Virginie Raisson-Victor

👓📰 Sunday read ! A very interesting and qualitative essay by our colleague Stephen Covington who is Strategic and International Affairs Adviser to our Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE). 🗞️A shorter version of this text was just published very successfully in The Economist . 👉🏼Here is the full version, developing over 13 pages the notion of decisive « crossroads » for Putin’s war in Ukraine. Thanks to German Marshall Fund of the United States for publishing it. 🔹Stephen Covington draws from Putin’s assertion that  « A future world arrangement is taking shape before out eyes", and that «The unipolar world is being relegated into the past. We are at a historical crossroads. We are in for probably the most dangerous, unpredictable and at the same time most important decade since the end of World War Il » (Valdai Discussion Club Meeting. October, 2022). 🔹He argues that Putin's war against Ukraine is more than a large-scale war over territory, culture, and history. It is part of a broader revolutionary pattern of Russian pressure and assault on the US-led Western global system. 🔹He describes Putin’s strategy and tactics of continuous revolution against the Western system, the necessity of constant crises and tension with the West; and the acceptance of war as a means to accumulate more power outside Russia and to preserve his power inside of it. 🇺🇦 Stephen Covington argues the intent of the war is to end Ukraine's quest to secure its democracy within Western institutions. And also to spark, accelerate, and broaden a perceived weakening of the US-led post-World War I1 security order through the pressure of war and a defat of Ukraine. « At a perceived historical crossroads in both Russias post-Soviet development and the global order, Putin seeks to dismantle the US-led transatlantic and global order so that Russia can exercise greater power regionally and in-ternationally-power he maintains Russia is ordained to possess. His aims are absolute. Putin is organizing Russia for calculated strategic confrontation with the West. His choice to take these paths to greater Russian power, and the corresponding impact of this strategic choice for Russia, hold substantial risks for transatlantic and global security in the decade ahead. » SC Enjoy the read ! NATO

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#OpenForSmartCommentsIfAny Reading this morning a Financial Times article about Naomy Klein's latest book "Doppelganger", I bumped into : "Klein cautions against mocking conspiracy theorists, who ‘get the facts wrong, but often get the feelings right’"... This triggered my humble thoughts as following : how the concept of alternative realities might align with modern physics theories? The idea of alternative realities may seem counterintuitive at first glance, but it can interestingly align with certain advanced theories in physics, such as quantum physics and string theory. Here’s how: 1. Superposition and Multiverses: In quantum physics, the principle of superposition states that a particle can exist in multiple states simultaneously until a measurement is made. This has led to the theory of multiverses, where each decision or event creates a new parallel universe. This can be related to the idea that alternative realities exist, where different (even contradictory) facts can coexist, thus supporting certain conspiracy theories or alternative versions of reality. 2. Quantum Entanglement: Quantum entanglement shows that two particles can remain connected instantaneously, regardless of the distance between them. This notion can reinforce the idea that events or information can be connected in a non-intuitive or instantaneous manner, a concept that some conspiracy theorists exploit to explain seemingly improbable connections. 3. String Theory: String theory suggests that our universe could be one of many parallel universes, each with its own physical laws. This can provide a scientific basis for the idea that alternative realities (where things happened differently) can exist, enhancing the credibility of scenarios described in conspiracy theories. 4. Observation Effect: In quantum physics, the observer influences the outcome of an experiment (Heisenberg's uncertainty principle). This could be interpreted as validation of the idea that reality is subjective and can be altered by individual perception and interpretation, an idea often exploited in conspiracy theories and fake news to support alternative viewpoints. 5. Narrative and Reality: Modern physics theories often push us to rethink the nature of reality itself. The notion that reality is, to some extent, a narrative construction aligned with individual observations and experiences can be exploited to support the idea that alternative versions of reality are just as valid as the consensual reality, an argument frequently used by conspiracy theorists. In conclusion, while it may seem counterintuitive, the concepts of quantum physics and string theory can provide a framework in which theories of alternative realities, including conspiracy theories and fake news, find a kind of scientific legitimacy. However, it is crucial to distinguish between scientific models based on rigorous evidence and conspiracy theories, which often rely on erroneous interpretations or manipulations of facts.

