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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... November 24, 2025 Israel Killed Top Commander Because Lebanon Isn’t Disarming Hezbollah Hezbollah’s active and ongoing regeneration is leading Israel to take increasingly drastic measures to hinder the group’s rearmament. On November 23, an Israeli airstrike targeted a residential building... November 24, 2025 Eyeing Turkey, Israel and Greece Work To Deepen Defense Ties Israel and Greece, two of America’s key Mediterranean partners, are deepening their defense ties as both face continued Turkish hostility. This cooperation includes sales of advanced Israeli weapons,... November 24, 2025 Beit Hanoun’s Lesson for Achieving Victory in Gaza Israel rightly framed the October 10 ceasefire and hostage release as a strategic victory over Hamas. The Palestinian terrorist organization may have secured only a temporary reprieve before... November 21, 2025 Russia Eyes Return to Southern Syria Russia stepped foot in southern Syria for the first time since the fall of Bashar al-Assad almost a year ago. On November 17, a Russian military delegation traveled to the southern region, where they conducted... November 21, 2025 To Protect U.S. Cloud Computing, Follow the UK’s Example Modern life operates in the cloud. Banking, business transactions, and even government intelligence relies on cloud computing. Cybersecurity and technical failures by cloud computing companies therefore... November 20, 2025 U.S., Mexico Step Up Cooperation on Cartel Money Laundering Drug traffickers cannot spend their piles of cash unless other criminals are willing to launder their money for them. Without access to clean cash, cartels can’t invest in luxury properties, buy businesses,... November 19, 2025 China Keeps the Axis of Aggressors Afloat With Oil Imports Beijing continues to import oil from key U.S. adversaries. According to TankerTrackers, China imported 8.31 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude oil in October, only slightly lower than its September... November 19, 2025 Russia Escalates Early Election Interference in Armenia as Yerevan Deepens Its Pivot Toward the West Russia has launched an unusually early disinformation campaign targeting Armenia’s June 2026 parliamentary elections, according to a report published last week by the disinformation watchdog NewsGuard. Since April, Kremlin-linked networks have pushed false narratives across multiple platforms, aiming to erode trust in Armenia’s democratic institutions, discredit Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s pro-Western government, and create instability that could help pro-Russia actors regain influence. The campaign comes as Armenia has sought to distance itself from Russia while aligning more closely with Europe and the United States, diminishing Moscow’s influence in a region it has long dominated. November 19, 2025 State Television Shows Chinese Military Using LiDAR-Equipped Robotic “Wolves” During Amphibious Assault Exercises Chinese forces have unveiled a new weapons system out of science fiction: semi-autonomous rifle-toting four-legged robots. On November 13, multiple Western news outlets released Chinese state television... November 18, 2025 China and Japan Clash Over Taiwan China is increasingly isolating Taiwan to force the island’s capitulation. On November 13, the Chinese Foreign Ministry strongly condemned remarks by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Japan’s... November 14, 2025 Iraq’s Election Is Over, But the Real Winner Has Yet To Be Determined The voting is done in Iraq, but that doesn’t mean there will be a new government anytime soon. The preliminary results of the November 11 election didn’t contain shocking conclusions, but neither did... November 14, 2025 U.S. Diplomacy Key in Bridging SDF-Syrian Government Gaps The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are committed to “accelerating the integration of the SDF into the Syrian state,” SDF commander Mazloum Abdi stated on November 11. The assertion followed a White... November 14, 2025 Kazakhstan To Join the Abraham Accords, Signaling Opportunity in Central Asia Kazakhstan has reached out to the United States in an unprecedented fashion — by improving relations with Israel. Prior to a November summit between the United States and five Central Asia countries,... November 13, 2025 Normalizing Ties Between Saudi Arabia and Israel Should Be Trump’s North Star When MBS Visits White House November is shaping up to be an historic month at the White House. After welcoming Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa to the Oval Office on November 10, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) will... November 13, 2025 Georgian PM’s Visit to China Highlights Beijing’s Growing Footprint in South Caucasus China is a “role model for modernization” and a “champion of peace,” Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze declared during a visit to Shanghai in early November, where the two countries signed... November 13, 2025 Using Shutdown as Cover, Suspected Chinese Hackers Target the Congressional Budget Office While President Donald Trump raved about his meeting with Chinese paramount leader Xi Jinping in South Korea on October 30, it was business as usual for Beijing, targeting Washington’s secrets and security... November 13, 2025 Israel and India Strengthen Defense Ties United by “shared challenges of terrorism,” Israel and India are moving to deepen their already robust security cooperation. The two governments signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on November... November 12, 2025 China Pauses Some Rare Earth Export Curbs While Retaining Levers of Control While China may have officially halted some hostile trade actions, Beijing isn’t laying down its most potent weapons. On November 9, China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) announced a one-year delay... November 12, 2025 