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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... October 21, 2025 Amid Rising Chinese Aggression, Manila Announces Plans To Procure New South Korean Anti-Ship Missiles In exploring new arms deals with South Korea, the Philippines is targeting both missiles and messaging. On October 16, Asia Times reported that Manila began discussions with Seoul to acquire new... October 20, 2025 A Viral Forbidden Sing-Along Exposes Russia’s Youth Dissent A banned anthem broke out in central St. Petersburg on October 13, testing the Kremlin’s grip on Russia’s youth. Video shows hundreds of young people singing banned anti-war and anti-regime songs in... October 17, 2025 To Distract From Its Own Violations, Russia Accuses Ukraine Anew of Manufacturing Chemical Weapons Russia has made fresh claims that Ukraine is manufacturing chemical weapons, even though every past claim has turned out to be groundless. Moscow leveled the new accusation at a meeting of the Organization... October 17, 2025 The UK Is Under Cyberattack, but Streamlined Incident Reporting Can Improve Resilience Cyber battles are raging across the United Kingdom, with the country facing a “50% increase in highly significant [cyber] incidents” over a 12-month period, according to the National Cyber Security... October 17, 2025 The U.S. Will Rely on China To Defend Against the Next Pandemic Despite the lessons of the pandemic, America’s biodefense system increasingly relies on Chinese components. On October 14, the U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP), a body that sets domestic quality standards for... October 15, 2025 Hamas Turns Its Guns on Gaza’s Clans Hamas has begun settling scores in the Gaza Strip. In the wake of the ceasefire and release of Israel’s hostages, the terrorist group is targeting clans and families with whom it has long-standing feuds.... October 15, 2025 The Houthi Leader Isn’t a Designated Terrorist — He Should Be In the U.S. government’s back-and-forth over designating the Houthis as a terrorist organization, the group’s head, Abdulmalik al-Houthi, fell through the cracks. Abdulmalik has led the group through... October 15, 2025 Ukraine Alleges China Provides Satellite Imagery To Support Russian Strikes Ukraine accused China of taking its support for Russia’s illegal invasion to new heights — specifically, hundreds of miles above the Earth. On October 4, an official from Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence... October 15, 2025 North Korean Military Parade Showcases Enhanced Weaponry and Ties With China and Russia When North Korea’s neighbors paid a visit to Pyongyang on October 10, Kim Jong-Un treated them to a tightly orchestrated spectacle. Guests, including Chinese Premier Li Qiang, former Russian President... October 10, 2025 China Is Supercharging Iran’s Sanctions Evasion Strategy Beijing has become the central engine of Iran’s sanctions evasion strategy. For years, China has been the top buyer of Iranian oil and other sanctioned goods — purchasing approximately 90 percent of... October 10, 2025 China is a Key Factor in Ukraine’s Surging Drone Industry — Beijing’s New Export Controls May Ground It Despite Beijing professing a deep relationship with Moscow, Chinese components have kept Ukrainian drones flying — for now. On October 10, the Snake Island Institute, a Ukrainian defense think tank,... October 9, 2025 Israel Moves To Counter Drone Threat on Egyptian Border Drones carrying weapons and other contraband are flying over the Egyptian border and into Israel’s heartland. After months of repeated sightings and interceptions, the Knesset, Israel’s parliament,... October 8, 2025 Food Prices Stable in Gaza According to UN’s World Food Program If famine strikes, one expects the scarcity of food to drive prices substantially higher. Yet little changed in Gaza markets during September after prices fell sharply in August according to the World... October 8, 2025 Ceasefire Gives Breathing Room to Syrian Government and Kurdish-Led Forces A ceasefire between the government in Damascus and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), agreed to on October 7, pulls Syria back from the brink of bloodshed. Tensions, already high, rose the... October 8, 2025 U.S. Must Stand with Georgian People Against Anti-Western Regime Tens of thousands rallied in the Georgian capital of Tbilisi on October 4-5 to protest local elections in which the country’s increasingly authoritarian ruling party, Georgian Dream, claimed victory.... October 8, 2025 Releasing All Hostages at Once Essential to Success of U.S. Peace Plan Hamas is stalling for its life in Egypt. Amid negotiations over Donald Trump’s 20-point proposal for a lasting ceasefire in Gaza, the Iran-backed terrorist organization is reportedly demanding that it... October 7, 2025 New Major Study Suggests DeepSeek Still Lags Behind Top American Models and Presents Major Security Flaws In a head-to-head matchup over the future of artificial intelligence (AI), the United States appears to