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January 12, 2026 UNRWA’s Pivot To Ankara Cements a Future for Hamas in Turkey A conduit for terrorism has found a new home. On January 8, the Commissioner-General for United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini met with... January 9, 2026 Syria Risks a New War as Damascus Moves Against the Kurdish-Led SDF War looms amid intensifying clashes between government troops and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the country’s second-largest city, Aleppo. On January 7, Syrian army units encircled... January 9, 2026 CCP Raids Churches, Arrests Hundreds of Christians in ‘China’s Jerusalem’ Chinese authorities conducted a massive raid on Christian faith groups days before Christmas in Wenzhou — known as “China’s Jerusalem” — detaining hundreds of worshipers. Many were from Yayang... January 9, 2026 The Islamic Republic Imports Its Terror Network To Kill Peaceful Protesters The main target of the Iran-led Axis of Resistance today is unarmed protesters. The Islamic Republic has reportedly tapped its terrorist proxies to suppress the country’s ongoing protest wave, bringing... January 8, 2026 New Activity at Iranian Nuclear Site Shows Determination To Rebuild Program The United States and Israel may need to strike Iran again to keep nuclear weapons out of Tehran’s grasp. Construction is nearing the final stages at a former nuclear weapons site destroyed by Israel... January 8, 2026 China and Pakistan Increase Cooperation, Bring Taliban Into the Fold China and Pakistan are trying to bolster the Taliban’s global standing. Beijing and Islamabad released a joint statement on January 5 urging Taliban-controlled Afghanistan to curb attacks from affiliated... January 7, 2026 Israel-Syria Negotiations Show Promise, But Significant Obstacles Remain After months of rising tensions, Israel and Syria are back at the negotiating table in Paris. Syria’s state news agency reported that Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani and intelligence chief Hussein... January 7, 2026 Turkey’s Strategic Support for the Maduro Regime Deserves Attention Deposed Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro long had a friend in President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. In addition to diplomatic cover, under the Turkish leader, the regime in Caracas received an economic lifeline... January 7, 2026 China Wants To Switch Off Taiwan’s Critical Infrastructure Chinese cyberattacks against Taiwan’s critical infrastructure have risen over the past year, according to Taiwan’s National Security Bureau’s (NSB) annual assessment. In its efforts to undermine... January 6, 2026 U.S. Sees Korea as Potential Key To Supporting Taiwan It looks like the United States Forces Korea (USFK) are getting a new mission without being relieved of any of their old responsibilities. On January 4, Nikkei Asia reported comments by the USFK commander... December 31, 2025 Sectarian Fires Return to Syria’s Coast Sectarian tensions appear to be resurfacing in Syria’s Mediterranean coastal region, the home to the country’s largest concentration of the Alawite religious minority. The group held a privileged position... December 31, 2025 Iran’s Protests Reach Day Four. Washington Should Heed the Streets. Swelling waves of dissatisfaction are sweeping the Islamic Republic of Iran into the new year. What began on December 28 as demonstrations in downtown Tehran has crossed the country to Malard, Isfahan,... December 30, 2025 Updated Hamas ‘Narrative’ Signals Confidence About Keeping Power Hamas has released an updated version of its apologia for its October 7, 2023, murder of 1,200 people in Israel in a renewed effort to rally Palestinians and Israel’s opponents abroad. The glossy manifesto... December 30, 2025 Russia’s Maximalist Demands Remain Chief Obstacle to Peace Russia intends to “toughen” its stance in negotiations to end its war in Ukraine, the Kremlin declared on December 30 after claiming — without evidence — that Kyiv had attacked one of... December 30, 2025 Turkey Decries Cyprus–Greece–Israel Security Talks A new “axis of evil” has arisen in the eastern Mediterranean Sea — at least according to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s slavish media. The sharp reaction was brought about by a trilateral... December 30, 2025 China’s Rapid Military Build-Up Highlighted in New Report The United States is facing an ever-more sophisticated Chinese military. On December 23, the Department of Defense released its annual report on the state of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). The report... December 29, 2025 Iranian Influence Operation Targeting Israeli Arabs Exposed Iran’s probing of Israeli society for vulnerabilities is expanding beyond the Jewish population. Israeli NGO “FakeReporter” uncovered a multipronged influence operation targeting Israel’s