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December 16, 2022 Key Flaws Hamstring Russia Oil Price Cap The G7, European Union (EU), and Australia formally adopted a mechanism to “cap” the price of Russian oil exports earlier this month, aimed at squeezing the Kremlin’s coffers while avoiding a spike... December 7, 2022 U.S.-French Commitment to Secure Space Assets Shines a Light on Cyber Vulnerability In a joint statement with French President Emmanuel Macron, President Joe Biden committed on Thursday to strengthening the cybersecurity of commercial space systems. The vulnerability of these systems stems... December 7, 2022 How Biden, Congress can stop the UN from legitimizing antisemitism United Nations officials urged countries in October and November to reject the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, the global benchmark for identifying... December 6, 2022 Biden Must Act to Prevent a Turkish Attack on US Partners in Northern Syria Following a barrage of air strikes against Kurdish targets in northern Syria, the Turkish government has vowed to follow up with a ground campaign against the Syrian-Kurdish People’s Protection Units... November 22, 2022 No Room for Half-Measures in Aviation Cybersecurity A Boeing-owned subsidiary, Jeppesen, confirmed in early November that a cyber incident had impacted flight planning and communication software, causing flight delays for airlines using their services. In... November 18, 2022 IAEA Board Votes to Censure Iran, but Accountability Requires a Snapback of UN Sanctions On Thursday, the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Board of Governors voted to censure Iran for prolonged non-compliance with Tehran’s obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty... November 17, 2022 Wary of China, Israel Toughens Screening of Foreign Investments The Israeli Cabinet’s National Security Affairs Committee approved a resolution on October 12 to establish a more rigorous oversight mechanism to prevent foreign investments that pose national security... November 15, 2022 Cyber Insurance Settlements Leave Big Questions Unresolved Major snack distributor Mondelez reached a settlement this month with its insurer, Zurich, after a five-year legal battle over whether the insurance company would cover losses Mondelez suffered from the... November 14, 2022 Lawmakers Urge More Action to Ensure Resilience of the U.S. Economy Two Republican lawmakers sent a letter to President Joe Biden earlier this month expressing concern about the “limited action” the administration has taken to create plans to ensure the Continuity of... October 20, 2022 China, Russia Deepen Partnership on Satellite Navigation China and Russia signed contracts late last month to host ground stations for their respective global navigation satellite systems (GNSSs), BeiDou and GLONASS, which are alternatives to the U.S.-run Global... October 18, 2022 For Sanctions to Work in Bosnia, EU Must Join the U.S. The U.S. Treasury Department on September 26 and October 3 imposed sanctions against prominent Bosnian individuals and entities for allegedly engaging in corruption and eroding democracy in Bosnia and... October 13, 2022 Latest Ransomware Attack on U.S. Healthcare System Exposes Critical Weaknesses CommonSpirit Health, the second-largest non-profit hospital chain in the United States, suffered a ransomware attack last week. The latest in a string of cyberattacks against the healthcare and public health... October 7, 2022 Ukraine’s NATO Bid is a Test of the “Open Door” Ukraine has formally applied for full membership in NATO. This historic move will be a major test to the alliance’s official “open door” to new members. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made... October 7, 2022 China wins human rights vote at UN, exposing flaws of Biden’s reform plan The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) this week voted down a proposal from the United States, Britain, Turkey, and others to hold a debate about the Chinese government’s persecution of Uighur... October 7, 2022 Growing Trade Signals Deeper Ties Between Iran and Turkey According to Turkish government sources, bilateral trade between Turkey and Iran increased sharply over the last six months. Although formally a U.S. ally through NATO, Turkey appears determined to deepen... September 29, 2022 Turkish Banks Suspend Use of Russia’s Mir Payment System Three Turkish state-owned banks suspended their use of the Russian payment system “Mir” — Moscow’s alternative to the Brussels-based SWIFT messaging service — on Tuesday. This move comes amid... September 29, 2022 U.S. Must Show Russia There Is No Impunity for Chemical Weapons Use A meeting next week of the Executive Council (EC) of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) presents an opportunity for the United States and its allies to demand Russian