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April 29, 2025 Chinese Coast Guard Forces Land on Sandy Cay, Escalating Tensions With the Philippines China is stepping up its campaign to dominate key territory in the South China Sea. On April 24, the Global Times, a Chinese Communist Party-owned media outlet, reported that the China Coast Guard (CCG)... April 25, 2025 On Crimea and Russia Sanctions Relief, Congress Has Leverage President Donald Trump is pressuring Ukraine to accept a peace framework granting Russia significant concessions, including sanctions relief and formal U.S. recognition of Moscow’s illegal annexation... April 24, 2025 Bolstering Defense Ties, Vietnam Reportedly Agrees to Purchase American F-16s Almost exactly 50 years after the evacuation of Saigon, American air power has returned to Vietnam. On April 22, 19FortyFive, a defense news outlet, reported that Vietnam had reached an agreement with... April 24, 2025 Jordan Drops the Hammer on the Muslim Brotherhood “The Muslim Brotherhood and all its activities are banned.” With that declaration, Jordanian Interior Minister Mazen al-Farayya broke with decades of restraint toward the influential Islamist movement.... April 24, 2025 New Sanctions Against the Houthis Take Aim at the Terrorist Group’s Banking Sector The Trump administration is following through on the promise of a whole-of-government approach to stopping Houthi terrorism. While U.S. Central Command forces have been continuously striking the group... April 23, 2025 Treasury Report Highlights Role of Financial Transactions in America’s Fentanyl Crisis The Trump administration is intensifying its efforts to resolve America’s fentanyl crisis. On April 9, the U.S. Department of the Treasury released a financial trend analysis of data linked to suspicious... April 21, 2025 Maximum Pressure on Tehran Regime in Motion as Trump Builds Negotiating Leverage Sanctions don’t impede negotiations; they help set the terms. The Treasury Department sanctioned the China-based Shandong Shengxing Chemical Co. oil refinery on April 16 for purchasing some $800 million... April 21, 2025 Probing DeepSeek’s Success, House Select Committee on China Opens Investigation into Nvidia The United States is expanding its efforts to stymie the rise of China’s technology sector. On April 16, the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) opened an investigation into Nvidia’s... April 18, 2025 Yemeni Factions Hope to Exploit the Current Chaos in Houthi-Controlled Yemen Amid daily U.S. airstrikes, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels appear increasingly vulnerable to their Yemeni rivals. Those rivals are reportedly planning a ground offensive whose goals include recapturing... April 18, 2025 Georgetown University Awards Medal to Qatari Royal Who Praised October 7 Mastermind Sheikha Moza bint Nasser celebrated Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar after his death last October. On April 17, Georgetown University awarded Sheikha Moza its President’s Medal at a ceremony marking the 20th... April 17, 2025 Iran’s Foothold Reaches Into North Africa In the early days of the Israel-Hamas war, Iran issued a baffling threat: if Israel did not relent in Gaza, Tehran would close the Strait of Gibraltar, the narrow maritime passage separating Africa from... April 16, 2025 Cutting NIST’s Workforce Threatens American Tech Innovation and Leadership America’s technology prowess is built on its people, but Washington is terminating many of the researchers and engineers driving U.S. progress in AI, quantum technology, advanced manufacturing, and semiconductors.... April 16, 2025 Turkey’s Ties to Al-Qaeda Entities in Yemen Threaten Regional Security “Turkey is a country that loves us, and we love it,” declared Abu Omar al-Nahdi, a former emir in al-Qaeda’s Yemen branch and now the leader of the newly formed Change and Liberation Movement in... April 15, 2025 U.S. at Risk of Falling Behind China in Biotechnology The United States increasingly risks falling behind in the technological race for the future. On April 9, the National Security Commission on Emerging Biotechnology released its final report on the American... April 14, 2025 Turkey’s Military Presence in Syria is a Threat to Israel Syria’s interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, received a warm welcome at the Antalya Diplomatic Forum in Turkey on April 11, where his Turkish counterpart, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, lambasted Israel as a “terrorist... April 11, 2025 Countering Beijing’s Denial, Kyiv Claims That More Than 150 Chinese Nationals Are Fighting for Russia in Ukraine Rather than sue for peace, Russia has banked on Chinese assistance to expand its war in Ukraine. ... April 11, 2025 Qatar Tacitly Approves Muslim Scholars’ Call for ‘Armed Jihad’ Against Israel For Israel, Qatar’s silence on a fatwa calling for “armed jihad” against the Jewish state is deafening. On April 9, Israel’s Foreign Ministry implored Doha to publicly reject the religious edict,... April 10, 2025 Turkey’s Rising Influence in Post-Assad Syria “You’ve taken it over through surrogates,” Donald Trump says he told Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, acknowledging Turkey’s deepening role in Syria. Syria’s interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa,... April 9, 2025 Washington Must Pressure Baghdad to Disarm Iran’s Proxy Militias in Iraq Gaza and