ITK Daily | January 12

Happy Thursday.

Here’s today’s ITK Daily.

To be ITK, know this:

Wednesday Office Hours by Caracal.

20-minute conversations.

Actionable insights on:

+ Geopolitical intelligence

+ Strategic planning

+ Economic diplomacy

+ Communications

Every Wednesday, unless there is good surf or snow.

11:00 am - 1:00 pm ET.

Geopolitics is disrupting every business and industry.

Caracal is here to help.

Sign up here .

India’s new railways project picks up speed: The Vande Bharat express is just one attempt to build capacity and demonstrate world-class public projects. John Reed

China likely to name US specialist as next ambassador to Washington: WSJ reports China is likely to nominate Xie Feng, a vice foreign minister, and a US specialist, as its new ambassador to Washington, according to people familiar with the matter, continuing a gradual tempering of the abrasive “Wolf Warrior” style that has defined Chinese diplomacy in recent years.

+ Expected appointment is part of a gradual effort by Beijing to dial back aggressive diplomacy and improve its global image.

Hmmm.

A US specialist?

Good luck to Xie Feng.

I live in the US and don't even understand it.

Is this the end of Wolf Warrior Diplomacy?

No.

????????

Caracal Insight | Less wolf. More panda. Views of China have grown more negative in recent years across many advanced economies, and unfavorable opinion has soared since 2020, a 14-country Pew Research Center survey shows. Currently, a majority in each of the surveyed countries has an unfavorable opinion of China. Full post from June 2021 here .

Xi Jinping — China's modern-day emperor: The last time a Chinese leader had this much unconstrained power, the result was widespread famine, economic ruin, and the deaths of millions of people. Ian Bremmer

Debt write-off shows China means business in Africa: While the West talks of democracy and human rights, Beijing speaks in dollars to tighten its influence on the continent — the latest move being a stake in Ethiopia. The Times

US, Japan to extend security cooperation to space: Move aims to bolster Japan’s new military strategy amid worries about China. WSJ

US sends anti-ship missiles to Japan as threat from China grows: Countries across the Asia Pacific are being forced to rethink their security strategies. Nowhere have the changes been greater than in Japan. The Times

Japan, US eye cooperation on counterstrike capabilities at 2+2: Nikkei reports the joint statement to cover missile and space defenses based on new security strategies.

UK and Japan to sign major defense deal as PM Kishida visits London: AFP reports UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida signed a "hugely significant" new defense agreement when the pair met in London on Wednesday, Downing Street said.

Japan and UK sign landmark defense cooperation treaty: Agreement allows militaries of both nations to be deployed to the other. Nikkei

AFP: Britain signs landmark defense pact with Japan in 'Indo-Pacific tilt'

Rishi Sunak has an image problem: Tories fear he’s just a bit ‘cringe’: MPs and aides fear voters are starting to pick up on Sunak’s sometimes awkward manner. Politico

+ “There’s a sort of ‘Ed Miliband with Prada shoes’ problem,” said one researcher who regularly conducts political focus groups around the country. “It’s the sense of it being forced.”

+ “Politics is full of weirdos. And I don’t think he’s the weirdest person in politics.”

British politics is still suffering from ‘long populism’: Sunak refuses to confront reality, just like his predecessors. Robert Shrimsley?

King Charles will travel to France on March 27, his first state visit since becoming monarch.

The French secret service and its 'war chest' caught in the nets of the justice system: The French foreign intelligence service unwisely invested its hidden funds in shaky companies over the past few decades. The spy novel-like scandal, of which 'Le Monde' has revealed unpublished elements, led to the indictment of the former head DGSE. Le Monde

How Germany became Europe’s leading Big Tech trust buster: While EU regulators slowly roll out their own enforcement mechanism, Berlin is already holding gatekeepers to account. FT

Italians flock to London despite Brexit: The number of Italian-born people living in the UK has doubled from a decade ago, making them the most common foreign nationality in the capital. Bloomberg

+ There were 280,000 Italian-born people living in the UK?in 2021,?according to the Office for National Statistics.?

