The Houthis have launched a major military offensive in Yemen, capturing critical strategic ports like Mokha and Perim Island, marking a significant shift in regional power. This escalation, which is viewed as an extension of Iranian influence, aims to establish Houthi control over the Bab el Mandeb Strait, thereby threatening global energy transit and opening a 'second front' in the broader Iran conflict. Because the anti-Houthi coalition remains militarily fragmented and lacks decisive external support, a purely military solution is unlikely. Consequently, external powers must prioritize containing the Houthi threat while the local partners urgently address their internal political divisions to prevent wider regional upheaval.
Public procurement and AI governance: Developing a strategic framework for middle powers
English Summary
The report argues that public procurement is a useful, yet bounded, governance instrument for middle powers dependent on foreign frontier AI. By embedding contractual guarantees—such as model access for evaluation and termination clauses—into state contracts, governments can mitigate risks like vendor lock-in and data sovereignty vulnerabilities. However, the analysis finds that individual state demand provides limited leverage; therefore, the key strategic recommendation is that middle powers must coordinate their procurement efforts. This collective action is necessary to aggregate demand, share evaluation capabilities, and strengthen their collective bargaining position against dominant AI providers.
中文摘要
本報告指出，公共採購對於依賴外來前沿人工智慧（AI）的中等國家而言，是一種有益但受限的治理工具。政府可透過將合約保證——例如用於評估的模型存取權和終止條款——嵌入國家合約中，從而減輕供應商鎖定和數據主權漏洞等風險。然而，分析發現單一國家的需求力量有限；因此，主要的戰略建議是中等國家必須協調其採購努力。這種集體行動對於聚集需求、共享評估能力，並強化其面對主導型AI供應商的集體議價能力至關重要。
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