Diplomacy is most effective with the threat of war

Russia stands for ruling out the threat of nuclear conflicts despite high risks at the moment and wants to reduce all chances of "artificially" elevating those risks, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in a television interview aired late on Monday. "This is our key position on which we base everything. The risks now are considerable," Lavrov told Russia's state television, based on a transcript provided on the ministry's website. "I would not want to elevate those risks artificially. Many would like that. The danger is serious, real, And we must not underestimate it." Download your money calendar for 2022-23 here and keep your dates with your moneybox, investments, taxes … [Read more...] about Russia seeks to reduce existing “serious” risks of nuclear war: Sergei Lavrov

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin This weekend marks the one-year anniversary of the ransomware attack against Colonial Pipeline . That attack was soon followed by the ransomware attack against JBS . One thing both of those attacks have in common is that they are attributed to cybercrime gangs operating within Russia. Groups like Darkside and REvil, along with threat actors from APTs associated with Russian intelligence agencies pose a serious threat to organizations around the world. As the people of Ukraine heroically defend their country from destruction by Russian military forces, there remains a very real risk—expectation, actually—that Russia or threat actors aligned with Russia could launch devastating cyberattacks. There was an expectation that Russia would launch coordinated cyberattacks against Ukraine and its allies prior to, or in conjunction with the military invasion. For the most part, that has not happened, although there have been … [Read more...] about Preparing For Cyber Attacks – Strengthening Defenses Against Nation-State Threats

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Like many things in life, cybersecurity posture is a spectrum of states in maturity. Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certifications (CMMC) are all the rage now in IT departments. You can be at one end of the spectrum of cybersecurity maturity, the other end of the spectrum, or maybe somewhere in the middle. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and CMMC have defined those security maturity models in five distinct stages. You even often hear some IT departments proudly declare that they are a level three or four or five in terms of their security maturity. We can analytically categorize the levels that compose these security states, and that is a good thing. However, some of these states assume reasonably well-known threat patterns. The challenge is that even with the best possible security posture, novel threats can bring the entire security structure crashing down. This is one of the driving conditions that make a … [Read more...] about Cybersecurity Maturity Models Can Be Immature

SEOUL (AFP): South Korea's hawkish incoming president Yoon Suk-yeol (pic) started work Tuesday (May 10) in an underground bunker with a security briefing on the nuclear-armed North ahead of his formal inauguration ceremony. Yoon, 61, takes office at a time of high tensions on the Korean peninsula, with an increasingly belligerent Pyongyang conducting a record 15 weapons tests since January, including two launches last week. His conservative administration looks set to usher in a more muscular foreign policy for the world's 10th-largest economy after the dovish approach pursued by outgoing President Moon Jae-in during his five years in office. At midnight Tuesday, Yoon began his five-year term with his first briefing as commander-in-chief from the Joint Chiefs of Staff at an underground bunker set up at his new presidential office. Yoon stressed the need to maintain a "firm military readiness posture at a time when the security situation on the Korean peninsula is critical," his … [Read more...] about South Korea’s new president starts first day of work in bunker office

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Topline Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Finland on Saturday that abandoning military neutrality to join NATO would be “wrong,” as Russia halted electricity deliveries to Finland in apparent retaliation to the country’s decision to apply for membership in the military alliance following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Key Facts Putin told Finnish President Sauli Niinisto in a phone call that applying to join NATO could have a negative effect on Russian-Finnish relations because “there are no threats to Finland’s security,” according to a readout of the call from the Kremlin. Niinisto said on the call that Russian demands last year aiming to prevent countries from joining NATO and the invasion of Ukraine have fundamentally “altered the security environment of Finland,” according to Niinisto’s office. Niinisto told Putin that Finland will seek NATO membership in the coming days. Putin and … [Read more...] about Putin Warns Finland Over Joining NATO As Russia Cuts Off Electricity