+ Approximately half of them live in London, where Italians have become the?most common foreign nationality in the capital for?the first time in recent history, ahead of India and Poland,?ONS data show.?

Brut force: The winery in the middle of a war zone: The chaos of eastern Ukraine has taken a heavy toll on this Soviet-era winery, which once supplied more than half the country. Guardian

Bloomberg: Mexican president’s 28-minute monologue Had Biden, Trudeau staring at feet

+ Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador dominates summit-ending news conference

+ Asked about migration, he discussed malaria, disability, crime

'Three Amigos' Summit: 'We see a move away from globalization and toward regionalization' AFP

North American leaders set aside tensions to focus on chips and migration: Leaders from US, Mexico, and Canada discuss ways to enhance economic cooperation at the Mexico City summit. FT

+ Joe Biden on Tuesday told Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that he plans to travel to Canada in March.

Cherokee tribes turn to K Street to fulfill a 187-year-old promise for a seat in Congress: But they aren’t in agreement over who should get the largely ceremonial post. Politico

Bloomberg: Republicans bring back smoke-filled rooms on Capitol Hill

+ Members of Congress are permitted to smoke in their offices

+ First effort to reduce smoking in Capitol was in 1871

Can Kevin McCarthy still outlast the lettuce? The newly crowned speaker faces some of the same hurdles that tanked Liz Truss’ short tenure as British prime minister. Politico

Book excerpt: What Florida tells us about the future of US politics: If the United States’ demographic, political, and economic changes progress as we might by now expect, it may look a lot like the Sunshine State. Philip Bump

The party’s over for us. Where do we go now? ?Bret Stephens + David Brooks

+ 88% of the voting members in the new 118th Congress identify as Christian, according to Pew Research.

+ Thirteen voting members of the 118th Congress identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual – the highest number of openly LGB members in history, according to Pew Research.

How Montana took a hard right turn toward Christian nationalism: What happened to a state known for its political independence? NYT Magazine

CA-SEN: Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) has told her fellow lawmakers she’s running for Senate in California, Politico reports.

‘I didn’t know if my mother was alive’: Joy and grief as Tigray reconnects to the world: The restoration of communications to the war-torn Ethiopian region after last month’s peace deal has ended two years of extreme and destructive isolation for Tigrayans. Guardian

Uganda’s worst ebola outbreak in two decades is over, WHO declares: NYT reports the virus spread to nine districts nationwide, infecting hundreds and killing dozens. Seven health workers were among those who died.

SAG Awards to stream live on Netflix beginning in 2024: The Wrap reports the 2023 broadcast will air live on the streamer’s YouTube channel, courtesy of a new multiyear partnership.

Hollywood’s next reckoning: Studios get real about runaway spending on streaming Variety

+ As it turns out, attracting subscribers one by one is a much heavier lift than leveraging the value of must-have channels against cable operators.

+ On the Pluto TV platform, owned by Paramount Global, for example, there are around 100 free, 24/7 livestreaming channels?devoted to individual shows?like “Beverly Hills, 90210,” “Baywatch,” “Star Trek,” “CSI” and many more.

+ Known by the acronym soup of AVOD (advertising video on demand) and FAST (free advertising-supported television), some channels stream a nonstop linear feed of content, and some offer a mix of live and on-demand options.

+ The number of such channels available in the U.S. exploded in 2022 to more than 3,000.

+ “The TV is the hub of the home. It’s more than what the TV was 20 years or even 10 years ago,” says Matthew Durgin, LG’s senior director of North America Partnerships. “We built both a TV set and an operating system. And we put partnerships into those things that put real consumer value into owning an LG set.”

Hollywood bets moviegoers are ready to return to theaters: As fears about public gatherings fade, studios roll out franchises like Mission: Impossible and the Marvel universe to woo fans back. Bloomberg

Disney board names Nike veteran Mark Parker as new chair: FT reports Susan Arnold will step down after facing questions over handling of former CEO Bob Chapek’s departure.

The many forces fueling Tesla’s $860 billion tumble: Investors in Elon Musk’s day job are feeling a lot less excited about the future. Bloomberg

+ Tesla’s fall has wiped out the equivalent of the value of four major car companies more than twice over.

