ITK Daily | February 26

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Happy Sunday.

Here’s today’s ITK Daily.

To be ITK, know this:

Insight | The best communicators embrace the E-STOCK framework:?

E-STOCK = Event, Strategy, Tactics, Organization, Consistency, and Know-how.?

Full post?here.

G20 meeting ends in discord as Russia and China refuse to condemn Ukraine war: FT reports India’s finance minister would not say whether her country was among the nations that backed the criticism.

Bloomberg: The UN couldn't even agree to hold a minute of silence for Ukraine

Russia and Ukraine: The tangled history that connects—and divides—them: Centuries of bloodshed, foreign domination, and internal divisions have left Ukraine in a precarious position between East and West.?NatGeo

How the war in Ukraine ends: An eminent historian envisions a settlement among Russia, Ukraine, and the West.?David Remnick

+ "Putin’s strategy could be described as “I can’t have it? Nobody can have it!” Sadly, that’s where the tragedy is right now."

+ "In Ukraine, what is it that he’s gained? If you look over the landscape, he’s hurt Russia’s reputation—it’s far worse than it ever was. He consolidated the Ukrainian nation, whose existence he denied. He is expanding NATO, when his stated aim was to push nato back from the expansion undertaken since 1997. He’s even got Sweden applying for nato membership. And, so, all across the board, it’s a disaster."

+ "The problem is that he’s in power. And soft Russian nationalists, who were semi-critical of Putin, now have no place to go because you’re either all in, or you flee to Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, and Turkey."

+ "Every war that’s ever been fought. There are two ways that major wars evolve. They all start as wars of maneuver because somebody attacks. There’s a lot of movement at first, and then they meet resistance and the offensive stalls out because it’s hard to maintain an offensive, and the other side’s resistance gets ramped up. Then what happens is you radically expand your industrial base for weapons. That’s what the US did in World War Two, and that’s how we won the war."

+ "Ukraine will need a demilitarized zone, no matter how much territory it gets back, including if it somehow gets Crimea back. It’s got the problem that, next year, the year after, the year after next, this could happen again."

+ "People talk about the Cold War being over. It sort of is—except for the places where it’s not."

In Ukraine, resistance must be balanced with appeasement: As the war in Ukraine enters its second year, a negotiated settlement remains as repugnant — and necessary — as ever.?Clive Cook

+ NATO’s members would need to understand that, even if the war on Ukraine ends, war on Putin’s Russia might well be in their future, and they have to be ready.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner Group, reveals horrendous Russian losses in Ukraine: In order to obtain arms, the entrepreneur has broken a taboo and published photos of dozens of dead fighters.?Le Monde

Ukraine is the West’s war now: The initial reluctance of the US and its allies to help Kyiv fight Russia has turned into a massive program of military assistance, which carries risks of its own.?WSJ

+ “Nobody thought the Russians would start a medieval war in the 21st century,” said Sen. James Risch, the ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “This conflict is going to change the face of Europe as much as World War II did.”

+ The war in Ukraine isn’t likely to end anytime soon. Both sides believe they can win on the battlefield, and little room exists for peace negotiations.?

+ Since the war’s first days, Mr. Zelensky has taken advantage of his skills as an actor and communicator to speak directly to a variety of audiences worldwide.?

+ He has addressed university commencements, music festivals and sports tournaments in an effort to make Ukraine’s fight for freedom into a moral and emotional issue rather than yet another foreign-policy problem. His approach has clearly paid off.

+ Putin has tried to counter the Ukrainian message by appealing to fear.?

+ The current Western dedication to Ukraine’s struggle for independence is striking when compared with the prevailing attitudes of the relatively recent past.

+ Back in 1991, President George H.W. Bush viewed Ukraine’s desire for freedom as a dangerous nuisance. That year, just months before the Soviet Union’s collapse, he delivered to the Ukrainian parliament his infamous “Chicken Kiev” speech, urging Ukrainians to abandon “suicidal nationalism” and permanently remain under the Kremlin’s rule.

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Mitch McConnell tells US to ‘wake up’ to threat of Russia on Ukraine war anniversary: WP reports the Senate Republican leader pushed back against calls from within his own party to pare back US funding in support of Ukraine.

