Happy Saturday.
Here’s today’s ITK Daily.
To be ITK, know this:
Fewer Americans want US taking major role in world affairs: Sixty-five percent of Americans prefer the US to take the leading (20%) or a major role (45%) in world affairs. This is down from 69% in 2019 and 72% as recently as 2017. The current figure is one percentage point below the prior low from 2011. In almost all years since Gallup first asked the question in 2001, more than seven in 10 Americans have favored a leading or major role for the US, including a high of 79% in February 2003. Gallup
+ 65% want a leading or major role for the US.
+ Republicans are much less likely to favor prominent roles than in the past.
+ Most Americans dissatisfied with the US position in the world
+ Ten percent of Republicans and 9% of independents, but only 3% of Democrats, want the US to have no international role.
+ Thirty-seven percent of Americans are satisfied, and 62% are dissatisfied with the US position in the world today.
+ Bottom line: While most Americans still want the US to have a major, if not the leading, role in international affairs, fewer than at any time in the past prefer this approach.
India, a key player of the great 'world disorder': Leader of non-aligned countries in the 1950s, New Delhi is taking advantage of increased international tensions in Europe as well as in the Indo-Pacific to assert a pivotal role as it feels emboldened by its demographic and economic weight. Le Monde
+ India's weight is further bolstered by the fact that it will become the most populous country in the world this year, ahead of China with a population of more than 1.4 billion, and that it has become the world's fifth-largest economy in 2022, supplanting Britain, the former colonizer.
+ "We are leaving behind those who have ruled us for 250 years," a sarcastic Modi said.
+ "Many countries do not want to choose between the West and Moscow or between Washington and Beijing. They are looking for a third option. This world offers a place to India" - Shivshankar Menon, former foreign secretary.
+ "I know ambassadors here in Delhi, like the Egyptian ambassador, who tell me they admire our ability to deal with many people at the same time" - Kanwal Sibal, former foreign secretary
+ "The relationship between New Delhi and Beijing is the blind spot of the multi-alignment policy," (Sushant) Singh said. For him, India "has not really been up to the task of responding diplomatically and militarily [to confrontations with Chinese soldiers during the 2020 clashes], showing the rest of the world that its power is limited. The West knows this but it needs India on its side because of China."
How gas from Texas becomes cooking fuel in France: Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Europe is importing US natural gas like never before to heat homes, generate electricity, and power factories. WSJ
+ Before an American molecule of gas can be burned by a power plant in Italy, used to cook in Spain or produce fertilizer in Germany, it has to be pumped out of the ground, treated, piped, chilled, loaded onto a ship and converted into gas again.
+ The journey spans the gas fields of Appalachia and the Gulf Coast, and involves thousands of miles of pipelines; giant, multibillion-dollar fridges; and a global fleet of special vessels.
+ Liquefaction units, or “trains,” are akin to multibillion-dollar fridges. They use refrigerants to chill natural gas to about minus 260 degrees Fahrenheit and turn it into a liquid form that is easier to transport.
+ LNG is shuttled via pipelines to arms hooked to the side of a tanker. These special pipes are designed to load cryogenic fuel into the vessels.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will travel to Ottawa and Washington next week: Topics will include Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act and sanctions if China provides weapons to Russia.
Watching the war from New York: For Ukrainians in the city, the past year has meant broken friendships, survivors’ guilt, and a new sense of identity. Curbed
+ Many Ukrainian New Yorkers in their 20s and 30s say the past year had changed how they see their identity and splintered their social lives. The war has led to online fights and unexpected tensions with friends, family, and colleagues — but it’s also led to more connections with other Ukrainians, especially as some have become involved in relief efforts.
Biden’s triumphant visit to Kyiv gives way to a sober war reality: The pageantry and defiance of the president’s covert trip masks what is an increasingly bloody, difficult-to-end war. Politico
At US base in Germany, Ukraine’s military conducts war games: NYT reports the exercises come as Ukraine is emerging from a winter that was expected to offer a lull in fighting. Ukraine’s president appeared to signal recently that the country is preparing for a major offensive.
Austria — it’s time to join NATO: The view that the country can remain neutral, balancing the interests of Russia and the West while also being part of the West, is no longer morally or politically tenable. Liam Hoare
+ Austria, though, has not yet gone through a fundamental rethink. Yes, it did sign onto the European Union’s sanctions against Russia and its financial aid regime in support of Ukraine, but it has opted out of any military participation, citing its constitutionally anchored “permanent neutrality” — a stance that is no longer feasible.