Arab... December 29, 2025 China Launches New Drills Around Taiwan, Regional Tensions Rise China is targeting Taiwan with a short but intense series of military exercises around the island. On December 29, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) launched the two-day “Justice Mission 2025,”... December 23, 2025 A Deal to Help Bring Syria Together Nears Collapse In just a little more than a week, Syria could return to the civil strife its people suffered under for 13 years. A March deal to unify the militaries of President Ahmad al-Sharaa and the Kurdish-led Syrian... December 19, 2025 U.S. Blockades Sanctioned Oil Tankers in Venezuela. Iran Deserves the Same Treatment The waters off the shores of President Nicolas Maduro’s Bolivarian Republic are getting choppy for the dictator. After the U.S. Coast Guard seized the Skipper, a Venezuelan supertanker, on December 10,... December 19, 2025 New Mexican Tariffs Strike a Blow Against China Mexico is picking a side in the U.S.-China trade war. On December 10, the country’s congress voted to authorize tariffs of up to 50 percent on imports from China in a significant escalation of its existing... December 19, 2025 With Sham Election, Myanmar Junta Seeks To Give Foreign Governments Pretext for Engagement Myanmar will hold national elections starting on December 28. Myanmar’s ruling junta is selling this vote as a step toward stability, but nothing in the country’s political or economic landscape supports... December 18, 2025 Congressional Investigation Reveals Federal Research Funding Underwrote China’s Expanding Nuclear Program The United States unknowingly funneled research funding into China’s nuclear industry. On December 17, the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the House Committee on Education... December 18, 2025 AI Is a Gift to Cyber Scammers and Nation-State Hackers This Holiday Season This holiday season, the Grinch is using a computer to steal Christmas. The Department of Treasury’s Office of Cybersecurity and Critical Infrastructure Protection (OCCIP) released its annual consumer... December 17, 2025 Florida Follows Texas, Brands Muslim Brotherhood as Terrorist Organization Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed an executive order on December 9 designating the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as terrorist organizations. In doing so, DeSantis... December 12, 2025 Israel Moves To Secure Its Most Vulnerable Border Israel’s longest and most porous border, shared with Jordan, has been the scene of smuggling and multiple infiltrations. Iran and its proxies have led much of the activity to funnel materiel to Palestinian... December 12, 2025 Iran’s Workers Want To Unite for Better Conditions, but Need Outside Help Iran’s workers are standing up for themselves and, increasingly, looking to join with others. Nearly 5,000 oil workers marched on December 9 in the South Pars natural gas field, the largest labor mobilization... December 11, 2025 Yemen’s Southern Secessionists on the March The rapid expansion of the separatist Southern Transitional Council (STC) in Yemen is moving the balance of power and may lead to a redrawing of the map. Forces aligned with the STC, which... December 11, 2025 Fight To Keep China Out of U.S. K-12 Classrooms Comes to Congress American children in grades K-12 are influenced by many things, including their parents, peers, and various forms of media. China, Qatar, and Iran don’t belong on the list, and three recent bills moving... December 10, 2025 Venezuelan Oil Exports Continued Despite U.S. Escalation in November U.S. pressure on Venezuela’s strongman, Nicolás Maduro, is increasing — his cartel has just been designated a terrorist organization and an American aircraft carrier group is circling off his coast... December 10, 2025 Chinese Jets Target Japanese Fighters, Escalating Tensions Between Beijing and Tokyo Chinese fighter pilots have upped the ante in the East China Sea. On December 6, The Wall Street Journal reported that two Chinese J-15 fighters from the aircraft carrier Liaoning twice trained their fire-control... December 10, 2025 Rolling Back Export Controls, U.S. Offers China Powerful AI Chips The United States has instituted a pay-to-play scheme for artificial intelligence (AI) exports. On December 8, President Donald Trump announced that the Commerce Department would allow American AI semiconductor... December 10, 2025 Top Hamas Officials Contradict Each Other Over Disarmament Hamas officials are sending mixed messages over disarmament. On December 7, a day after Hamas leader Khaled Mashal rejected aspects of President Trump’s 20-point ceasefire plan for Gaza, including disarmament,... December 10, 2025 Turkey Puts Fragile Deal Between Damascus and Kurdish Forces at Greater Risk If the agreement collapses, violence may be imminent. