Think-Tanks'Press

Ortega’s continuous closure of democratic spaces, elimination of true opposition, restrictions on media coverage, press intimidation, and lack of political transparency, coupled with his decision to name his wife vice president, has brought back flashbacks of the not so distant Somoza dynastic dictatorship.

Several former Sandinista leaders who have left the party have expressed their concerns and believe that Ortega has betrayed the party’s socialist ideals of a better, more just world. Ortega’s own brother, who headed the armed forces for many years, has strongly criticized Ortega’s authoritarian turn.

In spring last year when the People’s Republic of China carried out military manoeuvres in the Mediterranean alongside Russia for the first time, the stunned international community was alarmed overnight by the sudden appearance of both powers in European territory.

A year later, China established itself in the so-called “pearl of the Mediterranean”, securing its entry to the heart of Europe through the acquisition of Piraeus Port.

In November 2015, the European Union enacted new binding rules for network neutrality under Regulation 2015/2120. This was the culmination of a process that began in September 2013, with roots that go back nearly ten years.

In the United States, the Federal Communications Commission adopted the current incarnation of its Open Internet Order several months earlier, in February 2015.

The Trojan Horse scenario occurs when a country conceals a major demand within a minor issue in order to obtain disproportionate advantage from another country.

The recipient country misreads the demand as a minor issue and miscalculates the cost of concessions. These concessions then expose the country to disproportionate vulnerabilities beyond the original issue and that country’s potential for negotiation becomes more limited.

Australia has a long history of prioritising fossil fuels over renewables in research and development (R&D) funding. ARENA turned this around, making Australia a world leader in renewables. Government plans to cut ARENA’s funding while providing new funds for fossil fuel R&D risks putting Australia back decades in energy R&D.

There is strong public support for ARENA. There was a clear majority against passing the cuts in every state.

The Chinese have long been obsessed with strategic culture, power balances and geopolitical shifts. Academic institutions, think-tanks, journals and web-based debates are growing in number and quality, giving China’s foreign policy breadth and depth.

At the root of the Party’s current approach is a recognition that think tanks – or state intellectuals – perform a dual function in China.