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🌟 Exciting News from the #European #Defence #Fund! 🌟 Today, the #European #Commission announced the #results of the 2023 #EDF calls, allocating €1,031 million in EU funding to support 54 innovative joint European defence research and development projects. These initiatives will drive technological excellence across a wide range of critical defence capabilities. Key Highlights: 🔹 #Cyber #Defence & #Combat Systems: Projects will enhance capabilities in ground, air, and naval combat. For instance, the MARTE and FMBTech projects will engage over 70 industrial players and research organizations to develop a main battle tank platform for Europe. 🔹 Protection of #Space-#Based #Assets & CBRN #Defence: Initiatives will bolster defences against Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear threats and safeguard space assets. 🔹 Strategic #Air #Transportation: Essential for rapid support to global missions, these projects will include advancements like those seen in the E-CUAS project, which builds on JEY-CUAS to counter unmanned aerial systems with 24 beneficiaries from 12 Member States and Norway. 🔹 #Land Capabilities: SRB2 will enhance suspension systems for heavy armoured vehicles. EDC2 will prototype the European patrol corvette, building on designs from EDF 2021 calls. TALOS-TWO will advance laser-based directed energy weapons, with participation from 19 entities across 8 countries. #Innovative #Support for #SMEs and #Start-Ups: Under the EU Defence Innovation Scheme (EUDIS), the EDF is providing significant opportunities for SMEs, start-ups, and new entrants. Notably, the MaJoR project will combine technology development with short-term technical and financial support for up to 60 start-ups and SMEs, facilitating easier access to the programme. #Programme #Impact: 📈 Strong Interest: 236 proposals received from diverse consortia, including large industries, SMEs, midcaps, and research organizations. 🌍 Wide Participation: 581 legal entities from 26 EU Member States and Norway are involved in the selected proposals. 🤝 Extensive Cooperation: On average, selected proposals involve 17 entities from 8 countries. 🔍 Significant SME Involvement: SMEs represent over 42% of selected entities, securing more than 18% of the total requested EU funding. 🔬 Balanced Support: €265 million for 30 research projects and €766 million for 24 capability development projects. 🚀 Disruptive Technologies: 4% of the budget dedicated to game-changing innovations in defence. Background: The EDF is the EU's key instrument to support defence R&D cooperation and focuses on projects that result in state-of-the-art and interoperable defence technologies and equipment. #EuropeanDefence #Innovation #ResearchAndDevelopment #EDFFunding #EUCollaboration #DefenceTechnology #SMEs #InnovationInDefence https://lnkd.in/dGy6B8Kf

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📢  𝐄𝐱𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐬❗️EARTO - European Association of Research and Technology Organisations 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 Muriel Attané 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 🗣️ 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 (𝐖𝐈𝐑𝐄) 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐬 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝟏𝟑 & 𝟏𝟒 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 📅 𝐢𝐧 𝐁𝐮𝐝𝐚𝐩𝐞𝐬𝐭, 𝐇𝐮𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐫𝐲 🇭🇺 This year’s conference will focus on boosting 📈 European #competitiveness with #RDI 🔬 and combatting the fragmentation of the European #innovation ecosystem as a key factor of competitiveness for the European Union 🇪🇺 in the upcoming years.   Ms. Attané will moderate the closing panel on #FP10, delving into essential questions:  ➡️ What strategic directions should FP10 take to benefit regions❓  ➡️ How can synergies be enhanced between Framework Programs and structural funds❓ 💡 Looking forward to thought-provoking discussions with: - Manuel Heitor Manuel Heitor, Chair of the High-Level Group on FP10  - Anne Besnier, European Committee of Regions, Centre val de Loire Region and CoR rapporteur on FP10  - Pirita Lindholm, Director, ERRIN  - Representative of @Hungarian Development Promotion Office MFOI   Follow the link for more info & registration 👉 https://shorturl.at/IebkG

