HackerNews Summary (2023-06-11 08AM)

Source: Panama Canal takes water saving measures in face of ‘unprecedented drought’

Summary
The Panama Canal is experiencing an “unprecedented” drought, with the 2023 drought being the driest year on record. The Canal administrator warns that the impact of the drought could worsen due to the arrival of the “El Nino” phenomenon, which may reduce the five-year cycle of these droughts to once every three years.

Fact

💦 The Panama Canal requires 200m litres of water to allow a single vessel passage, which is largely generated by Lake Gatun.

🔴 Due to an “unprecedented” drought, the lake is drying up fast, and the canal had to implement control measures like reduced locks draught to manage water levels.

🌍 The Panamanian government has declared a climate emergency to address the situation.

Source: A Tradecraft Primer

Summary
This primer provides analytical techniques to deal with problems of intelligence, such as incomplete information, complexity of international developments, and the limitations of the human mind. The primer covers challenges of understanding intentions and capabilities of adversaries, multiple actors, and globalization’s impact on complex interactive systems.

Fact

🤔 Analysts can use the primer’s techniques to deal with the complexity of international developments, incomplete & ambiguous information, and the limitations of the human mind.

🕵️‍♀️ It’s challenging to understand the intentions and capabilities of adversaries and foreign actors, especially when they are concealed.

👥 Transnational threats involve multiple actors, including non-state entities, who can adapt and transform themselves faster than those seeking to contain them.

🌎 Globalization has increased the diversity of outcomes when complex, interactive systems such as financial flows, regional economies, or the international system as a whole are in flux.

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