+ For Austria, neutrality has become an excuse to sit on its hands and do nothing while NATO supplies Ukraine’s military. The view that it can survive as a neutral country, balancing the interests of Russia and the West, while also being part of the West is no longer morally or politically tenable.
+ Austria should accept responsibility and join the NATO alliance.
+ Liam Hoare is the Europe editor for Moment Magazine and author of “The Vienna Briefing” newsletter on Austrian politics and culture.
France's Macron to host King Charles in first visit abroad as monarch: Reuters reports King Charles will travel to France on March 26-29 for his first state visit as Britain's monarch, the French presidency said on Friday, in a further sign of warming relations between Paris and London after years of bad blood over Brexit.
These countries could lure manufacturing away from China: Call them “Altasia.” Economist
Common sense points to a lab leak: Denials from authorities seemed political all along, and public trust will take a long time to recover. Peggy Noonan
+ Government finagling and misdirecting, especially in crises, are destructive to the long-term public good. And in the end, they’re always destructive to personal reputations.
+ Everything in your logic said this—common sense, Occam’s razor.
+ Whatever Xi Jinping is, he’s not a fool. His government is one of ideologues and killers, not a suicide cult.
Chinese experts downplay 'no-limits' friendship between Beijing and Moscow: International relations experts believe Beijing has nothing to gain from too close an alliance with the Kremlin and that China will not sell arms to Russia. Le Monde
+ China and Russia share the same point of view on the origin of "the Ukrainian crisis" but not on how to solve it: "China is against the use of force."
+ In his office at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, Pan Dawei is the most critical of the United States, a country he deems "too young, too crazy."
+ For him, the West lost a historic opportunity at the beginning of the 21st century to tie Russia to the Western world, a remark often heard in China.
+ "We are the number one supplier to the US and the number one trading partner of the EU. We are too connected to the West."
+ "China does not want to be a victim of the conflict"
AP: US, South Korea announce largest field exercises in 5 years
US, South Korea to hold 11-day military exercises this month: Nikkei reports the spring drills are the biggest in 5 years, reflecting North Korean advances and Ukraine lessons.
Demand for Himars rocket launcher grows in Asia-Pacific amid China threat: WSJ reports several countries in the region are considering purchasing the system, Lockheed Martin executive says.
Does technology win wars? The US military needs low-cost innovation—not big-ticket boondoggles. Jacquelyn Schneider
Washington’s favorite Republican is making all the right moves: The New Hampshire governor has been playing at this level for a while. Politico
DeSantis cannonballs into America’s deep blue states for war on ‘woke’ ahead of 2024: WP reports the Florida governor has used his trips to highlight his state’s accomplishments — citing statistics that sometimes mask far more complicated debates.
Die-hard Trump fans make it clear: They want DeSantis: DeSantis is on a book tour that’s part of a larger promotional push. Politico
+ As the favorite Republican of institutional Washington, Sununu joins some august company: People like former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman and former Ohio Gov. John Kasich once occupied the spot. But it was truly defined by the late Sen. John McCain, who melded purported straight talk, an accommodating team of media schedulers and a willingness to decry his own party’s wacko birds to turn himself into a Beltway crush for the ages.
+ One of the other things those men all had in common, of course, is that none of them became president — a pretty good indication that even in the good old days before anyone talked about swamps and mass-media implosions and million-follower social media accounts, the Beltway media club’s power to influence voters went only so far.
Ron DeSantis usually avoids the press. For Murdoch, he’ll make an exception. The Florida governor granted a rare interview to The Times of London, one of several Murdoch media properties he’s spoken with as he prepares a possible presidential bid. NYT
Classic.
+ DeSantis at one point became irritated with his interlocutor.
Trump calls for contest to create futuristic ‘Freedom Cities’: Politico reports the former president also wants to spark a wave of vertical-takeoff-and-landing vehicles.