be winning — for now. On September 30, the Center for AI Standards and Innovation at the National... October 7, 2025 A Promise From Yemen’s Houthis Isn’t Worth the Paper It’s Written On The Houthis, emboldened by the international community’s fatigue after nearly two years of protecting Red Sea shipping from Houthi terrorism, are testing the Trump administration’s tolerance for aggression. Despite... October 3, 2025 Hamas Supporters Gather in South Africa, Ruling Party Dares U.S. To ‘Apply Sanctions’ Pro-Hamas organizations gathered in Cape Town on September 27 to hold a march and rally. Prominent South African imam Ebrahim Gabriels addressed the thousands of demonstrators, calling President Donald... October 1, 2025 The Quiet Return of Hezbollah’s Smuggling Network in Syria Hezbollah may not be fully up and running in Syria following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime, but it is still seeking to take advantage of the instability in the country, along with other militant... October 1, 2025 Adversary Supply Chains Targeted in Major Update to U.S. Export Controls The United States is stepping up its efforts to undermine adversaries’ supply chains. On September 30, the Commerce Department released an interim final rule seeking to expand the Entity List, which... October 1, 2025 Trump Administration Plan for Gaza Puts Unprecedented and Unified Pressure on Hamas The Trump administration laid out a plan on September 29 that offers a significant chance of a ceasefire in Gaza and, potentially, freedom for the Israeli hostages still held by Hamas. Israel has accepted... September 30, 2025 China Set To Fill Gap From Expiration of Key U.S.-Africa Trade Program Africa is bracing for crushing new tariffs on goods exported to the United States. On September 30, the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) expired, forcing an end to the duty-free access to U.S.... September 26, 2025 Qatar Is Knocking on Canada’s Door Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund just took a $500 million bite out of Canada’s mining industry. On September 17, Ivanhoe Mines announced that the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) invested that amount... September 25, 2025 Latest Launch by Tehran Reflects Regime Interest in Longer-Range Missiles A bird, a plane, a ballistic missile? Late last week, Iranians took to social media to post pictures and video of what appeared to be the plume, or the high-temperature exhaust gases, of a ballistic... September 22, 2025 Pro-Russian Forces Wield AI To Undermine Pro-Ukraine Coalition Russia-aligned forces are running an AI-powered disinformation campaign to drive a wedge between the numerous members of a pro-Ukraine coalition of countries. An investigation released on September 15... September 19, 2025 Hackers Are Costing K-12 School Systems More Than Money Hackers are attacking America’s K-12 schools and whole communities are paying the price. Cyberattacks against school districts in Texas and Michigan disrupted classes for multiple days in the middle... September 19, 2025 ‘Scientific Malpractice’: Israel Publishes 58-Page Report Dissecting Claims of Famine in Gaza “An outright lie” and “a modern blood libel” is how Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the formal declaration of famine in Gaza by international hunger monitors in August. Netanyahu... September 19, 2025 Iranian Assistance Enables Russian Drone Incursions Into Poland and Romania Russian drones are increasingly threatening NATO, and Iranian support has helped make recent violations of NATO airspace possible. Poland reported increased drone activity near its border this week, as... September 18, 2025 Defamation Lawsuit Thrusts Qatar’s Record of Corruption Into the Spotlight It has been three years since Qatar hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup, but the tournament is still making headlines. The latest story is about an emerging legal battle between former Qatari Prime Minister... September 18, 2025 Chinese Regulators Announce Ban on Buying Nvidia Chips, Showcasing Confidence in Domestic Alternatives China has begun to cut its last ties to America’s artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem. On September 17, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) issued guidance to Chinese firms advising them... September 18, 2025 Druze Resist U.S.-Brokered Syria Stability Plan ... September 17, 2025 Commerce Department Targets Chinese Firms Engaged in Military-Civil Fusion The United States wants to break up Beijing’s snug relationship between its parading tanks and Chinese tech firms. On September 16, the Commerce Department updated its Entity List, imposing stringent... September 17, 2025 U.S. and Europe Must Prevent Iran’s Acquisition of New Enrichment Equipment Israeli and U.S. strikes in June left Iran with only limited equipment for enriching uranium, according to a September 13 report in Le Monde. Indeed, Tehran is unlikely to be able to restart such efforts...

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