoly and petroleum exploration company also drew intense criticism. In the words of Ece Temelkuran, one of Turkey’s best-known female novelists, Kavaf was “so silent to the plight of Turkey’s women that they literally don’t know what her voice sounds like.” In the end, she was forced out of both the cabinet and the parliament.
Two of the Turkish opposition’s long-standing grievances are the politicization of the judiciary and the Islamization of society. Erdogan’s critics blame him for packing the courts with his loyalists and using them to persecute dissidents while giving cronies a free pass. They also accuse him of a campaign for religious conservatism, citing a litany of evidence from the increase in femicides to the privileging of clerical schools, and from the construction of large mosques to the growing political influence of Turkey’s top religious authority, the Diyanet. Since joining the opposition, Babacan also started singing the same tune. “There can be no economy without liberty and the rule of law,” he declared recently in a YouTube interview. It is ironic that there are very few people who have done those principles as much disservice as his top lieutenants such as Ergin and Kavaf.
Indeed, Babacan’s own stance on most issues remains unclear. On national security matters such as the wars in Syria and Libya, the refugee problem, the fight against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or accountability for the 2016 coup’s alleged ringleaders, he offers little more than platitudes. He talks of “equal citizenship for all citizens,” but then acts as if he views some as more equal than others. When a BBC journalist asked him about the Diyanet chairman’s remarks blaming homosexuality for the COVID-19 pandemic, for example, his criticism was directed not at the cleric but those protesting him.
A second issue is Babacan’s unconvincing answer to the most obvious question: why didn’t he speak up earlier? His story so far is that he tried to change things from within, used his power to keep the economy steady while reining in the worst excesses of the president and his inner circle, but he ultimately realized that his efforts were in vain, and that’s when he jumped ship. Until then, Babacan argues, his grievances were a matter within the family, and he could not have aired them publicly. This excuse does not pass muster. One of Babacan’s predecessors as deputy prime minister, Abdullatif Sener, a veteran of Islamist politics and one of AKP’s co-founders, had resigned from the party in 2008 after publicly challenging Erdogan for turning a blind eye to corruption and mismanagement. Was he right? Looking at Babacan’s current statements, it seems like he was. If Sener was right, why could he take a stand, but not Babacan? Could it be because Sener’s courage practically banished him from politics for more than a decade while Babacan’s complicity made him one of Ankara’s power brokers?
Third, Babacan’s sales pitch is not as convincing as he makes it sound. According to Babacan, all was well when he and his team were at the helm. They knew how to grow the economy, support local industry, and attract foreign investors. Erdogan changed course because he wanted to enrich his cronies and keep himself in power, and that is when the country’s troubles began. The solution is easy: Bring Babacan back, and he will make Turkey great again with a snap of the finger. But is that really true? As I previously wrote with Durmus Yilmaz, the former Central Bank governor who is also now in the opposition, the actual story is more complicated. And, it casts Babacan in a less favorable light.
Turkey’s economic miracle was a high-risk gambit that worked perfectly until it didn’t. The reform agenda that former World Bank official Kemal Dervis began during his tenure as economy minister after the country’s 2001 financial crisis had already put Turkey on the track to recovery, and Erdogan and his original team also deserve credit for not turning away from it. There is also no denying, however, that the global credit glut greatly aided this success. Had this opportunity been used to invest in technology, increase competitive advantage, and create global brands, it could have had a lasting impact and sustained economic growth. Instead, it was squandered in a construction bonanza, consumption frenzy, and government-financed spending spree. Babacan, who succeeded Dervis as economy minister and had been trained at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, was either clueless about where this path went or too unbothered to do anything to change it other than voicing murmurs of disapproval. It is hard to tell which is worse.
Babacan has been relentlessly attacking Erdogan’s economic management, but he is deafeningly silent when it comes to his own responsibility for it. The controversial megaprojects that poured billions into politically connected construction companies were made possible by a Treasury guarantee scheme that bears Babacan’s signature. Turk Telekom’s sale was once touted as Turkey’s most successful privatization, but later turned into one of the worst scandals of the past decade after its Lebanese owners walked away with $5 billion and saddled Turkish banks with as much in debt. Babacan was the man in charge as it happened. If there is an excuse that exculpates him from blame, the public is yet to hear it. “Criticizing [Erdogan] is not enough,” as veteran journalist Murat Yetkin wrote. “Some self-criticism is also in order.”
