Mercedes Page
@mercedespage.bsky.social
440 followers 420 following 25 posts
Geopolitics, tech, cyber, China and the Indo-Pacific | ex 🇦🇺 government, think tanker |
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mercedespage.bsky.social
Made a (very) quick starter pack of Australia's foreign policy, security, and IR community to keep up as more people jump over from the Bad Place. It’s a work in progress, so if I missed anyone or if you want to be included let me know!

go.bsky.app/VqMquA
Reposted by Mercedes Page
aspi-org.bsky.social
'If democracies fail to approach WSIS with the magnitude it deserves, 2025 may well mark the end of the open global internet. The battle for the internet is not just about digital governance- it’s the frontline of the broader struggle over the global order,' writes @mercedespage.bsky.social.
The battle for the internet | The Strategist
Democracies and authoritarian states are battling over the future of the internet in a little-known UN process. The United Nations is conducting a 20-year review of its World Summit on the Information...
www.aspistrategist.org.au
mercedespage.bsky.social

What's on the geopolitical horizon in 2025? 🌍

My latest piece takes a deep dive into the 2025 geopolitical calendar, unpacking the critical meetings, summits, elections, and potential flashpoints to watch that will shape the year ahead.

🔗 www.aspistrategist.org.au/the-2025-geo...
The 2025 geopolitical calendar | The Strategist
The geopolitical landscape in 2025 is set to be defined by volatility, with the world more fragmented and polarised than ever before. In this complex and interconnected global environment, staying att...
www.aspistrategist.org.au
Reposted by Mercedes Page
volts.wtf
This has always been my worst fear about climate change: the worse it gets, the more geopolitical chaos it causes; the more geopolitical chaos there is, the harder it is to cooperate to fight climate change.

theconversation.com/a-doom-loop-...
A ‘doom loop’ of climate change and geopolitical instability is beginning
Climate change is driving inflation and instability, which harms climate action. But it’s not too late to escape the doom loop.
theconversation.com
mercedespage.bsky.social
My #SpotifyWrapped2024: Geopolitics Ed.

Top Tracks of 2024

1️⃣ "BRICS Rising" 🌍 – Multipolar Vibes
2️⃣ "Digital Iron Curtain" – Fragmentation Beats
3️⃣ "The Return of MAGA" 🇺🇸 – Comeback Hits

2024 was a year of major power (dis)chords. Turns out I streamed way too many crisis-core playlists this year!
mercedespage.bsky.social
My #SpotifyWrapped2024: Geopolitics Edition

✨Top Artist: China: "A Shared Future for Mankind" with "Win-Win Beats" on repeat

🎵Most Played: "Decoupling (Cold War Remix)"

🔥Top Genre: Geostrategic Bangers– nothing hits harder than major power plays

🕊️Least Played: "Global Harmony"- maybe next year?
mercedespage.bsky.social
Stoli officially files for bankruptcy in the US after Russian ransomware attacks and years of legal battles with the Russian government.

amp.9news.com.au/article/a554...
Stoli vodka files for bankruptcy in US amid legal stoush with Russian government
amp.9news.com.au
Reposted by Mercedes Page
Reposted by Mercedes Page
austinramzy.bsky.social
Investigators suspect a Chinese bulk carrier deliberately severed two critical data cables last week as its anchor was dragged along the Baltic seabed for over 100 miles.

Their probe now centers on whether the captain of the ship was induced by Russian intelligence.

www.wsj.com/world/europe...
Exclusive | Chinese Ship’s Crew Suspected of Deliberately Dragging Anchor for 100 Miles to Cut Baltic Cables
NATO warships have surrounded Yi Peng 3, a Chinese bulk carrier at the center of an international probe into suspected sabotage.
www.wsj.com
mercedespage.bsky.social
"... countries like Sweden are ramping up war preparedness campaigns, urging their citizens to stockpile essentials and mentally brace for crises. Millions of Swedes have begun receiving copies of a pamphlet advising the population how to cope in the event of war or another unexpected crisis."
How Sweden is Preparing Its Citizens for War - ABC listen
With tensions escalating in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Nordic countries like Sweden are ramping up war preparedness campaigns, urging their citizens to stockpile essentials and mentally brace for cr...
www.abc.net.au
Reposted by Mercedes Page
onglynette.bsky.social
“Chinese state media has sunk considerable resources into Twitter, via unlabeled state-sponsored influencers, huge bot networks, the famous 50 cent army, … The Twitter bird, they thought, had finally been caged.”Then comes Bluesky. toosimple.substack.com/p/bluesky-ta...
As Bluesky takes flight, China has got a Twitter problem
For years, state media have been seeking to grab the microphone. Now Musk has handed them it.. no one is listening?
toosimple.substack.com
Reposted by Mercedes Page
nytimes.com
Tracking Trump’s cabinet and staff nominations: Here are President-elect Donald Trump’s intended nominees and appointees for his second-term cabinet and other high-level positions.
Tracking Trump’s Cabinet and Staff Nominations
These are President-elect Donald J. Trump’s intended nominees and appointees for his second-term cabinet and other high-level positions.
www.nytimes.com
mercedespage.bsky.social
"... aggressive Chinese hacking activity has not let up despite efforts across multiple administrations to counter it. Sanctions, public accusations, network takedowns, indictments — nothing has made a real dent in the Chinese agencies’ calculus." www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
Top senator calls Salt Typhoon ‘worst telecom hack in our nation’s history’
The severity of the Chinese breach highlights the need for more telecommunications regulation, lawmakers say.
www.washingtonpost.com
Reposted by Mercedes Page
shashj.bsky.social
“We’re not big believers in coincidences any more” - a European diplomat to me this morning.
ciaranm.bsky.social
Yes subsea cables get cut by mistake all the time but as i sit in the middle of Helsinki in a blizzard I’m not meeting very many Finns who believe the accidental theory this time…

www.bbc.com/news/article...
Germany suspects sabotage over severed undersea cables in Baltic - BBC News
The two countries say they are "deeply concerned" as they raise the possibility of sabotage.
www.bbc.com
mercedespage.bsky.social
you're fighting the good fight James!
mercedespage.bsky.social
A starter pack of the Australian foreign policy, security and international relations community. As more accounts join, let me know if there's anyone that has been missed or if you'd like to be added 👇

go.bsky.app/VqMquA
Reposted by Mercedes Page
mercedespage.bsky.social
Made a (very) quick starter pack of Australia's foreign policy, security, and IR community to keep up as more people jump over from the Bad Place. It’s a work in progress, so if I missed anyone or if you want to be included let me know!

go.bsky.app/VqMquA
mercedespage.bsky.social
Impressive Mick! I've read majority fiction this year (first time ever) and they've all been realllly crappy murder mysteries (death & croissants, murder at the chateaux, fatal fried rice etc). Think I need to sneak some quality titles in over the next 6 weeks to round out the year!