The DSR Daily Brief Newsletter – Monday, May 9, 2022

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Ukraine

Fears around a Victory Day escalation did not come to pass and Putin’s speech yielded little insight into his grand strategy. Russian state media was hacked with antiwar messages in a few notable instances. Zelensky marked the day by honoring the millions of Ukrainians who died in World War II and proclaiming that ‘soon there will be two victories in Ukraine.’ 

The Americas

Laissez-faire du mal: Palantir predicts profit upside from the war, despite lower-than-expected Q2 revenue projections. Founder Peter Thiel has previously enjoyed success from his close ties to Donald Trump. Pundits are atwitter about the national security implications of foreign investments in Elon Musk’s latest endeavor. Like Thiel, Musk also enjoys taxpayer largesse, but might be looking for a little more.

Europe and Central Asia

Berlin authorities faced criticism over their decision to disallow Ukrainian flags at World War II remembrance events on May 8th and 9th. Russian flags were also banned, except for a one-hour window during which both were allowed. Berlin police pushed back against pressure to reverse the decision, saying that they wanted to ‘separate the events of May 1945 from the situation in May 2022.’ 

The war in Ukraine has led to export bans on edible oils in Turkey, Egypt and Indonesia. It is also causing the EU to fast-track green energy alternatives to fuel oil. 

The Indo-Pacific

CIA director Bill Burns said Chinese president Xi Jinping is ‘unsettled by the reputational damage that can come to China’ through its association with Russia. He also cautioned against ‘talk[ing] too much’ about intelligence matters, especially with respect to the US and Ukraine.

The head of U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM), Admiral Charles Richard, warned of the possibility of ‘nuclear coercion’ in China’s bid for Taiwan.

The Middle East and Africa

Jared Kushner launched a fund aimed at investing Saudi money into Israeli startups. He has raised $3 billion in assets, including a $2 billion allocation of Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth. Access to key officials under his father-in-law’s administration is credited with Kushner’s early success.

Sixty percent of eligible Lebanese expatriates turned out for early voting in the parliamentary elections – three times the number in 2018. Key concerns driving this year’s vote are the economic crisis, the refugee influx from neighboring Syria and Hezbollah’s growing power.

DSR Exclusives

For in-depth analysis, check out our sister podcasts on the DSR Network and stay tuned to the DSR Daily podcast for new and evolving stories from around the world. 

The DSR Network Team (Chris Cotnoir, Grant Haver, and Katherine Hill)