In the past, there was a vocal chorus that believed all that’s bad for the secularists is good and unquestioningly supported everything Erdogan did to bring them to heel. Now, the same is happening in reverse, and it is just as big a mistake. It is a necessity, not a mistake, to interrogate the disingenuousness of serving under Erdogan for a decade, and with immense power, only to accuse him of all that is evil once one is no longer in charge. Babacan has to reckon with this history, not pretend that it does not matter.
Who is Babacan, really? Is he the market-minded Muslim democrat many once hoped Erdogan would be or just a cynical opportunist trying to claw back the power he once had? Did he strive behind the scenes to right the wrongs he saw or stay silent to advance his career? Until it knows the answer, Turkey would be better off not taking his cure.


foreignpolicy--2020-06-25--Russia Begins Vote to Extend Putin’s Rule

Here is today ’ s Foreign Policy brief : Russians begin voting in a monumental constitutional referendum , Kosovo ’ s president is indicted for war crimes—undermining a scheduled White House summit , and Latin America records more than 100,000 coronavirus deaths .
If you would like to receive Morning Brief in your inbox every weekday , please sign up here .
Voting begins today in a nationwide referendum on changes to the Russian constitution that could allow President Vladimir Putin—whose term limit is up in four years—to hold onto power until 2036 .
The plebiscite will close after one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will vote either yes or no on the package of proposed amendments , including a provision that effectively restarts the term-limit clock for Putin in 2024 .
The proposal passed the lower house of parliament in March .
The measures are expected to pass , but the Kremlin is concerned about credible voter turnout—at least 55 percent .
Some critics plan to boycott the vote , and the coronavirus pandemic could keep people away from the polls .
Russians have seen weeks of brochures , posters , and online propaganda urging them to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ amendment that would extend Putin ’ s rule , the Washington Post reports .
Victory parade .
On Wednesday , Russia held military parades marking the 75th anniversary of Russia ’ s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II .
The parades , initially set for May 9 , were postponed due to the pandemic—and rescheduled by Putin for June 24 to boost patriotism ahead of the referendum .
Still , at least 12 Russian cities refused to hold parades on the day due to the coronavirus .
Russia ’ s confirmed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , though the increase in new cases in the country is the lowest since April .
Many regions , including Moscow , have lifted restrictions .
But it ’ s possible that the government has warped the official statistics in its attempt to control the narrative , as Leonid Gozman wrote in Foreign Policy earlier this month .
Putin ’ s 20 years in power .
Putin has now spent two decades as either president or prime minister .
In May , FP asked 11 experts about how Putin has transformed the country—and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2036 .
Kosovo ’ s president won ’ t make U.S. talks .
Hashim Thaci , the president of Kosovo , was indicted for war crimes during the country ’ s 1998-99 independence war with Serbia on Wednesday by a special prosecutor in The Hague in a surprise announcement .
Hours later , the U.S. Balkans envoy Richard Grenell announced that Thaci wouldn ’ t make it to the White House on Saturday for a planned meeting with Serbia ’ s president Aleksandar Vucic .
( Kosovo ’ s new prime minister , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be attending either .
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that Hoti and Vucic would both be meeting with her in Brussels . )
U.S. President Donald Trump still hopes to broker a deal between the two countries—Serbia does not recognize Kosovo ’ s independence—and score a diplomatic victory .
But even before Thaci ’ s indictment , the meeting was not likely to lead to a settlement .
That ’ s because Grenell has skewed the negotiations in favor of Serbia , and the U.S. insistence on mediating alone undermines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in FP .
Is Latin America the next coronavirus hotspot ?
The COVID-19 death toll in Latin America passed 100,000 on Wednesday—a figure that could reach 390,000 by October , according to researchers at the University of Washington .
Outbreaks have been exacerbated by high poverty and a large proportion of informal workers across the region , along with inadequate access to health care .
