The United States Intelligence community released its annual Global Threat Assessment Report which analyses the fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic; the economic and political implications of the pandemic which will ripple through the world for years
The assessment states that the global disruption resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic has set off great power competition, the disruptive effects of ecological degradation and a changing climate, an increasing number of empowered non-state actors, and rapidly evolving technology. Transnational issues such as migration, global terrorism, rapidly emerging technologies, and their security implications are also highlighted. US Intel emphasizes key international communities China, Russia, South Korea, and Iran and their influence in the United States.
Competition for power and resources, ethnic strife, and ideology will drive insurgency and civil war in many countries. According to the report, throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, a string of contentious elections will elevate the risk of political instability and violence. Ecological degradation and a changing climate will continue to fuel disease outbreaks, threaten food and water security, and exacerbate political instability and humanitarian crises post COVID-19.
“East Africa will struggle with ethnic conflict in Ethiopia, power struggles within the transitional government in Sudan, and continued instability in Somalia, while a volatile mixture of intercommunal violence and terrorism will threaten West Africa’s stability. Conflicts, ungoverned spaces, the marginalization of some communities, and persistent communications connectivity are likely to fuel terrorism during the next year, particularly in the Sahel and parts of eastern and southern Africa|” the assessment read.