Bloomberg: Apple is working on adding touch screens to Macs in major turnabout

+ Steve Jobs famously decried the idea of touch displays for laptops

+ MacBook Pro with OLED poised to be the first touch-screen Mac

Your smart thermostat isn’t here to help you: But that doesn’t mean it’s useless. Ian Bogost

Why can't Tesla drive US oil demand lower? Plastics: US consumption of fossil fuels is heading toward records even amid the electric-car boom. Javier Blas

+ The EIA estimates that by 2024, American gasoline demand will drop to 8.73 million barrels per day, or about 600,000 barrels a day lower than it was in 2018. That’s equal to the total oil consumption of a medium-sized European nation like Belgium.

+ The 2024 EIA forecast is a case in point: Not only is global oil demand?heading toward another?record, but the rate of growth isn’t moderating.

Shopify has culled meetings. Should other companies do the same? Global News

+ The Ottawa-based tech giant made waves at the start of the year by culling the calendars of its thousands of employees, scrubbing around 10,000 meetings from the company’s books.

+ CEO Tobi Lutke said in a tweet last week that “meetings are usually a bug” that “paper over” the root causes of issues.

Uniqlo operator to boost annual pay in Japan by up to 40%: Nikkei reports Fast Retailing expects its labor costs in the country to rise by 15%.

What will it take to treat restaurant workers fairly? The truth is hard to swallow: World's best restaurant acknowledges the economics of exploiting workers. Chris Tomlinson

The secrets of the French 75, the world’s most elusive cocktail: Its ingredients keep evolving, its origins are a mystery. Two writers follow the clues in a cocktail detective story. FT

He divorced me on land—but I left my marriage on the river Florence Williams

Florence Williams joined a Brigadoon Monthly Call back in November 2021. The session was titled "Why nature makes us happier, healthier, and more creative." You can watch the conversation here .

+ @nytimes: Breaking News: Jeff Beck, one of the most skilled, admired, and influential guitarists in rock history, has died. He was 78.

The Golden Globes: Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans” won for best dramatic film, while “The Banshees of Inisherin” won for best comedic or musical film.?

AFP: 'Banshees,' 'Fabelmans,' and 'Everything Everywhere' rack up film nominations

Filmmaker ships his 1997 Ford Fiesta from France to US for one final journey: Dorian Degoutte, 31, an artist and film director from Vierzon, wanted to drive to Detroit in the car inherited from his grandfather. This would be a way to say goodbye to the vehicle that carried memories of fishing trips and laughter with Gerard Degoutte, a factory worker from Lyon. Phoebe Wall Howard

F1 wants women in the cockpit for first time since 1976: With its new academy, the racing league is inviting women to train for the grand prix. Bloomberg

The one-legged snowboarder who built an ingenious prosthetic for himself—and his opponents: After a horrific accident took his leg, Mike Schultz invented a high-tech artificial limb that action sport athletes quickly adopted. And now, to win gold at the Beijing Paralympics, he’ll have to beat them. GQ

The greatest ski films of all time, ranked: We asked pro skiers Cody Townsend and Glen Plake which classic ski movies they could watch repeatedly. Get ready to hunker down on the couch and revisit these throwback gems. Outside

How pro endurance athletes became the hardest-working creators on the internet: With grueling, inspiring stunts—a solo ride of the Tour de France route, a trail run from Mexico to Canada—endurance athletes are learning how to create real-time entertainment on social media. GQ

Trailer: Super League: The War for Football Apple TV

Buffalo Bills' Damar Hamlin discharged from the hospital: WSJ reports the development marks another positive update after he went into life-threatening cardiac arrest during an NFL game nine days ago.

Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly

-Marc?

Marc A. Ross | Founder + Team Principal @ Caracal

Caracal produces ITK Daily.

Caracal is a geopolitical business communications firm specializing in global business issues at the intersection of globalization, disruption, and politics.

Caracal believes that to be a world-class geopolitical business communicator, you need global street smarts coupled with holistic, high-frequency, and high-low communications.

To receive Caracal ITK Daily by email, subscribe here .