‘Panic station at Fox News’: How the Murdochs agonized over Trump’s loss: Details of network’s handling of US election denialism explode into public view via Dominion lawsuit. FT
Future Democratic hopeful Ro Khanna takes on the Heartland from Silicon Valley: Khanna has a $2 trillion pitch to revitalize US manufacturing, with a catchphrase made for a campaign, but he has to get Congress on board. Bloomberg
+ The Bernie Sanders acolyte wants to replicate that formula in sectors like textiles, steel and offshore wind, pitching a "new economic patriotism" that he estimates will cost $2 trillion over 10 years.
+ He’ll make a decision on California’s open Senate seat by April. As for 2028, Khanna isn’t shy. “They say Bill Clinton showed up in New Hampshire in 1980,” he said. Khanna showed up in 2018.
+ As a son of Indian immigrants, and a former Stanford economics lecturer and technology lawyer, Khanna’s a fitting representative.
+ If Bucks County gave Khanna his policy inclinations, the University of Chicago gave him his political edge.
+ Khanna said he will back Biden if he runs in 2024. Asked to describe what a Khanna administration would look like, he responded by explaining what a progressive successor to Biden would do.
The Democrats’ SOS candidate keeps his options open: Gov. JB Pritzker of Illinois has maintained his political organization, built a progressive record, and is open about his ambitions. For now, he says, they don’t include the White House. NYT
+ “He would run for two good reasons,” said Ray LaHood, a former Republican congressman from Peoria who served as a transportation secretary in the Obama administration. “He’s a billionaire who’s not afraid to spend his own money, and he’s very progressive, which is where the Democratic Party is today.”
+ Pritzker’s signature initiative in his first term — ditching the state’s flat-rate income tax for a progressive structure — failed spectacularly in a 2020 referendum, but he secured the allegiance of the left with marijuana legalization legislation that expunged the records of half a million people convicted of low-level cannabis crimes.
Merrick Garland is a huge Taylor Swift fan: The attorney general routinely works her lyrics into conversations and legal arguments. ‘My favorite song is “Shake It Off.”’ WSJ
As AI booms, lawmakers struggle to understand the technology: Tech innovations are again racing ahead of Washington’s ability to regulate them, lawmakers and AI experts said. NYT
+ No bill has been proposed to protect individuals or thwart the development of AI’s potentially dangerous aspects. And legislation introduced in recent years to curb AI applications like facial recognition have withered in Congress.
+ The problem is that most lawmakers do not even know what AI is, said Representative Jay Obernolte, a California Republican and the only member of Congress with a master’s degree in artificial intelligence.
+ In the regulatory vacuum, the European Union has taken a leadership role. In 2021, EU policymakers proposed a law focused on regulating the AI technologies that might create the most harm, such as facial recognition and applications linked to critical public infrastructure like the water supply.
+ “We’re at the beginning of understanding this technology and weighing its great benefits and potential dangers,” said Representative Donald S. Beyer Jr., Democrat of Virginia, who recently began taking evening college classes on AI.
Poll: Michigan voters skeptical of electric vehicle transition: Detroit News reports Michigan voters are split on the auto industry's transition to electric vehicles, according to statewide survey results released Thursday by the Detroit Regional Chamber and polling firm Glengariff Group.
+ Around 46% of likely Michigan voters support the industry's shift, while around 44% oppose it. A third of overall respondents said they "strongly oppose" the change.
Bloomberg: VW will build a $2 billion electric truck and SUV plant in South Carolina
Burned out, more Americans are turning to part-time jobs: The number of people working part-time rose by 1.2 million in December and January—most were people who chose it. ‘25 hours is the new 35.’ WSJ
+ The increase in part-time workers reflects changes in the US economy and the historically tight labor market, according to economists, employers and workers.
+ As the pandemic led to burnout among some workers and drove many to reconsider their careers, some have downshifted to part-time roles.
+ “Part-time work for noneconomic reasons is expanding faster than one would think and it seems to have leveled up to a higher level,” said Lonnie Golden, an economist at Penn State Abington who studies the part-time workforce. “I don’t see it trending back.”
Amazon says it is pausing construction at HQ2 in Arlington: WP reports one set of offices is set to open later this year, but the largest piece of its new headquarters is being put on hold.
Bloomberg: Amazon is closing its cashierless stores in NYC, San Francisco, and Seattle
Can TikTok convince the world it is not a tool for China? Facing new restrictions and calls to be banned in the US and Europe, the popular app faces a fight for its future. FT
+ ByteDance paid $1bn for the popular app Musical.ly in 2017, merging it with its TikTok platform to cater to its youthful American user base.