Bloomberg Inflation is often viewed as an economic phenomenon, with mostly economic effects. Policy makers today worry about what inflation will do to the housing market; they express concern about government borrowing costs. They might note changes in individual economic behavior: a shopper pinching pennies at the grocery store. Politicians will worry about being voted out of office if they are blamed for its economic impact. But inflation is associated with more than just economics and electability. It is also linked to political instability. The historical record contains many cases where inflation went hand in hand with major political realignments, coups and even bloody revolutions. This history is worth keeping in mind as countries throughout the world grapple with spiraling prices. That inflation could fuel political instability — or vice versa — may seem self-evident, but teasing out a causal relationship is easier said than done. It’s a classic chicken-and-the-egg … [Read more...] about Which Comes First: Inflation or Political Instability?: Stephen Mihm

Pipework at a gas pre-treatment unit at the Gazprom PJSC Chayandinskoye oil, gas and condensate field, a resource base for the Power of Siberia gas pipeline, in the Lensk district of the Sakha Republic, Russia, on Tuesday, Oct. 12, 2021. European natural gas futures declined after Russia signaled that it may offer additional volumes soon. Russia will cut off the gas to Poland and Bulgaria on Wednesday in a major escalation in the standoff between Moscow and Europe over energy supplies and the war in Ukraine. Moscow is making good on a threat to halt gas flows to countries that refuse President Vladimir Putin’s new demand to pay for the fuel in rubles. The European Union has rejected the move in principle but now payment deadlines are starting to fall due, governments across Europe need to decide whether to accept Putin’s terms or lose crucial supplies -- and face the prospect of energy rationing. European gas prices surged as much as 17% as traders calculated the risk … [Read more...] about Russia to cut gas to Poland and Bulgaria, making energy a weapon

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Nanette Kirsch leads marketing for Keen Decision Systems whose SaaS solution guides marketing planning decisions to maximize value creation. Have you ever jerked your car’s steering wheel in reaction to an imminent threat, only to realize your overcorrection presented an even bigger risk? That’s an apt analogy for what’s likely about to happen in corporate leadership meetings across the country as consumer packaged goods (CPG) brand leaders react to adverse market conditions on the horizon; conventional wisdom has instinctively been to slam the brakes on their marketing spending. But what if that, too, is the exact opposite of what works? In my company’s history of helping top consumer brands create more value from their marketing investments, our solution’s Bayesian statistical models consistently reveal some surprising insights about how marketers can successfully navigate adverse market conditions and emerge … [Read more...] about How Consumer Goods Marketers Can Push Back Against Uncertainty

(Reuters) -Russian diplomats in Washington are being threatened with violence and U.S. intelligence services try to make contact with them, Tass news agency cited the ambassador as saying on Saturday. Anatoly Antonov told Russian television that since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, face-to-face meetings with U.S. officials had ended. "It's like a besieged fortress. Basically, our embassy is operating in a hostile environment ... Embassy employees are receiving threats, including threats of physical violence," Tass quoted him as saying. "Agents from U.S. security services are hanging around outside the Russian embassy, handing out CIA and FBI phone numbers, which can be called to establish contact." CIA and the FBI declined comment. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence and the U.S. State Department did not immediately return messages seeking comment. The Russian ambassador to Poland was doused in a red substance on Monday by people protesting against the … [Read more...] about Envoy says Russian diplomats in U.S. are threatened, enticed by FBI

Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Business executives have so many things to focus on day in and day out that it can be difficult for them to recognize and fix leadership holes in their company. A leader must develop the objectivity, insight and perspective needed to find and understand any gaps, then find ways to bridge them. Before a need can be addressed, it must be assessed. Below, 14 members of Forbes Coaches Council discuss how they would help an executive client dig deeper to uncover leadership gaps in their company so that the best solutions can be found. 1. Use Leadership Assessment Instruments Leadership gaps can best be identified through leadership assessment instruments coupled with one-on-one interviews to contextualize the data. Once the client has identified the leadership competencies and behaviors desired within the company, an analysis of the assessment data and context will reveal not only gaps to fill but also strengths to … [Read more...] about 14 Smart Ways Executives Can Identify Leadership Gaps In Their Company