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Green and Growing; a novel view by energy specialist: https://lnkd.in/ertMJzCY "The publishing gods have smiled on French energy historian Jean-Baptiste Fressoz. His book, whose U.S. edition is coming out in August, is already getting wide notice. Its French title essentially means “there is no transition.” Mr. Fressoz tells a podcaster he’s even happier with the English title, “More and More and More.” Energy sources are additive and symbiotic, he writes. Coal, oil, gas, wood, nuclear and renewables all grew together, they didn’t replace each other. An increase in coal provided steel piping to enable oil and gas production. More wood than ever was consumed to support British coal mines. The world’s biggest maker of wooden barrels at one time was John D. Rockefeller. A car in the 1930s consumed more coal via its required steel than it would consume in fossil fuels in its lifetime. In the U.K. today, a single wood-burning electric plant consumes more wood than Britain’s entire 18th-century economy and yet accounts for a small fraction of Britain’s current energy output. The only transition has been to more energy consumption. [ ..... ] subsidies for green energy, adopted globally by the Obama imitators in lieu of carbon taxes, only end up subsidizing more energy use, including copious fossil energy to make batteries, wind turbines and solar panels."

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⚠️How to stop fakes from making money ? Excellent report on social media monetisation financing the global #disinformation crisis & accelerating the demise of independent media 👉🏼One of the great discoveries of EU DisinfoLab #DISINFO2024 is the work of Victoire Rio Here her incredibly useful research on the Impact of the Social Media Ad Revenue business model, published this spring, - “the new frontier of platform accountability”. The research finds that the impact of inadequate due diligence can be substantial on : 🔹Financing the global disinformation crisis. 👉🏼Ad revenue share programs have been providing lucrative revenue streams to grifters and disinformation propagators, helping fuel the spread of mis and disinformation and subsidize thriving and increasingly accessible and affordable inauthentic markets for know-how, assets, and tools. 🔹Accelerating the demise of legitimate creators and independent media 👉🏼Creators and publishers are reporting being unable to compete with inauthentic activity. They face recurring violations of their trademarks and copyrights, and report being increasingly subject to unjustified demonetizations, triggered through automation, without adequate or equal access to support and remedy. 🔹Corporate actors should also be concerned about reputational risk and financial losses as advertisers : they continue to report being sold ad placements that fail to meet platforms’ commitments to brand safety and suitability and carry reputational risks. + share concerns over paying for inauthentic ad impressions, without adequate access to information and remedy. The report is organised along 5 case studies : 🔹Facebook Publishers’ Growth 🔹Russian Today 🔹Google Address Verification Inauthentic 🔹Automation Software 🔹Intellectual Property Reports A few facts & figures : 🔺 2 million people worldwide make a full time living out of their social media activity (& 50M generate a revenue from it) 🔺A growing share of that revenue comes from social media advertising. 🔺Platforms redistribute over US$ 20 billion in ad revenue annually to upwards of 5 million social media accounts. 🔺The social media ad revenue share model is booming: ad revenue share programs more than doubled since 2022. Facebook programs’ membership grew tenfold between 2022 and 2024. 🔺Social media platforms have introduced their own monetization rules establishing who and what can generate revenue through their services. 🔺Despite the consequential sums of money at play, these policies and their enforcement are subject to very little transparency and oversight. Victoire Rio is the executive director of WHAT TO FIX a non-profit working to mitigate digital harms by focusing the tech accountability conversion on systemic diagnosis and globally-sound solutions. She is currently leading pioneering research into the growth and global impact of unaccountable social media monetisation and ad revenue sharing programs.

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My first #CoRPlenary ! More concretely the 160th plenary of the European Committee of the Regions. Incredibly exiciting to see the work of the different members of the CoR come to life in this occasion. This plenary covered very wide topics that touch all European citizens ✅EU Elections ✅Cohesion Policy ✅Child protection services ✅Mental Health ✅Energy ✅Affordable housing ✅ even cycling 🚴! The opinions adopted today mark the cornerstone for tomorrow’s legislation for regions, cities and all Europe! #eulocal #corplenary #euelections2024