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have spent months negotiating with the government in Damascus how to implement their March agreement... December 8, 2025 Washington Temporarily Shuts Pretoria Out of the G20 South Africa’s relations with the United States are spiraling downward. “America will be forging ahead with a new G20,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on December 4 — one that does not include... December 8, 2025 Putin’s New Nationalities Strategy Seeks To Erase Ukrainian Identity While he accuses Kyiv of repressing Russian identity and language in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin is working to erase Ukrainian identity in Ukrainian territories he has illegally annexed.... December 8, 2025 Iraq Almost Takes a Stand Against Iran’s Terrorist Proxies — Then Doesn’t The Iraqi government did the right thing and froze the assets of Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthis, but once the story made news on December 4, the government walked its decision back within hours. In... December 8, 2025 America’s Allies Step Up Pressure on Iran. They Deserve Support. President Donald Trump doesn’t want to float anybody’s foreign policy anymore. Washington’s quest to better balance foreign policy priorities and have allies do more is reflected everywhere... December 5, 2025 Eyeing Russia, Germany Fields First Israeli Arrow 3 Missile Defense System The renewed Russian threat to Europe led Germany to field its first Israeli Arrow 3 ballistic missile defense system on Wednesday. Europe is working to improve its air and missile defenses in the face... December 4, 2025 U.S. Approval for South Korean Enrichment of Uranium Would Be a Serious Mistake South Korea may soon have uranium enrichment technology. “We agreed to a 50-50 joint venture,” South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said, disclosing that when President Donald Trump visited South Korea... December 4, 2025 Iran’s Oil Exports Remained Near Peak in November Although Iran’s oil exports dipped slightly from their October high of 2.15 million barrels per day (mbpd), its exports in November remained robust at 2.06 mbpd, for a total of 61.8 million barrels,... December 4, 2025 Preventing Violence in Southern Syria Depends on Damascus and Jerusalem Reaching an Agreement “Israel must maintain a strong and true dialogue with Syria,” President Donald Trump said on December 1, amid rising tensions between the two countries. On November 27, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF)... December 3, 2025 Taiwanese President Proposes New Investment in Island’s Defense Amidst Rising Regional Tensions In response to Beijing’s belligerence, Taiwan is planning to invest in its own security. On November 26, Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te announced a proposed special budget of $40 billion to strengthen... November 26, 2025 Former South African Foreign Minister’s U.S. Visa Revoked “She led South Africa to sue Israel for genocide,” read a flyer for a recent appearance by Naledi Pandor in Houston. Don’t expect another U.S. speech in the near future from the former South African... November 26, 2025 Chinese Government Mouthpiece Calls for Nuclear Attack on Japan Guancha, a Chinese state-run media outlet, openly called for nuclear strikes on Japan after Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi told the Japanese legislature earlier this month that Tokyo might defend... November 26, 2025 DeepSeek May Intentionally Produce Malicious Code Due to Chinese Political Bias, Research Shows China’s top artificial intelligence (AI) models don’t simply follow the Communist Party line — they act on it. On November 20, the cybersecurity firm CloudStrike published a study suggesting that... November 25, 2025 Peace in Ukraine Unlikely Until Putin’s Calculus Changes Moscow will reject Washington’s new peace plan if it does not meet Russia’s maximalist demands, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov insinuated on Tuesday as U.S. and Russian officials met to discuss the... November 25, 2025 Unsolved Murder of Bedouin Couple Fans Sectarian Flames in Syria Syria seems to be inching back towards fracturing. On November 23, unknown individuals killed a husband and wife from a Sunni Arab Bedouin tribe in Homs Province. Authorities found slogans written at the... November 25, 2025 Iranian Operation Targets Israeli Academics Iran’s henchmen have a penchant for threatening political opponents with violence, which has taken new form in the digital age. The Jerusalem Post revealed on November 21 that a new organization, the... November 25, 2025 Chinese Electric Buses Trigger Cybersecurity Alarm Across Europe China’s reach into critical infrastructure threatens to disrupt Europeans’ daily commute. On November 19, The Wall Street Journal reported that the Oslo transportation authority, working in conjunction...

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