Yemen are well established as two arenas of the ongoing struggle between the United States and Iran, but Iraq is another vital stage that has garnered comparatively less attention. That may now... April 4, 2025 Tehran’s Diplomatic Gambit Aims to Forestall Pressure While Advancing Nuclear Program Negotiations are a means but not always to the same end. The White House is seriously considering indirect talks with the Islamic Republic of Iran, Axios reported on April 2. This follows President... April 4, 2025 U.S. Treasury Targets Russian Elements of the Houthis’ Iran-Backed Financing Network Washington is intensifying pressure against Iran and its proxies. The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced new sanctions on April 2 against the Russia-based funding sources of Yemen’s Iran-backed... April 3, 2025 Signaling Displeasure With Washington, China Conducts Military Exercises Around Taiwan China’s psychological warfare on Taiwan is intensifying. Following its largest military exercises around Taiwan in three decades last December, Beijing has launched a new series of military drills. On... April 2, 2025 U.S. Lawmakers Introduce Bill Advancing Maximum Support for the Iranian People Solidarity with the Iranian people is rising in the U.S. Congress. Reps. Joe Wilson (R-SC) and Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) introduced a bill on the evening of April 2 calling for “maximum support” to the... April 2, 2025 U.S. Intelligence Punts Again on Iran Weaponization Threat A new U.S. intelligence assessment on Iran may once again be inaccurate. Last week, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) released its annual worldwide threat assessment, including an updated estimate on Iran’s nuclear program and efforts to construct a nuclear device, known as “weaponization.” March 31, 2025 Instead of Rewarding Qatar With Weapons Sales, Washington Should Use Them as Leverage Despite enabling terrorist groups, Qatar is poised to purchase nearly $2 billion worth of American arms. The U.S. State Department approved the potential sale on March 26 under the Foreign Military Sales... March 28, 2025 U.S. Sanctions Iranian Intelligence Officials for Role in Abducting Former FBI Agent Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence (MOI) serves as the long arm of the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism. Washington should treat it accordingly. On March 25, the U.S. Department of the Treasury... March 28, 2025 Trump Takes Aim at Chinese Minerals Chokehold, Paving Path for Increased Investment Washington is finally trying to free itself from China’s mineral chokehold. March 27, 2025 China’s Military Reportedly Deploys DeepSeek AI for Non-Combat Duties Though battlefield deployment may be a distant ambition, China’s military is putting AI into service behind the front lines. The South China Morning Post reported on March 23 that the People’s Liberation... March 27, 2025 Palestinians in Gaza Protest Against Hamas Rule Hundreds of Palestinians have taken to the streets of Gaza in a rare and direct display of anger against Hamas, blaming the Iran-backed group for plunging the territory into 16 months of devastation... March 26, 2025 Advanced Weapons for Houthis Intercepted at Oman-Yemen Border Oman is often portrayed as the “Switzerland of the Middle East,” but its role in the Red Sea crisis tells a different story. March 21, 2025 SAF Capture the Presidential Palace, Shaking RSF’s Stronghold Mohamed Dagalo — the Sudanese rebel leader also known as ‘Hemedti’ — recently appeared in a video urging his soldiers not to surrender the presidential palace in Khartoum. Now, Sudanese... March 21, 2025 Delayed Vulnerability Analysis Puts America at a Cybersecurity Disadvantage The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is struggling. It faces a growing backlog to process data in its vulnerability repository, which publicly shares information assessing and detailing... March 21, 2025 Showcasing Advanced Space Capabilities, China Displays ‘Dogfighting’ Maneuvers in Low Earth Orbit Looking to seize the high ground in a possible military conflict with the United States, China has launched another space race. On March 18, U.S. Vice Chief of Space Operations Gen. Michael Guetlein revealed... March 20, 2025 With Lapsing Sanctions Waiver, Trump Tightens the Vise on Russian Energy The Trump administration landed a quiet but forceful blow against Russian energy exports last week. On March 12, the U.S. Treasury Department let a Biden-era sanctions waiver lapse, effectively prohibiting... March 20, 2025 U.S. Sanctions Should Target Tehran’s Top Economic Operatives The Department of the Treasury’s sanctioning of Iranian Petroleum Minister Mohsen Paknejad marks a U.S. return to the “maximum pressure” tactic of targeting top Iranian economic officials. At the... March 20, 2025 Following Launch of October 7 Task Force, Turkey and Qatar Should Feel the Heat The U.S. Justice Department just launched an October 7 joint task force. Now, all eyes should be on Turkey and Qatar. March 19, 2025 UNESCO Remains Detrimental to U.S. Interests Despite Attempts at Reform The clock is ticking. Wednesday, March 19, marks the halfway point for the Trump administration’s 90-day review of U.S. contributions to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization... 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.

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