The number of coronavirus cases in Brazil alone already exceeds 1 million , with the country ’ s poor disproportionately affected .
Many Central American deportees are testing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ States .
Despite an agreement to deport only those with medical certificates showing a negative test , Guatemalan authorities say that at least 28 migrants have tested positive upon their return since May 4 , the Wall Street Journal reports .
U.S. sanctions Iranian ship captains .
The United States has imposed sanctions on five Iranian ship captains for delivering oil to Venezuela , Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday at a press conference reaffirming support for Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó .
The sanctions freeze the assets of the ship @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : disrupting Iran ’ s energy trade and putting pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro .
The move comes days after the Trump administration introduced a draft U.N. Security Council resolution to extend an arms embargo against Iran set to expire in October .
That measure is not likely to be adopted by the 15-country council , as FP ’ s Colum Lynch and Robbie Gramer report .
Journalists on trial in Turkey .
Seven Turkish journalists charged with revealing state secrets went on trial on Wednesday .
The reporters are accused of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in their coverage of the deaths of personnel serving in Libya , where Turkey provides military support to the internationally recognized government in Tripoli .
Turkey is among the top jailers of journalists in the world .
Hong Kong ’ s disappearing freedoms .
The Chinese government ’ s new national security law is likely to be implemented before the end of the summer , curtailing civil liberties in Hong Kong .
But the final version of the legislation is not yet known .
There are several possible effects to watch for once @ @ @ @ @ @ @ news outlets and declining digital freedoms , Sarah Cook writes in FP .
A three-minute face-to-face conversation with Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic is threatening Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic ’ s election plans after the athlete tested positive for COVID-19 this week .
Plenkovic , who has tested negative , is nonetheless facing calls to self-isolate or postpone the July 5 vote .
Until the meeting , Plenkovic ’ s ruling party had hoped to capitalize at the polls on its relative success in confronting the pandemic .
Silifke , a town @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , is hoping that an ancient rock formation will draw new tourists : It bears a strange resemblance to Trump ’ s silhouette , including the comb-over .
A photo of the rock recently appeared on social media and curious visitors have already followed , according to local officials .
For more from FP , visit foreignpolicy.com , subscribe here , or sign up for our other newsletters .
Send your tips , comments , questions , or corrections to morningbrief @ foreignpolicy.com .

Here is today’s Foreign Policy brief: Russians begin voting in a monumental constitutional referendum, Kosovo’s president is indicted for war crimes—undermining a scheduled White House summit, and Latin America records more than 100,000 coronavirus deaths.
Here is today’s Foreign Policy brief: Russians begin voting in a monumental constitutional referendum, Kosovo’s president is indicted for war crimes—undermining a scheduled White House summit, and Latin America records more than 100,000 coronavirus deaths.
If you would like to receive Morning Brief in your inbox every weekday, please sign up here.
Will Putin Be President for Life?
Voting begins today in a nationwide referendum on changes to the Russian constitution that could allow President Vladimir Putin—whose term limit is up in four years—to hold onto power until 2036. The plebiscite will close after one week, on July 1. Citizens will vote either yes or no on the package of proposed amendments, including a provision that effectively restarts the term-limit clock for Putin in 2024. The proposal passed the lower house of parliament in March.
The measures are expected to pass, but the Kremlin is concerned about credible voter turnout—at least 55 percent. Some critics plan to boycott the vote, and the coronavirus pandemic could keep people away from the polls. Russians have seen weeks of brochures, posters, and online propaganda urging them to vote. Few of them mention the amendment that would extend Putin’s rule, the Washington Post reports.
Victory parade. On Wednesday, Russia held military parades marking the 75th anniversary of Russia’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. The parades, initially set for May 9, were postponed due to the pandemic—and rescheduled by Putin for June 24 to boost patriotism ahead of the referendum. Still, at least 12 Russian cities refused to hold parades on the day due to the coronavirus.
Russia’s confirmed COVID-19 cases reached over 600,000 on Wednesday, though the increase in new cases in the country is the lowest since April. Many regions, including Moscow, have lifted restrictions. But it’s possible that the government has warped the official statistics in its attempt to control the narrative, as Leonid Gozman wrote in Foreign Policy earlier this month.
