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March 19, 2025 Turkey Arrests Presidential Candidate Ekrem Imamoglu It was, according to Turkey’s main opposition Republican People’s Party, a “coup against our next president.” In the early hours of March 19, Turkish police arrested Ekrem Imamoglu, the mayor of... March 19, 2025 Syria’s New Constitution: A Shift Toward Unchecked Presidential Powers Days before his troops overthrew the regime of Bashar al-Assad, Ahmad al-Sharaa said that Syria deserves a political system in which no “single ruler makes arbitrary decisions.” Yet now, as the country’s... March 19, 2025 Aiming for Parity With U.S., China Announces Increase in Science and Technology Spending Having watched U.S. science spending stall out, China is stepping on the gas. March 18, 2025 U.S. Preemptively Strikes Houthi Positions in Yemen and Signals to Iran “To all Houthi terrorists, YOUR TIME IS UP, AND YOUR ATTACKS MUST STOP,” President Donald Trump warned the Iran-backed terror group in Yemen as U.S. Central Command launched a large-scale operation... March 17, 2025 U.S. Should Impose Sanctions on Iran’s Nascent Lithium Industry Iran and Russia said they will cooperateon searching for lithium resources in Iran and developing an indigenous Iranian lithium extraction and processing industry. The March 11 announcement could revive... March 17, 2025 Qatar Slated to Provide Gas to Syria With U.S. Approval The new Syrian government is set to receive a power boost from Qatar — literally. A Trump administration official confirmed on March 13 that Washington approved a deal whereby Qatar will supply natural... March 13, 2025 Chinese Leader Xi Jinping Calls for Greater Local Support for Military Modernization Returning to its roots in the countryside, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is going local to pursue its grand ambitions. During the Two Sessions, the annual gathering of China’s top political and military... March 13, 2025 Massacres in Syria Expose New President’s Struggle to Govern Hundreds of fighters and hundreds more civilians are dead following the bloodiest clashes yet between the new Syrian government and militias loyal to the fallen regime of Bashar al-Assad. On March 6,... March 12, 2025 Trump Should Prepare to Make Putin Pay If He Refuses Ceasefire Ukraine agreed to a ceasefire with Russia at talks in Saudi Arabia on March 11 — assuming Washington can get Moscow to play ball. That will be no easy task. Russia may attempt to attach unacceptable... March 12, 2025 U.S. Indicts Chinese Nationals Involved in Hacking of National Security Infrastructure Seeking an advantage over Washington, the Chinese Communist Party keeps cyber criminals on retainer. The United States last week announced punitive action against several suspected Chinese hackers accused... March 12, 2025 Egypt’s Sisi: Camp David Is a Model for Lasting Peace After months of threatening to discard its peace treaty with Israel, Egypt has shifted its tone dramatically. Speaking at the emergency Arab Summit on March 4, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi remarked... March 7, 2025 Embracing Iran, South Africa’s ANC Claims ‘We Can’t Hide Our Friends’ South Africa’s ruling party is trying to have its biltong and eat it too. African National Congress (ANC) leaders have indicated a desire to repair relations with the United States but continue cozying... March 7, 2025 North Korean Hackers Launder $1.5 Billion Largest Crypto Heist In History If you want to launder $1 billion in cryptocurrencies, consult a North Korean hacker. March 6, 2025 The Shin Bet’s Findings on Qatari Terror Finance Should Spur American Action Israel’s Shin Bet security service recently concluded that Qatari funds helped subsidize Hamas’s force buildup ahead of the October 7 massacre. Qatar is pleading not guilty. Doha accused the Shin... March 6, 2025 U.S. Relists Yemen’s Iran-Backed Houthis as Foreign Terrorist Organization It’s back to the future for the Trump administration in the Middle East. Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of State announced the redesignation of Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels as a Foreign... March 4, 2025 Sudan’s Civil War Edges Toward a Stalemate as RSF Rebels Establish Separatist Governing Authority After more than 22 months of brutal civil war, Sudan appears to be heading toward a stalemate. Recent gains by the government’s Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) have yet to secure a decisive victory, while... March 4, 2025 Seeking Decisive Edge, China Uses Third-Party Countries to Circumvent U.S. AI Export Controls Chinese firms have embraced an indirect approach to competing with Silicon Valley. March 3, 2025 U.S. Sanctions China-Based Front Companies Procuring