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#Hurricane #Helene #Deaths #Will #Continue #for #Years, #Study [#in #Nature] #Suggests #NYTimes #2October2024 : "#Research on hundreds of #tropical #storms #finds that #mortality #keeps #rising #for #more #than #a #decade afterward, for reasons you might not expect." "A paper published in the journal Nature on Wednesday lays out the hidden toll of tropical storms in the continental United States. Looking at 501 events from 1930 to 2015, researchers found that the #average #tropical #storm resulted in an additional 7,000 to 11,000 #deaths #over #the #15years #that #followed. #Overall #during #the #study #period, #tropical #storms #killed #more #people #than #automobile #crashes, #infectious #diseases #and #combat #for #US #soldiers. It’s #such #a #big #number — especially compared with the 24 direct deaths caused by hurricanes on average, according to federal statistics — #that #the #authors #spent #years #checking #the #math #to #make #sure #they #were #right. “The scale of these results is dramatically different from what we expected,” said #Solomon #Hsiang, a #professor of #global #environmental #policy at the Doerr School of Sustainability at #Stanford University, who conducted the study with #Rachel #Young, the Ciriacy-Wantrup #postdoctoral #fellow at the University of California, #Berkeley."

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Today, multilateral institutions are failing to protect free and fair trade, dignified labour, human rights, orderly migration, non-proliferation of indiscriminate weapons and other shared goals.  But we must not give up and let the multilateral system, including the United Nations and the many organisations that sit under it, be taken over and weaponised by authoritarian powers like China and Russia and their own organizational shortcomings or incompetent and biased officials.  https://lnkd.in/eiKbaqAZ

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#Europe needs to reinforce its #HumanRights leadership: my take on the challenges awaiting Alain Berset as new Council of Europe secretary general, published today in CURE - Campaign to Uphold Rights in Europe: https://lnkd.in/eFUXiUiz

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At the Forum Genshagen, we held a workshop on a just and fair green transition. The Green Deal was Ursula von der Leyen's "Man on the Moon project" when she took the office 5 years ago but it has also faced criticism since then. In France the "yellow vest movement" highlighted the necessity to take into account inequalities between rural and urban areas. Access to public transportation is key for more social cohesion in the joint effort to reach #climate targets. Participative democracy formats like the Citizen's Convention on Climate were put into place in France, aiming at sensitizing citizens on the issue and giving them a stakeholder role in legislations on the topic.   In the run-up to the European elections, criticism on red tape implied by the implementation of environmental measures showed that the green transition needs to be implemented by way of co-construction. Positive narratives are important to grasp the entirety of the challenge. What positive externalities are there turning green (on health, productivity, ultimately in terms of #GDP)? What is the cost of inaction, maintaining polluting fossil fuels? What are the lessons learnt from our dependence on Russian gas? How can we diversify our energy supplier in the future? What levers do we have and what hurdles need to be overcome?   We addressed these topics in our discussions also bearing in mind the geopolitical context with China's and the US's industrial programs. In how far is the EU up to the challenge? The #EU's industrial base's competitiveness is key and discussions about stopping the sale of combustion engines by 2035 trigger concern of #deindustrialization in Europe. While reshoring industrial activities to Europe is key, innovative solutions like adopting a circular economy, developing recycling of critical raw materials and elements of a "sharing economy" are too. However, if we want to adopt future-oriented technologies and spearhead the implementation of innovative solutions we also need to adapt skills, upskilling and reskilling people accordingly.   Frugality and the awareness of the carbon footprint of our day-to-day life activities were also mentioned along our discussions, as well as the incentives to use greener behaviors. How come flying is cheaper than taking the train although it is more polluting? Kerosene accounts for 3% of global CO2 emissions and in 2024 the record number of 5 bn passengers was recorded - a record high since Covid-19 - and the IATA projecting a total of 9 bn flight passengers per annum in 20 years from now. This is contradictory with the climate targets set.   Many questions remain but there are also positive actors striving towards impactful solutions as the green transition is undoubtedly a necessity.   Thanks to the Stiftung Genshagen, Pierre Zapp, Patrice Geoffron, Dàmir Belltheus Avdic, Henri Cuin, Nicolas Delaporte, Solène Demay, Kira Geadah, Hadrien Herzog, Hélène Kohl and István Kornis for the insightful discussions on this topic.