Putin’s 20 years in power. Putin has now spent two decades as either president or prime minister. In May, FP asked 11 experts about how Putin has transformed the country—and what is to come between now and 2036.
What We’re Following Today
Kosovo’s president won’t make U.S. talks. Hashim Thaci, the president of Kosovo, was indicted for war crimes during the country’s 1998-99 independence war with Serbia on Wednesday by a special prosecutor in The Hague in a surprise announcement. Hours later, the U.S. Balkans envoy Richard Grenell announced that Thaci wouldn’t make it to the White House on Saturday for a planned meeting with Serbia’s president Aleksandar Vucic. (Kosovo’s new prime minister, Avdullah Hoti, apparently won’t be attending either. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced that Hoti and Vucic would both be meeting with her in Brussels.)
U.S. President Donald Trump still hopes to broker a deal between the two countries—Serbia does not recognize Kosovo’s independence—and score a diplomatic victory. But even before Thaci’s indictment, the meeting was not likely to lead to a settlement. That’s because Grenell has skewed the negotiations in favor of Serbia, and the U.S. insistence on mediating alone undermines Western unity, Edward P. Joseph argues in FP.
Is Latin America the next coronavirus hotspot? The COVID-19 death toll in Latin America passed 100,000 on Wednesday—a figure that could reach 390,000 by October, according to researchers at the University of Washington. Outbreaks have been exacerbated by high poverty and a large proportion of informal workers across the region, along with inadequate access to health care. The number of coronavirus cases in Brazil alone already exceeds 1 million, with the country’s poor disproportionately affected.
Many Central American deportees are testing positive for COVID-19 after leaving the United States. Despite an agreement to deport only those with medical certificates showing a negative test, Guatemalan authorities say that at least 28 migrants have tested positive upon their return since May 4, the Wall Street Journal reports.
U.S. sanctions Iranian ship captains. The United States has imposed sanctions on five Iranian ship captains for delivering oil to Venezuela, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday at a press conference reaffirming support for Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó. The sanctions freeze the assets of the ship captains and tick two boxes for Trump: disrupting Iran’s energy trade and putting pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
The move comes days after the Trump administration introduced a draft U.N. Security Council resolution to extend an arms embargo against Iran set to expire in October. That measure is not likely to be adopted by the 15-country council, as FP’s Colum Lynch and Robbie Gramer report.
Keep an Eye On
Journalists on trial in Turkey. Seven Turkish journalists charged with revealing state secrets went on trial on Wednesday. The reporters are accused of revealing the identities of two intelligence agents in their coverage of the deaths of personnel serving in Libya, where Turkey provides military support to the internationally recognized government in Tripoli. Turkey is among the top jailers of journalists in the world.
Hong Kong’s disappearing freedoms. The Chinese government’s new national security law is likely to be implemented before the end of the summer, curtailing civil liberties in Hong Kong. But the final version of the legislation is not yet known. There are several possible effects to watch for once it takes effect—including penalties for journalists and news outlets and declining digital freedoms, Sarah Cook writes in FP.
Odds and Ends
A three-minute face-to-face conversation with Serbian tennis player Novak Djokovic is threatening Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic’s election plans after the athlete tested positive for COVID-19 this week. Plenkovic, who has tested negative, is nonetheless facing calls to self-isolate or postpone the July 5 vote. Until the meeting, Plenkovic’s ruling party had hoped to capitalize at the polls on its relative success in confronting the pandemic.
Silifke, a town in southern Turkey famous for its yogurt, is hoping that an ancient rock formation will draw new tourists: It bears a strange resemblance to Trump’s silhouette, including the comb-over. A photo of the rock recently appeared on social media and curious visitors have already followed, according to local officials.
That’s it for today.
For more from FP, visit foreignpolicy.com, subscribe here, or sign up for our other newsletters. Send your tips, comments, questions, or corrections to morningbrief@foreignpolicy.com.


foreignpolicy--2020-06-26--U.S. Breaks Record for Daily Coronavirus Cases 102 Days After First Lockdown

U.S .