North Korea’s Cybercrime Threat Is Growing in Both Size and Sophistication North Korean hackers have stolen more than $3 billion in the past three years, the U.S. Treasury Department announced on November 4. The department issued sanctions on two North Korean individuals based... November 10, 2025 Russian PM’s Visit to China Highlights Need for Firm U.S. Sanctions Enforcement Beijing and Moscow have made a “strategic choice” to advance their partnership despite the “turbulent external environment,” Chinese leader Xi Jinping declared as he hosted Russian Prime Minister... November 10, 2025 Signaling Confidence in Its Domestic Industry, China Bans Foreign AI Chips in State-Funded Data Centers China is pulling away from the United States to complete its own artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem. Following a ceasefire with the United States over export controls, China is signaling its intention... November 7, 2025 Australia Needs Help To Face China’s Threat in Space Security here on Earth is reliant on the security of a nation’s assets in space. This is as true for Australia as it is for the United States. November 7, 2025 Sharaa To Be First-Ever Syrian Leader To Visit White House In a meeting no one could have predicted just a year ago, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa is scheduled to visit U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on November 10. It will be the first time a Syrian... November 7, 2025 Iraq’s Election Plays Out in the Shadow of Influence From Washington and Tehran Iraq’s parliamentary elections are scheduled for November 11, but voters aren’t holding their breath for change. Allegations of pervasive vote buying and reliance on patronage systems already taint... November 6, 2025 Hegseth Visits Vietnam Looking To Pull Hanoi Away From Russia and North Korea Fifty years after the end of America’s war in Vietnam, Washington has returned with a long wish list for Hanoi. On November 3, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth concluded his two-day visit to Vietnam,... November 5, 2025 Iran’s October Oil Exports Hit 2025 Peak, Reflecting Failure of U.S. Sanctions Enforcement Iran’s oil exports in October reached their highest monthly level of the year. This highlights the continued failure of the Trump administration to cut Tehran’s key financial lifeline. Tehran shipped... November 5, 2025 Iranians Challenge the Regime by Celebrating Cyrus the Great A tribute to an ancient and pre-Islamic king is now a form of protest against a modern Islamist theocracy. October 29 marked Cyrus the Great Day, celebrated by Iranians across the country. Though not... October 31, 2025 South Africa’s Removal from Anti-Money Laundering Watchlist Warrants Unilateral U.S. Action South Africa has an illicit finance problem, and despite what an international monitoring group says, it’s far from over. On October 24, the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) — the intergovernmental... October 31, 2025 The Hanoi Convention: Russia’s Blueprint for an Authoritarian Cyberspace Russia is celebrating a major win in cyberspace. On October 25 and 26, representatives from 110 countries convened in Hanoi, Vietnam, to sign the Russian-drafted UN Convention on Cybercrime. Under the... October 30, 2025 New LNG Terminal Will Help Extricate Iraq From Iran’s Energy Orbit Iraq is slowly taking steps to wrench its energy sector free from Iran’s influence, but it will require both American support and strong encouragement to do so. Excelerate Energy, an American company,... October 30, 2025 The Regime’s Reformists Are Back, but Iranians Rejected Them Long Ago Once more, the Islamic Republic cloaks repression in the guise of reform. The Islamic Republic, which has long banned public dancing, unveiled women, and mixed-gender celebrations, is now projecting an... October 29, 2025 New Tech Transfer Between UAE and China Should Throw Sand in the Gears of U.S. AI Exports to the Gulf The United States may have inadvertently green-lit funding for Chinese missile technology. On October 25, the Financial Times reported that U.S. intelligence agencies had collected information in 2022... October 29, 2025 Hamas Chooses Half of Technocrats in New Gaza Governing Body “We will hand over the rule in Gaza to the Administrative Committee,” said Khalil al-Hayya, the head of Hamas’ negotiating team, on October 26. The statement came on the heels of a meeting between... October 28, 2025 Ford Carrier Strike Group Departs Europe for Latin America The Trump administration is dramatically increasing U.S. military firepower in Latin America. As the administration continued to strike vessels belonging to alleged narco-traffickers while escalating pressure... October 24, 2025 The Effectiveness of Trump’s New Russia Oil Sanctions Depends on Stringent Enforcement The Trump administration imposed sweeping new measures targeting Russia’s two biggest oil companies on October 22. The sanctions apply to Rosneft and Lukoil, along with 34 of their subsidiaries, and... October 23, 2025 Iran’s September Oil Exports Reach a 2025 High, Underscoring Sanctions Enforcement Gaps Iran’s oil exports in September 2025 reached their highest monthly level of the year, according to TankerTrackers, highlighting the continued shortcomings of international sanctions enforcement. Tehran... October 23, 2025 Georgian Dream’s Power Grab Sets Stage to Outlaw Opposition The Republic of Georgia continues its democratic backslide under Georgian Dream, the country’s authoritarian ruling party, which is sympathetic to Beijing, Moscow, and Tehran and antagonistic to Washington... October 22, 2025 To Preserve the Gaza Deal, Keep Qatar at Arm’s Length Qatar is already backsliding just days after pressuring Hamas to clinch a Gaza ceasefire deal with Israel. During his annual address to Qatar’s legislative body on October 21, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad...

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