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Action Plan for World Peace: The Promise of UNGA Resolution 1722 An article in Le Monde, the world’s leading French newspaper by Stefan Löfven, former Prime Minister of #Sweden and myself, provides a concrete plan of action to transform #globalgovernance in the direction of collective security and sustaining peace. Significantly, it is rooted in the #UNGeneralAssembly resolution 1722 which was passed unanimously in December 1961. Of course, the situation has changed since then, and the action plan proposed in the article aims to address today's challenges of global security. Stefan Löfven co-chaired the UN Secretary General’s High Level Advisory Board on Effective Multilateralism and is also the Chair of the Board of SIPRI. I am honoured to co-author the article with him using some of the ideas I developed in my book A World without War. I welcome debate on the proposed action plan. A PDF of the complete article is attached below. The link to Le Monde is here, but you need a subscription to read it. https://lnkd.in/dgExm3NJ Thomas Greminger Roger Hällhag Sweden in Mumbai Sven Östberg Saloni Zaveri-Ahluwalia John Alderdice Roman Khimich David Judson Rufo Guerreschi Mark Runacres Anja Olin Pape Augusto Lopez-Claros jody Williams Kevin ClementsKevin Casas-Zamora Sir Graham Watson Kennedy Graham Libby Giles Dan Smith Anthony Aguirre Max Tegmark Izumi Nakamitsu Vidar Helgesen Moahmed ElBaradei Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists Anna Möller-Loswick

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📢 𝐏𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐥 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭❗ Join us for a panel discussion on “𝐆𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 & 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 – 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐄𝐔 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 & 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐄𝐮𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐑𝐓𝐎𝐬?” as part of the #EARTOPolicy2024, taking place on October 23rd. 📅 Moderated by Muriel Attané, Secretary General of EARTO - European Association of Research and Technology Organisations, the panel will delve into how #geopolitical #shifts and #technological #innovations are influencing the #EU’s #competitive edge and how #RTOs can help steer this transformation. 💪 🎤 Panelists: 🔸 Maria Cristina Russo (Director of Prosperity, DG Research & Innovation, European Commission) 🔸 Jesús Valero (EARTO Vice-President & Managing Director, TECNALIA Research & Innovation) 🔸 Georg List (VP Corporate Strategy and Research & Technology, AVL & WG R&I Chair, BusinessEurope) 🔸 Espen Solberg (Head of Research, Studies in Research and Research Policy, NIFU - Nordic institute for studies in Innovation, Research and Education) ❗ Excited to exchange views with these distinguished #experts on how #Europe can leverage #technology to address #global #challenges and stay #competitive on the world stage. 🌍 #EARTOPolicy2024 #EUCompetitiveness #Geopolitics #Innovation #ResearchAndTechnology #RTOs #EUInnovation #Collaboration

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Finally going to this as it’s pretty much on the doorstep. Looking forward to meeting others in the global community of practice. https://lnkd.in/ePAspKEC Who else is going? Top tips for getting the most learning from it?

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Join the process ! At a time when the most crucial questions are transforming our societies, parity is a radical solution The General Recommandation 40 adopted by the CEDAW Committee is the major instrument for global and sustainable change in line with the implementation of the Beijing 30 Platform. The equal and inclusive representation of women in all decision making processes is now operational in its official version . We propose a radical change towards parity based on parity 50/50 by 2030 as a starting point to build the world differently.

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🙏 Big thanks to Nexem for inviting CEDAG - European Council of Associations of General Interest at its national conference of the regions (Lille, 23 May 2024) that brings together all Nexem regional representatives and constituents. https://nexem.fr/ 💡 It was a great opportunity to present and confront some of the key European issues at stake at the EU level for associations with the reality of social services providers at the national level. 🔥 For #CEDAG, associations are considered as both providers of services of general interest & democratic actors of the civil society. As such, debates on the future of the internal market, the recognition of the non-profit and associative model of enterprise through #ECBA directive proposal of the European Commission, and access to EU funds #Helpdesk (https://eufunds4social.eu) are strongly echoing at the national level.

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