Drone Components for Iran Beijing finds itself in the crosshairs as Washington tightens the vise on Tehran. The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned six entities on February 26 for procuring components for unmanned aerial vehicles... February 28, 2025 Syria’s National Dialogue Conference: A Missed Opportunity Ahmad al-Sharaa, Syria’s interim president, pledged in December that the country’s national dialogue conference on February 25 would chart a clear course for the country’s transition... February 27, 2025 Houthis Attack U.S. Fighter Jet and Drone In a close call indicating the tenuous stability of the Red Sea, the Houthis fired surface-to-air missiles at a U.S. F-16 and MQ-9 Reaper drone on February 19 but missed them both, according to reports... February 27, 2025 In Sign of Deepening Ties, China Signs Agreements With Cook Islands China has increased its presence in Oceania, undermining regional confidence in the United States and threatening sea lines critical for Australia’s and New Zealand’s security. On February 22, China... February 27, 2025 Iran’s Nuclear Weapons Potential Leaps Ahead of IAEA Meeting Iran’s major strides in its march towards a nuclear weapon hang ominously over the meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors in Vienna on March 3-7. The nuclear monitoring... February 25, 2025 Ship Carrying Chemical for Missile Development Docks in Iran America’s authoritarian adversaries continue to deepen their military ties. A container ship carrying 1,000 tons of sodium perchlorate from China — a precursor chemical used to make ammonium perchlorate,... February 24, 2025 Risking Sanctions, South Africa Welcomes Nuclear Cooperation with Russia and Iran South Africa is on a collision course with President Donald Trump. On February 17, Pretoria’s minister of mineral and petroleum resources, Gwede Mantashe, signaled his government’s openness to nuclear... February 24, 2025 Trump’s ‘America First Investment Policy’ Takes Aim at U.S. Adversaries “Economic security is national security.” That is the core message of President Trump’s new “America First Investment Policy.” Released on February 21, the policy strengthens America’s foreign... February 21, 2025 ‘Peace Through Strength’ Requires Increased Defense Spending President Donald Trump, who ran on a platform of “peace through strength,” surprised some in Washington when he suggested last week that he might support cutting the U.S. defense budget by as much... February 21, 2025 U.S. Must Pressure Qatar Not to Release Frozen Iranian Oil Revenues Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei thrust a long-simmering hostage controversy into the headlines on February 19. February 20, 2025 Russia’s AI-Powered Cyberattacks Threaten to Outpace Western Defenses Russia is increasingly leveraging artificial intelligence to refine its cyber espionage and enhance attack precision, warned Western officials at the Munich Security Conference this past weekend. February 20, 2025 Congress Moves to Spotlight Foreign Money on American College Campuses Hostile foreign governments want to hijack the American higher education system. Congress wants to expose them. February 19, 2025 Kremlin Retains Maximalist Goals in Ukraine, U.S. Pressure Needed Washington took an initial step toward thawing relations with Moscow on Tuesday as U.S. and Russian officials met in Riyadh for talks on Ukraine. A peace deal remains far off, however. The Kremlin continues... February 14, 2025 Syria’s National Dialogue Committee: A Facade of Inclusivity Syria’s new president pledged to champion inclusivity, yet he has stacked a key transition committee with like-minded Islamists. The seven-member National Dialogue Committee will organize the National... February 14, 2025 ‘Stark Strategic Realities’: Hegseth Tells NATO U.S. Must Prioritize Pacific Deterrence Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told European allies Wednesday that the United States could no longer be “primarily focused on the security of Europe” because of threats emanating from the Indo-Pacific.... February 14, 2025 U.S. Should Rescind Sanctions Waiver for Iranian Port at Chabahar Donald Trump has reignited Washington’s economic war on Tehran, and New Delhi is now caught in the crossfire. India signed a 10-year deal in 2024 to develop and operate the port of Chabahar on Iran’s... February 14, 2025 Ending the Ransomware Scourge Requires Punishing Its Enablers Washington and its allies took a bite out of cybercrime on Tuesday in a series of coordinated steps against ransomware actors and their internet infrastructure. February 14, 2025 Seeking Leverage, China Reportedly Offers Washington Assistance in Settling the Ukraine War Despite fueling Moscow’s war machine, China has expressed its