Breaks Record for Daily Coronavirus Cases 102 Days After First Lockdown Here is today ’ s Foreign Policy brief : U.S. sets record for new coronavirus cases , Ebola outbreak over in Congo , and Malawi ’ s opposition leader appears poised for victory in presidential election .
We welcome your feedback at morningbrief @ foreignpolicy.com .
The United States is showing no sign of controlling its coronavirus epidemic , after it set a new record for the number of coronavirus cases in one day on Thursday .
The spike in cases seems to be driven by a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s south and west , including some states that were the first to reopen .
The White House coronavirus task force , largely absent from public view over the past seven weeks , will hold a briefing today—its first since April 29 .
Faced with inaction at the national level , state governors have resumed their leadership role .
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has paused his state ’ s reopening process to “ corral the spread ” and has suspended elective surgeries in order to free up hospital beds as the state ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of daily new cases increases , they are only a snapshot of the total , according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) .
On Thursday , CDC Director Robert Redfield said the actual number is likely ten times higher than the official count of roughly 2.4 million cases .
Meanwhile , U.S. President Trump has continued to play down the severity of epidemic , citing the relatively low death count—776 per day according to the latest three-day moving average .
“ We have cases because you test .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Wisconsin on Thursday .
“ It came from China , and it hit 188 countries—not good , not good , ” he later added .
Another continent moves on .
A brief glance at the sharp drop in cases in Europe shows just how badly the United States has fared .
On the same day that U.S. authorities registered 31,153 new cases , the entire European Union only registered 4,141 .
Included in that number is Italy , a former pandemic epicenter , which recorded only 226 new cases .
The wrong @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s mediocre performance in response to COVID-19 has shaken a lot of observers , ” Michael Fullilove , the executive director of Australia ’ s Lowy Institute told FP ’ s Colum Lynch on June 18 .
“ We are accustomed to seeing America as the epicenter of global power , not the epicenter of global disease.
” Will America learn ?
Even as the United States bungles its pandemic response , an understanding of what has gone wrong is crucial , Micah Zenko wrote on June 5 in Foreign Policy .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which political leaders and government officials can have a ( roughly ) shared understanding of what happened , why it happened , who is accountable , and how can it be avoided.
” If not , the coronavirus pandemic will become “ another ‘ 9/11 ’ —a hollow justification for anything and everything … The suffering experienced by the millions of casualties and sacrifices made by tens of millions of health care professionals will be in vain and forgotten , offering little guidance on America ’ s thinking and policies in the future @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over in Congo .
The second deadliest Ebola outbreak in history is officially over in the Democratic Republic of Congo after claiming 2,280 lives .
This outbreak was the first where a vaccine was put into action from the very beginning of the health response .
The Ebola virus is not fully eradicated in the country , however , as a new spate of cases was reported in the northwest of the country at the beginning of June ; 11 people have been killed in that outbreak so far .
Israel and UAE @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced a new health security partnership with the United Arab Emirates to collaborate “ in the areas of research and development and technology.
” The news comes after the UAE Foreign Affairs Minister Anwar Gargash said last week it was prepared to work with Israel on coronavirus issues and technology , even though the two countries still lack formal diplomatic relations .
It ’ s a further sign of warming relations between Israel and the UAE , despite the latter ’ s opposition to a proposed Israeli annexation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In May , the Abu Dhabi-based airline Etihad made its first flight to Israel carrying a shipment of health care supplies .
Scores dead in Indian lightning strikes .
At least 107 people have died after being struck by lightning in India , according to local officials .
The strikes are common during the country ’ s monsoon season , and the most recent figures show more than 2,300 Indians died from lightning strikes in 2018 .
Lakshmeshwar Rai , the disaster management minister for the state of Bihar , said it was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seen in his state in recent years .
Australian politician ’ s home raided on China links .
Australian intelligence officers have raided properties linked to an Australian state legislator in an investigation into alleged Chinese influence operations .
The target of the raid , New South Wales state legislator Shaoquett Moselmane , is known for his pro-Beijing stances and has praised Chinese President Xi Jinping ’ s “ unswerving ” leadership in the face of the coronavirus pandemic .