+ As the app surged in popularity in the summer of 2020, then president Donald Trump vowed to ban it based on concerns that the Chinese government could use the platform to “build dossiers of personal information for blackmail and conduct corporate espionage.”
+ On Wednesday, the Republican-led House foreign affairs committee passed a bill that, if approved by both Houses of Congress, would give Biden the authority to ban TikTok completely in the US. The bill was opposed by the Democrats on the panel, and it remains unclear if it would ever reach the president’s desk.
+ “It’s a spy balloon into their phone.”
+ The company’s future rests on how the company’s chief executive Shou Zi Chew performs in front of the House energy and commerce committee on March 23.
+ TikTok insists it is separate from its Chinese owner, but ByteDance undeniably has a tight grip on the company.
+ The app is estimated to generate more than $10bn in revenue.
+ Most of TikTok’s income is derived from advertising, with an increasing number of marketers moving from traditional platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.
+ TikTok’s grand plan to allay lawmakers’ concerns — and guarantee its future — hinges on its efforts to physically fence off user data from China.
+ In the US, TikTok has spent more than $1.5bn on “Project Texas”, a corporate restructuring plan to safeguard user data through a partnership with US cloud software group Oracle.
+ So far, the geopolitical concerns do not appear to have hampered TikTok’s astronomical growth in the west, with the US, UK and Europe as its largest markets.
The geopolitics of TikTok Marc Ross
+ So wild are the extremes in Washington DC on how to deal with TikTok; on the same day back in September, Biden appeared in a TikTok video while TikTok CEO Vanessa Pappas appeared before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee testifying on data security.
Arm chooses New York over London for key technology listing: The Times reports Arm Holdings will float in New York rather than London this year, the company has confirmed, in a blow to the UK government’s ambitions to make Britain a “science and technology superpower.”
Taiwan's Foxconn eyes new iPhone factories in India: Nikkei reports the manufacturer's CEO visits 2 Indian states, looking to reduce dependence on China.
Watch this space...
Look for more quarterly earnings calls to have "India" and "China Plus One" mentioned by MNCs.
Why Hoka’s cartoonish-looking running shoes are suddenly everywhere: Designed to help trail runners handle extreme mountain grades, the distinctive soles are now gracing boots and sandals. FC
Insights I found compelling and communications lessons:
+ HOKA is No. 11 on Fast Company’s list of the World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies of 2023.
- Communications lesson: Embrace earned media
+ The brand became a hit with elite runners and was acquired by Deckers Brands in 2013.
- Communications lesson: Know the culture and get in with the pros
+ To woo the fashionable set, Hoka has collaborated with outerwear maker Moncler and clothing brand Free People on limited collections, which quickly sold out.
- Communications lesson: Know the culture and get in with the cool kids
+ As the brand expands into new shoes, “the three key ingredients we hyperfocus on are stability, cushioning, and an efficient rock from heel to toe,” says Colin Ingram, Hoka’s global VP of product.
- Communications lesson: Focus on just three brand vital, must-have differentiators
Colds haven’t changed. So why do they suddenly feel so bad? We all forgot how nasty colds are. Katherine J. Wu
+ After three years of largely being punted out of the limelight, a glut of airway pathogens—among them, adenovirus, RSV, metapneumovirus, parainfluenza, common-cold coronaviruses, and rhinoviruses galore—are awfully common again.
+ Most of us were very, very used to colds. Every year, adults, on average, catch two to three of the more than 200 viral strains that are known to cause the illnesses.
Bono and The Edge take Dave Letterman back to the start in A Sort of Homecoming: The documentary arrives on March 17. Rolling Stone
+ Bono & The Edge: A Sort of Homecoming with Dave Letterman, watch the trailer here.
Succession: Watch the trailer for the last season here.
Big 12 looking west, Pac-12 looking for a TV deal: What we’re hearing on realignment The Athletic
+ Expanding the Big 12 into the “fourth time zone” to establish a truly national conference and boost the value of his league’s media rights.
+ ESPN, Amazon, and Apple are the only known suitors, and any deal will likely put the majority of the league’s events on an over-the-top streaming service.
Enjoy the ride + plan accordingly.
-Marc
Marc A. Ross | Founder + Chief Communications Strategist @ Caracal
Caracal produces ITK Daily.
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