interest in playing peacemaker in Ukraine. The Wall Street Journal reported on February 13 that Chinese authorities had approached the Trump... February 13, 2025 Timid UN Response to Death of Aid Worker Held Captive by Houthis The United Nations pronounced itself “grief-stricken and outraged” about the death on February 10 of a veteran aid worker taken hostage in Yemen, yet its statements barely criticized the Houthi rebels... February 13, 2025 Cybercriminals Targeting U.S. Food and Agriculture Sector Now More Than Ever Cybercriminals are tightening their grip on America’s food supply, warns a new report from an industry-led threat monitoring and mitigation group. The annual assessment from the Food and... February 10, 2025 Nuclear Power Plant Project Highlights Turkish Role in Russia’s Sanctions Evasion The United States dealt Russian efforts to evade international sanctions a significant blow by ordering the American bank J.P. Morgan to freeze $2 billion of Russian funds destined for Turkey. The move... February 7, 2025 Jordan’s King Abdullah to Meet With Trump as Arab Anxiety Mounts Over Gaza Resettlement Proposal Following the onslaught in southern Israel by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023, Jordan’s King Abdullah II quickly declared that any attempt to resettle Gaza residents in the Hashemite Kingdom would... February 7, 2025 AI-Generated Imitation of Elon Musk Pushes China’s Propaganda on YouTube In late January, FDD identified a YouTube channel, MuskTalk007, filled with AI-generated videos imitating Elon Musk that push pro-China propaganda. Since its creation on December 7, 2024, the channel has amassed almost 2 million views, garnering considerable engagement for videos that denigrate the United States and present China as technologically and economically superior. February 7, 2025 China Unveils Measured Response to U.S. ‘Fentanyl Tariffs’ China has launched its first retaliatory measures against the United States following President Trump’s imposition of a universal 10 percent tariff on Chinese imports aimed at curbing Beijing’s role... February 7, 2025 U.S. Treasury Should Target Iran’s Trading Partners “Make Iran broke again,” declared Scott Bessent, the incoming Treasury secretary, shortly before his confirmation. That is a realistic goal given Iran’s isolation from the international financial... February 7, 2025 ‘Keep America Close and Russia at Bay’: Europe Debates Defense Spending Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz told Politico on Wednesday that the goal of his country’s increased military spending is to “keep America close and Russia at bay” as Warsaw aims... February 7, 2025 Trump Takes Aim: Executive Order Targets China’s Role in the Fentanyl Epidemic Frustrated by Beijing’s failure to curb fentanyl precursor production and transshipment, the Trump administration issued a sweeping executive order outlining China’s role in facilitating synthetic... February 5, 2025 America’s Adversaries Use AI for Malign Influence, But Not to Great Effect … Yet Iran, China, and Russia all used Google’s generative artificial intelligence (AI) tool Gemini to accelerate their influence operations (IO), Google warned in a new report published on January 29. At... February 4, 2025 With Qatar, the Biden Administration Left Cards on the Table. Trump Should Play Them. No Qataris were visible in the chilling footage of the October 7, 2023, Hamas atrocities that President Trump saw this week for the first time. But figuratively, they were right there. Qatar is not... February 3, 2025 Philippines Busts Chinese Spy Ring Targeting U.S. and Allied Military Infrastructure China is mapping U.S. and allied military installations around the world. Filipino security officials arrested five Chinese nationals on January 30 as part of a larger investigation into an espionage ring... February 3, 2025 From Al-Qaeda Commander to Syrian President: Ahmad Al-Sharaa’s Ascent The seismic transformation of the Syrian political landscape continues. On January 29, the country’s de facto leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, formally assumed the presidency, while the country’s 2012 constitution... February 3, 2025 Iran Conducts Cyberattacks to Terrorize Israelis The Iranian hacking group Handala last week breached an Israeli electronics firm that operates panic button systems in schools, causing red alert sirens to trigger in at least 20 kindergartens across Israel... January 31, 2025 Russian Malign Influence Campaigns Expand Onto Bluesky The Russian influence operation known as Doppelganger has expanded onto the social media platform Bluesky to spread anti-Ukraine and antisemitic messages, according to a report released by Alliance4Europe...

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