The raid comes after the Australian government recently passed foreign interference legislation following @ @ @ @ @ @ @ local candidates in Australia .
Lazarus rises in Malawi .
Malawi opposition leader Lazarus Chakwera appears to have won the country ’ s presidency after an initial tally by the state broadcaster showed him winning 60 percent of the vote—although the electoral commission has yet to announce the official result .
Tuesday ’ s election was a rerun of the May 2019 presidential vote which was later annulled by Malawi ’ s constitutional court for voting irregularities .
Poland ’ s president faces Sunday reckoning .
Voters in Poland go to the polls @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The incumbent Andrzej Duda , fresh from his midweek meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump , is hoping to triumph—although a June 25 poll shows the election going to a second round run-off against rival Rafal Trzaskowski .
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has had to postpone her wedding for a third time , after an extraordinary European Council summit was called on the weekend of her planned ceremony .
The EU meeting , scheduled for July 17-18 , will be the first in-person summit since the coronavirus pandemic began .
In a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Denmark ’ s priorities come before her family ’ s , meaning her fiancé Bo Tengberg will have to wait .
“ I ’ m looking forward to saying yes to Bo ( who fortunately is very patient ) , ” she wrote .
Pakistan International Airlines has has been forced to ground 150 pilots after an investigation found that many pilots had fake aviation licenses or had cheated in exams .
Aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan said that 260 , or 30 percent , of the country ’ s active pilots had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Air Transport Association ( IATA ) said the scandal represented a “ serious lapse ” in safety protocols .
For more from FP , visit foreignpolicy.com , subscribe here , or sign up for our other newsletters .
Send your tips , comments , questions , or corrections to morningbrief @ foreignpolicy.com .

Here is today’s Foreign Policy brief: U.S. sets record for new coronavirus cases, the Ebola outbreak is over in Congo , and Malawi’s opposition leader appears poised for victory in presidential election.
Here is today’s Foreign Policy brief: U.S. sets record for new coronavirus cases, the Ebola outbreak is over in Congo, and Malawi’s opposition leader appears poised for victory in presidential election.
If you would like to receive Morning Brief in your inbox every weekday, please sign up here.
Jump In Cases Shows U.S. Fight Against COVID-19 Is Far From Over
The United States is showing no sign of controlling its coronavirus epidemic, after it set a new record for the number of coronavirus cases in one day on Thursday. The spike in cases seems to be driven by a rise in cases in the country’s south and west, including some states that were the first to reopen.
The White House coronavirus task force, largely absent from public view over the past seven weeks, will hold a briefing today—its first since April 29.
Faced with inaction at the national level, state governors have resumed their leadership role. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has paused his state’s reopening process to “corral the spread” and has suspended elective surgeries in order to free up hospital beds as the state’s caseload rises.
While the number of daily new cases increases, they are only a snapshot of the total, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). On Thursday, CDC Director Robert Redfield said the actual number is likely ten times higher than the official count of roughly 2.4 million cases.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Trump has continued to play down the severity of epidemic, citing the relatively low death count—776 per day according to the latest three-day moving average. “We have cases because you test. Deaths are down,” Trump said in Wisconsin on Thursday. “It came from China, and it hit 188 countries—not good, not good,” he later added.
Another continent moves on. A brief glance at the sharp drop in cases in Europe shows just how badly the United States has fared. On the same day that U.S. authorities registered 31,153 new cases, the entire European Union only registered 4,141. Included in that number is Italy, a former pandemic epicenter, which recorded only 226 new cases.
The wrong kind of exceptionalism. “America’s mediocre performance in response to COVID-19 has shaken a lot of observers,” Michael Fullilove, the executive director of Australia’s Lowy Institute told FP’s Colum Lynch on June 18. “We are accustomed to seeing America as the epicenter of global power, not the epicenter of global disease.”
Will America learn? Even as the United States bungles its pandemic response, an understanding of what has gone wrong is crucial, Micah Zenko wrote on June 5 in Foreign Policy. “The virus offers a focusing event from which political leaders and government officials can have a (roughly) shared understanding of what happened, why it happened, who is accountable, and how can it be avoided.” If not, the coronavirus pandemic will become “another ‘9/11’—a hollow justification for anything and everything … The suffering experienced by the millions of casualties and sacrifices made by tens of millions of health care professionals will be in vain and forgotten, offering little guidance on America’s thinking and policies in the future,” Zenko argued.