compliance... September 22, 2022 Hezbollah Emerging as Winner from Israel-Lebanon Maritime Talks Israel and Lebanon are apparently close to a final agreement delineating their maritime border after a Lebanese government delegation met with the Biden administration’s energy envoy, Amos Hochstein,... September 21, 2022 Washington Punishes Iranian Cyber Actors While Preparing to Enrich Regime The U.S. Treasury Department issued two sets of sanctions against Iran in mid-September for its malicious cyber operations. While the sanctions and other corresponding U.S. government actions raise awareness... September 15, 2022 U.S. Should Deny Visa to Iranian President A bipartisan group of 52 U.S. lawmakers asked President Joe Biden on Monday to deny Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi permission to visit New York for the UN General Assembly later this month. This would... August 15, 2022 Despite Growth, Inflation Surges in Iran Under Raisi This month marks the first anniversary of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi’s assumption of power, but he has failed to fulfill one of his key campaign pledges: to relieve Iran’s economic plight. Over... August 11, 2022 Time for Change at the UN’s Human Rights Division UN Secretary-General António Guterres is due to appoint a new UN high commissioner for human rights to replace Michele Bachelet, whose term expires on August 31. The new commissioner will have an opportunity... August 5, 2022 U.S. Senate votes 95-1 to add Finland and Sweden to NATO alliance The U.S. Senate voted 95-1 on Wednesday to add Finland and Sweden to the NATO alliance. The overwhelming vote is a major rebuke of Russian President Vladimir Putin and a resounding expression of American... July 28, 2022 Algeria Leads Campaign to Rehabilitate Assad Regime While visiting Damascus to meet with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra called on Monday for Syria’s return to the Arab League. Lamamra’s trip to Damascus is... July 22, 2022 Cyber Vulnerabilities in Medical Devices Put Patients at Risk The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) closed the public comment period earlier this month on draft cybersecurity guidance for new medical devices after receiving more than a thousand comments from patients,... July 21, 2022 Iranian Official Claims Tehran Has Nuclear Threshold Status A foreign policy adviser to Iran’s supreme leader said on Sunday, “It is no secret that we have become a nuclear threshold country. This is the reality. This is the fact.” This statement implies Tehran... July 19, 2022 U.S. Standards Body Reaches Critical Milestone for Mitigating the Quantum Threat, But More Work Is Needed The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) announced at the beginning of July the successful testing and selection of the first four algorithms that will become part of NIST’s post-quantum... July 18, 2022 The UN Has Now Spent $81.6 Million at the Four Seasons Damascus The United Nations released new procurement data last week showing that its agencies spent an additional $11.5 million last year at the Four Seasons Damascus, for a total of $81.6 million since 2014. The... July 13, 2022 Washington Should Keep the IRGC’s Khatam al-Anbiya on Its Sanctions List As part of negotiations to revive a version of the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran is reportedly demanding the suspension of U.S. sanctions imposed on Khatam al-Anbiya Construction Headquarters, the Islamic Revolutionary... July 8, 2022 Strict Oversight Needed for New U.S-Backed Counter-China Infrastructure Initiative The United States, in partnership with other Group of 7 (G7) nations, launched an initiative last week aimed at raising $600 billion to fund infrastructure projects in low- and middle-income countries over... July 7, 2022 Hezbollah Drones Target Israeli Gas Rigs, Amplify U.S. Pressure on Israel The Israeli military last week shot down three unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that the Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah had launched toward one of Israel’s offshore rigs at the Karish gas field. The... June 24, 2022 U.S.