How microchips migrate from China to Russia: Like birds, microprocessors often take a circuitous route to arrive at their destination. Controlling where they fly to is proving difficult.?WSJ

As China calls for peace, US believes Beijing is considering artillery and drone deliveries to Moscow: WSJ reports US intelligence shows possible Chinese weapons deliveries to help Moscow stave off expected Ukrainian offensive this year.

China weighs sending drones, ammunition to Russia for Ukraine war: Politico reports US officials are trying to deter Beijing from taking the step to provide lethal aid to Moscow.

China to welcome Belarusian leader, raising concerns over Ukraine: NYT reports a state visit next week by Aleksandr G. Lukashenko of Belarus comes as the US has accused China of preparing to send lethal aid to Russia.

China’s Ukraine plan is all about challenging the US: Beijing is offering a bogus path to peace, weighing arms sales to Russia, and showing an increasing appetite for confrontation with the democratic world.?Hal Brands

+ There are still good reasons China wouldn’t want to get pulled into the war, such as fear of international condemnation, further damage to relations with Europe, and exposure to US sanctions. Yet there is one very compelling reason Xi might nonetheless get involved: He can’t afford to see Putin lose.

+ Many US officials still hope China won’t go down this path. They see sunlight as the best deterrent: By talking, loudly and publicly about Xi’s deliberations, perhaps they can remind him of how costly the wrong choice would be.

China’s spymasters can get more from TikTok than from balloons: The Chinese approach to espionage is much less about seizing classified information and much more about building influence.?Tobin Harshaw

+ Even if Chinese companies don’t want to serve the security apparatus, China’s National Intelligence Law means they don’t have a say in the matter. No major Chinese company is truly independent of the state.

+ Governments should strike a balance between keeping out individuals who are primarily seeking to acquire technology for the Chinese government, while keeping the door open to those who can make real contributions. But nuanced policy like that is easier said than done.

Today: Liberation Day in Kuwait, celebrating the end of Iraqi occupation in 1991.

Bloomberg: Germany, India to boost cooperation in renewables, defense

It’s Rishi Sunak’s turn to face a hellish appointment with Brexit: Walking away from a deal would be a political disaster for the UK prime minister. Pressing ahead could be just as dangerous.?Bloomberg

+ Rishi Sunak’s allies have told Conservative rebels that if they don’t back his imminent deal on Brexit, there’s no prospect of a fix for a cross-channel immigration crisis that’s seen as crucial to the party’s electoral fortunes.

+ The premier is seeking to end a standoff with the EU, that’s poisoned relations with Britain’s biggest trading partner since it left the bloc three years ago.

+ But in doing so, he’s likely to face criticism from unionists and Tory Brexiteers that the new deal would maintain EU law and a role for the European Court of Justice in Northern Ireland, something the rebels say threatens the region’s place in the UK.

+ But Sunak is determined to settle the issue.

Are Britain's tech dreams powered by hot air??The UK can talk the talk on tech reform. Walking the walk has proven far more elusive.?Martin Ivens

+ A few weeks ago, Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt chose Bloomberg’s London offices to proclaim the government’s ambition to make Britain “the next Silicon Valley.”

+ A cross-party report bearing the imprimatur of Labour’s three-term former prime minister, Tony Blair, and thoughtful former Tory leader William Hague, ambitiously entitled “A New National Purpose: Innovation Can Power the Future of Britain,” offers timely suggestions.?

+ The two elder statesmen want a new “strategic state” to embrace the latest developments in AI, biotech and climate tech.

+ The report blames the Treasury’s “accountant mindset” for taking a short-term view of investment in science and technology.

War in Ukraine no longer part of France's political debate: Le Monde reports although the conflict disrupted the presidential campaign last year, it is now hardly discussed by French politicians.

OTD: In 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte escapes from exile on the island of Elba.

France's Operation Sabre in Burkina Faso: From a quiet arrival to a bitter withdrawal: At the request of the ruling junta in Ouagadougou, French special forces have withdrawn from the West African country, marking the end of more than 20 years of military presence.?Le Monde

+ On Saturday, February 18, the French Special Forces (SF) very quietly withdrew from Burkina Faso during a solemn flag-lowering ceremony at the Zagré military base.

+ The SF's departure marks the end of more than 20 years of French military presence in Burkina Faso that initially resulted from a constrained choice, a mix of security and political contingencies.

