ATLANTIC COUNCIL EditorsPicks This week's edition brought to you by Cate Hansberry, Publications Editor SEPTEMBER 7, 2024

 ATLANTIC COUNCIL 

EditorsPicks

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This week's edition brought to you by

Cate Hansberry, Publications Editor

 

SEPTEMBER 7, 2024 |

 As the fall arrives, Americans are racing to spend money on two things: pumpkin spice and campaign season. Americans spend more than $500 million on pumpkin spice products each year, according to Nielsen. And the presidential campaigns of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump raised around $500 million between them in August alone. Our brains’ perception of scarcity is what sends us running to grab pumpkin-flavored goods the second the air turns crisp, but there is no shortage of elections for our experts to illuminate—from Altoona to Algeria. So sip your spiced latte and read on

 

#1.pngMoscow’s meddling. On Wednesday, the Biden administration imposed sanctions, leveled criminal charges, and seized over thirty internet domains in response to what it claims is a broad Russian influence operation aimed at the 2024 US presidential election. Graham Brookie, head of our Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab) and a former White House official, says Russia’s influence efforts have clear goals: to influence the US presidential election and to undermine US support to Ukraine. Mark Scott of the DFRLab, a former tech writer for Politico, says these Russian-backed groups have become increasingly sophisticated and reached an even bigger audience, including some sixteen million YouTube views. Read more from our array of experts here, and go deeper with the DFRLab’s explainer on the Kremlin’s ‘Doppelganger’ operation.

 

 

#2.pngTools of democracy. Speaking of elections, the Freedom and Prosperity Center at the Council is laser-focused on how democracies will sink or swim in this historic year of balloting across the globe. In a new report, the team hones in on the two main tools the United States and its allies use to support and strengthen democracies abroad: foreign assistance programs that enhance democratic institutions and US diplomatic efforts that support local democracy advocates while holding oppressive regimes accountable. Authors Katherine Ellena, Mario Mitre, and Patrick Quirk explore the importance of US foreign aid for election assistance, point out the risks of underfunding, and highlight key elections in 2024 and 2025 where international support is vital to uphold democratic values and address challenges. See more of their election predictions here.

 

 

#3.pngPrecarious presidency. Another big election is on the horizon in North Africa: Algeria's President Abdelmadjid Tebboune is expected to win reelection today, though it won’t exactly be a free and fair contest. Algeria expert Andrew G. Farrand says Tebboune benefits from incumbency and increased popularity stemming from redirecting oil and gas revenues into social spending. But his regime has been intimidating opponents and locking up dissidents, indicating that “the country’s military and political leaders correctly understand elections to be moments of vulnerability,” Andrew writes. Read more on Algeria’s election here.

 

 

#4.pngNot for sale. President Joe Biden is reportedly set to use his authority through the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) to block Japanese firm Nippon Steel's proposed acquisition of US Steel. If this happens, says economic statecraft expert Sarah Bauerle Danzman, it would mark a significant shift in CFIUS's approach and criteria for evaluating foreign acquisitions. The move comes against the backdrop of campaign season, with US Steel based in the critical swing state of Pennsylvania and Vice President Kamala Harris coming out against the acquisition at a Labor Day campaign rally in Pittsburgh. Sarah warns that using CFIUS to block the sale could backfire in more ways than one. Read Sarah’s breakdown of the possible purchase here.

 

 

Frightful forecast. It’s no secret that the frequency and intensity of hurricanes are likely to increase year by year due to climate change. In addition to posing risk to life and limb, the current hurricane season presents risks for world energy markets, say experts Joseph Webster, Reid l'Anson, and Anya Herzberg Texas and Louisiana are particularly central to US oil and gas production and increasingly vulnerable to these storms. Policymakers and industry leaders need to enhance contingency planning and prepare for major disruptions, say Joseph, Reid, and Anya. Read the full weather report here.

 

Something else catch your eye at the Atlantic Council or beyond this week? Email us at editor@atlanticcouncil.org to let us know.