-Backed Gas Deal Will Benefit Assad Regime At a ceremony in Beirut, the governments of Lebanon, Syria, and Egypt signed a deal on Tuesday that would bring 650 million cubic meters of Egyptian gas per year to Lebanon via Syria. The Biden administration... June 24, 2022 Erdogan Announces Presidential Candidacy Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last week formally announced his candidacy for re-election to a third consecutive term. The announcement aims to compel the Nation Alliance, an electoral coalition... June 23, 2022 Treasury Targets Iranian Sanctions-Busting Network as Nuclear Talks Remain Stalled The Biden administration last week sanctioned a network of Iranian petrochemical producers and related front companies, a response to the deadlock in negotiations with Tehran over a return to the 2015 nuclear... June 17, 2022 Across Party Lines, Senators Tell Biden to Get Tough on Assad At a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee last week, senators from across the political spectrum pressed the Biden administration to isolate Syria’s criminal regime and fully enforce the... June 16, 2022 Iran Further Inhibits IAEA Monitoring in Possible ‘Fatal Blow’ to the Nuclear Deal The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed last week that Iran had begun removing 27 IAEA cameras monitoring its nuclear program. Tehran’s step, which came in retaliation to a formal admonishment... June 6, 2022 Treasury Sanctions Cryptocurrency Exchange, But International Enforcement Still Lacking The U.S. Department of the Treasury in May sanctioned a major digital-currency mixer, Blender.io, which North Korea has used to launder $20.5 million in funds stolen from a gaming-focused blockchain project... June 2, 2022 China’s Multilateral March Continues China scored several diplomatic victories last week at the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), amplifying concerns about the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP’s) efforts... May 27, 2022 Top Russian Bank Launches Apparent Attempt to Evade Sanctions Russian media reported last week that state-owned Sberbank, the country’s largest financial institution, had sold some of its assets to an obscure company established in March. The sale likely reflects... May 20, 2022 Consider Designating Russia as a Jurisdiction of Primary Money Laundering Concern Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) last week called on the Treasury Department to designate a Russian bank and two related entities as institutions of “primary money laundering concern” (PMLC) under Section... May 16, 2022 President Biden’s Missed Opportunities at U.S.-ASEAN Summit President Joe Biden hosted an in-person summit last week with leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a bloc of 10 countries with a total annual GDP of approximately $3 trillion.... May 12, 2022 Biden Should Press WHO to Suspend Russia The member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) European Region overwhelmingly passed a resolution on May 10 condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with 43 votes in favor and only Russia, Belarus,... May 11, 2022 IRGC-Controlled Iranian Airline Makes Unexplained Flights to Russia Amidst Invasion of Ukraine The U.S.-sanctioned Iranian airline Qeshm Fars Air has flown to Moscow at least seven times since mid-April after having made that trip only twice last year, according to the flight tracking service FlightRadar24.... May 3, 2022 State Department Report Glosses Over Assad’s Narco-Trafficking Wealth In a congressionally mandated report issued last week, the State Department made a single passing reference to drug trafficking as a source of wealth for the family of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. The... April 29, 2022 Iran Increases Funding for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Iran significantly increased its funding in 2021 for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the regime’s primary tool for exporting Islamist extremism and supporting terrorist groups, according... April 21, 2022 New State Department Report Admits Iran May Be Hiding Nuclear Activities The Biden administration has “serious concerns” about “possible undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran,” according to an annual report the State Department released on Tuesday. The administration’s... April 21, 2022 China’s COVID-19 Crisis Threatens to Derail Xi’s Ambitious Economic Agenda The fallout from Chinese Communist Party (CCP) General Secretary Xi Jinping’s failed zero-COVID-19 policies threatens to undermine public trust in CCP governance in ways not seen since the Tiananmen era.... April 20, 2022 North Korean Hackers Stole $620 Million Worth of Cryptocurrency, FBI Finds The FBI attributed a $620 million cryptocurrency theft to the North Korean hacking group Lazarus last week, while the Treasury Department sanctioned the digital wallet in which Lazarus had stashed the stolen... April 13, 2022 Iran Likely to Gain More Than $70 Billion From the Removal of Oil Sanctions Mohsen Khojastemehr, the CEO of the National Iranian Oil Company, said earlier this month that Iran’s oil production has returned to its pre-sanctions levels. While this claim may constitute an exaggeration,... April 12, 2022 Iran’s Centrifuge Manufacturing Goes Underground The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported last week that Iran is concentrating its centrifuge production equipment at two centrifuge manufacturing facilities — both likely located beneath...

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