+ After initially focusing on senior jihadist leaders, their mission gradually expanded in 2014 to include the training and education of local armed forces, especially from Burkina Faso.

+ Among the credits of the Special Forces is also their involvement in some 15 hostage rescue operations.

'Qatargate' at the European Parliament: Belgian courts investigate the payment of 'several million euros': Reforms to improve the transparency of the Parliament's operations appear to be stalled as the investigation continues.?Le Monde

Ajay Banga, World Bank nominee must swap finance for climate: The US pick for the institution’s president will face pressure to overhaul its approach to the environment.?FT

+ “They have landed somebody nobody has ever heard of in our world.”

+ Ajay Banga, a naturalized US citizen who declares himself a ‘Made in India guy,’ studied economics at Delhi University before working for Nestlé and then launching fast food franchises, including Pizza Hut and KFC, as India’s economy liberalized.?

+ “This is not at all what I was anticipating. The US administration has been messaging this would be a climate person.”

+ He may be “a bit weak on the climate and development credentials.” But he also seems “like a GSD guy — gets stuff done. And we need that now more than ever.”

US makes ‘no apologies’ for prioritizing American jobs, clean energy tsar tells EU: John Podesta pushes back at European criticism of $369bn climate spending.?FT

+ More than $90bn in green investment has poured into the US since last year’s passage of the IRA, which includes $369bn worth of tax credits, grants and loans to boost renewable energy and slash emissions.

+ Reliance on Chinese clean technology had created “a vulnerability” for the US and its allies the Biden administration was now trying to fix.

Biden on Election 2024: "My intention is ... to run," Biden tells ABC's Muir on reelection decision.

+ "It's legitimate for people to raise questions about my age."

LAT: DeSantis leads Trump by wide margin in California as primary race starts, poll finds

Longtime Trump backers flock to DeSantis event: Politico reports the Florida governor is hosting a retreat for donors and other supporters in Palm Beach, FL.

From Palm Beach to Staten Island, DeSantis makes 2024 moves on Trump’s turf: WP reports the Florida governor’s show of force this weekend was part of his increasingly open encroachments into the former president’s longtime support base and ideological terrain.

+ “People who have met with DeSantis in recent weeks say he remains stilted in one-on-one conversations and sometimes struggles to make small talk or appear enthusiastic while engaging in retail politics critical to winning states.”

NBC: Pence says he is nearing a decision on 2024 presidential bid

NBC: No 'apologists for Putin': Pence draws contrast with DeSantis on support for Ukraine

AP: Nikki Haley keeping early 2024 fundraising numbers quiet

Iowa Republicans are open to names other than Donald Trump or Ron DeSantis: WSJ reports the 2024 presidential primary campaign heats up in the state where GOP voting will start.

OTD: In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson signed an act of Congress establishing the Grand Canyon National Park.

OTD: In 1993, the first World Trade Center bombing: A truck bomb parked below the North Tower of the World Trade Center exploded, killing six and injuring over a thousand people.

AP: Dick's Sporting Goods to acquire Moosejaw

What really makes Gen Z different from older generations??We asked a 24-year-old brand consultant: Andrew Roth, founder of research firm Dcdx, talks about how virality and instant gratification have fundamentally changed the way young people interact with brands.?FC

+ "The biggest is the onset of technology and when that came up in the lives of Gen Z, and the role that’s had on shaping how we behave and who we are."

+ "Convenience is not a want or a fun [thing] to have; it’s who we are—we were born with Google. We had everything at our fingertips. Brands that are slow are nonnegotiable for our generation."

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America built an actually good airport: LaGuardia is reborn, and it has a message for the nation.?Ian Bogost

+ Many of America’s roads, bridges, airports, and other facilities to keep the people and the economy in motion were erected in the 1960s, two generations ago.

+ In the time since then, the U.S. population has nearly doubled.

+ Airports, wrote the anthropologist Marc Augé in the early 1990s, are “non-places.” Like hotels, conference centers, and shopping malls, they could be distinguished precisely by their indistinctness. When you go inside most airports, Augé explained, you might as well be going anywhere—New York, Topeka, Paris, Macau.