What We’re Following Today Serbia-Kosovo meeting postponed. A June 27 meeting in Washington between the leaders of Serbia and Kosovo has reportedly been postponed indefinitely. Kosovo’s Prime Minister Avdullah Hoti cancelled his visit to Washington in the wake of news that Kosovar President Hashim Thaci had been indictment for war crimes. The office of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic confirmed that U.S. Balkan envoy Richard Grenell had “decided to postpone the meeting,” on Thursday.
Ebola outbreak over in Congo. The second deadliest Ebola outbreak in history is officially over in the Democratic Republic of Congo after claiming 2,280 lives. This outbreak was the first where a vaccine was put into action from the very beginning of the health response. The Ebola virus is not fully eradicated in the country, however, as a new spate of cases was reported in the northwest of the country at the beginning of June; 11 people have been killed in that outbreak so far.
Israel and UAE announce health and tech agreement. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced a new health security partnership with the United Arab Emirates to collaborate “in the areas of research and development and technology.” The news comes after the UAE Foreign Affairs Minister Anwar Gargash said last week it was prepared to work with Israel on coronavirus issues and technology, even though the two countries still lack formal diplomatic relations. It’s a further sign of warming relations between Israel and the UAE, despite the latter’s opposition to a proposed Israeli annexation of parts of the West Bank: In May, the Abu Dhabi-based airline Etihad made its first flight to Israel carrying a shipment of health care supplies.
Scores dead in Indian lightning strikes. At least 107 people have died after being struck by lightning in India, according to local officials. The strikes are common during the country’s monsoon season, and the most recent figures show more than 2,300 Indians died from lightning strikes in 2018. Lakshmeshwar Rai, the disaster management minister for the state of Bihar, said it was the highest daily death toll he has seen in his state in recent years.
Keep an Eye On
Australian politician’s home raided on China links. Australian intelligence officers have raided properties linked to an Australian state legislator in an investigation into alleged Chinese influence operations. The target of the raid, New South Wales state legislator Shaoquett Moselmane, is known for his pro-Beijing stances and has praised Chinese President Xi Jinping’s “unswerving” leadership in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. The raid comes after the Australian government recently passed foreign interference legislation following the revelation that Chinese businessmen had funded local candidates in Australia.
Lazarus rises in Malawi. Malawi opposition leader Lazarus Chakwera appears to have won the country’s presidency after an initial tally by the state broadcaster showed him winning 60 percent of the vote—although the electoral commission has yet to announce the official result. Tuesday’s election was a rerun of the May 2019 presidential vote which was later annulled by Malawi’s constitutional court for voting irregularities.
Poland’s president faces Sunday reckoning. Voters in Poland go to the polls this Sunday to choose a president. The incumbent Andrzej Duda, fresh from his midweek meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, is hoping to triumph—although a June 25 poll shows the election going to a second round run-off against rival Rafal Trzaskowski.
Odds and Ends
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has had to postpone her wedding for a third time, after an extraordinary European Council summit was called on the weekend of her planned ceremony. The EU meeting, scheduled for July 17-18, will be the first in-person summit since the coronavirus pandemic began. In a Facebook post, Frederiksen pointed out that Denmark’s priorities come before her family’s, meaning her fiancé Bo Tengberg will have to wait. “I’m looking forward to saying yes to Bo (who fortunately is very patient),” she wrote.
Pakistan International Airlines has has been forced to ground 150 pilots after an investigation found that many pilots had fake aviation licenses or had cheated in exams. Aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan said that 260, or 30 percent, of the country’s active pilots had obtained their licenses fraudulently. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said the scandal represented a “serious lapse” in safety protocols.
That’s it for today.
For more from FP, visit foreignpolicy.com, subscribe here, or sign up for our other newsletters. Send your tips, comments, questions, or corrections to morningbrief@foreignpolicy.com.