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GM’s plan to deploy self-driving Cruise Origin on hold as feds weigh exemption request?DFP

+ General Motors' mission to get 5,000 self-driving Cruise Origin vehicles in cities nationwide hangs on whether federal regulators will grant the automaker's request to exempt the vehicle from federal safety standards.

+ The Origin is a small bus-like vehicle that will transport up to six people without a driver. It operates through autonomous technology and has no manual steering controls or pedals.

How Palo Alto created capitalism as we know it: From Stanford to Theranos, Malcolm Harris explains the weird, dark history of the mythic California city.?Vox

Blackstone’s Schwarzman receives over $1bn for second straight year: FT reports a record income for private equity firm founder reflects dividend payments and asset sales.

FT: Warren Buffett defends buybacks to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders

+ The 92-year-old’s annual letter to investors was his shortest in decades.

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway posts big 2022 loss in rocky market: Famed CEO affirms optimism in US economy in his annual letter to shareholders.?WSJ

+ Read the full letter?here.

Subscriptions won’t change social media’s dependence on advertising: Companies have yet to work out what they should charge users for.?Richard Waters

+ There is a power law at work in many mass-market internet services.?

+ A relatively small proportion of users often account for a disproportionate share of activity, whether that means posting on social networks or selling on eBay.

+ Finding better ways to align the economics of the service with the interests of those users is a good way to boost profits. But it also risks upsetting the delicate balance that made the services appeal to large numbers in the first place.

+ On mass-market consumer networks, subscriptions may bring some extra revenue at the margin — but they are unlikely to make much of a dent in social media’s heavy advertising dependence.

These three words are taking over LinkedIn: Users are stuffing comment boxes with boilerplate phrases to help posts go viral.?WSJ

+ “Commenting for reach.”

+ “Engagement is currency.”

What is ChatGPT doing … and why does it work??Stephen Wolfram

For chat-based AI, we are all once again tech companies’ guinea pigs: Even the people behind new artificial intelligence systems say their buzzy products are ‘somewhat broken.’ They’re relying on us to fix them.?Christopher Mims

+ More than a million people in 169 countries have been granted access to the new version of Microsoft’s Bing search engine, powered by AI chatbot technology, since its release two weeks ago, the company said Wednesday.?

+ Microsoft and OpenAI now feel that testing their technology on a limited portion of the public—a sort of invite-only beta test—is the best way to assure that it’s safe.?

+ Research has shown that people learning about new things have a narrow window in which they form a lasting opinion. Seeing misinformation during this critical initial period of exposure to a new concept—such as the kind of misinformation that chat-based AIs can confidently dispense—can do lasting harm.

+ Part of the challenge with AI chatbots is that they can sometimes simply make things up.?

+ In chatbots, in some autonomous-driving systems, in the unaccountable AIs that decide what we see on social media, and now, in the latest applications of AI, again and again we are the guinea pigs on which tech companies are testing new technology.

Banks to ChatGPT: Please leave before we call security: JPMorgan, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, and others have understandable regulatory concerns around artificial intelligence.?Jessica Karl

+ "I never met anybody who said when they were a kid, I wanna grow up and be a critic." -- Richard Pryor

Boris Becker: ‘I’m still in the game. Just have to play better’: The tennis star on his money, his marriages, and what he learned in prison.?FT

The Premier League's financial power is crushing European football: The huge offers to buy Manchester United, Chelsea's lavish transfer market expenditures, and Manchester City's alleged violations of financial rules expose how English clubs are playing in a different league, financially.?Le Monde

+ When the Premier League was created in 1992, the era of hooligans was still in the rearview, standing sections still existed in football stadiums, and the best footballers were going to Italy. Three decades later, English football is financially crushing the rest of Europe.?

+ Enough is enough, according to Javier Tebas, the president of the Spanish league La Liga. "It's like the British market is on drugs."

+ In 2011, the 20 Premier League clubs had a turnover of about ￡3 billion, while the Bundesliga brought in ￡2 billion. Today, the English league earns ￡7.2 billion, while the German league is at only ￡3.7 billion, on a par with Spain's La Liga.

Manchester United bidders urged to increase offers to woo Glazers: FT reports Qatari Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani and British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe have both gone public with bids.

Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.

-Marc?

Marc A. Ross | Chief Communications Strategist @ Caracal

Caracal produces ITK Daily.

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