Today In Issues:
FDD Research & Analysis
The Must-Reads
Greece, Israel to cooperate on anti-drone systems, cybersecurity, Greek minister says Trump seeks ‘decisive’ options for Iran as assets move into Middle East Iranian parliament warns of jihad if Supreme Leader is attacked, ISNA WSJ Editorial: Iran’s line on the protests and Trump Fresh Russian strikes cut heat to thousands in Ukraine’s freezing capital CEPA’s Samuel Greene and Christopher Walker: How to win the shadow war with Russia For Syria’s government, Kurdish deal is a big win on shaky ground North Korea can build 20 nukes a year, South Korea’s Lee says Britain approves contentious Chinese mega-embassy in London Bloomberg’s Justice Malala: Africa’s next revolutions will be livestreamed, not televised Mexico delivers 37 people with drug cartel ties to U.S. WaPo’s Marc A. Thiessen: How to resolve the Greenland standoffIn The News
Israel
Israeli authorities began tearing down structures on a United Nations compound in Jerusalem on Tuesday, escalating a battle between the government and the main agency tasked with providing assistance to Palestinian refugees. – Wall Street Journal
Greece will cooperate with Israel on anti-drone systems and cybersecurity, Greek Defence Minister Nikos Dendias said on Tuesday after meeting his Israeli counterpart in Athens. – Reuters
Israeli forces ordered dozens of Palestinian families in the southern Gaza Strip to leave their homes in the first forced evacuation since October’s ceasefire, as residents and Hamas said on Tuesday the military was expanding the area it controls. – Reuters
Several European countries are considering whether to stop sending personnel to a U.S. military-led coordination centre for Gaza, saying it has failed to increase aid flows to the war-shattered enclave or achieve political change, diplomats said. – Reuters
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said Wednesday he had agreed to join U.S. President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, after his office earlier criticized makeup of the board’s executive committee. – Associated Press
Senior leaders of the Hamas terror group are preparing a “safe exit” from the Gaza Strip, sources within the terror group revealed to Saudi outlet Asharq al-Awsat on Tuesday. – Jerusalem Post
At a meeting with Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias on Tuesday and in the shadow of ongoing potential conflicts between Israel and either Iran or Turkey, Defense Minister Israel Katz warned other countries in the region to give up their dreams of restoring or establishing an empire in the region. – Jerusalem Post
Intelligence officials contacted Tiberias Mayor Yossi Naba’a on Tuesday and warned him that residents of his city are prone to collaborating with Iran, Kan News reported. – Arutz Sheva
A representative of the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) revealed during a discussion held on Tuesday in the Knesset’s National Security Committee that the agency officially supports legislation imposing the death penalty on terrorists. – Arutz Sheva
Editorial: Israel should insist on transparent staffing, vetted payrolls, oversight of facilities, and a clear ban on incitement. It should channel aid through mechanisms that do not carry UNRWA’s political baggage, while ensuring services do not collapse on the ground. The dismantling at Ammunition Hill will be broadcast globally as a symbol. Israel should make it a symbol of governance. That means the rule of law, a credible plan for civilian needs, and language that strengthens Israel’s case instead of feeding its critics. Jerusalem requires sovereignty. It also requires competence. – Jerusalem Post
Hollie McKay writes: Not only should the United States support Israeli-Azeri cooperation, but any roadblocks towards engaging with either party should be deconstructed so the United States can exercise a robust foreign policy. […] While it has been waived by one American administration after another for over 20 years now, it is an example of numerous legislative hurdles that undermine American power. In addition to providing essential energy security, the Azerbaijan-Israel partnership bolsters regional stability and demonstrates pragmatic cooperation across religious divides. The United States and Brussels need to recognize this alliance as a vital pillar for growth, prosperity, and economic resilience. – National Interest
Iran
After pulling back from strikes on Iran last week, President Trump is still pressing aides for what he terms “decisive” military options, U.S. officials said, as Iran appears to have tightened its control of the country and targets protesters through a crackdown that has killed thousands. – Wall Street Journal
The standoff with Iran over accounting for its stock of highly enriched uranium and inspecting nuclear facilities bombed by the United States and Israel cannot go on forever, U.N. nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi said on Tuesday. – Reuters
The U.N. Human Rights Council will hold an emergency session on Iran on Friday, with proponents aiming to discuss “alarming violence” used against protesters, a document showed on Tuesday. – Reuters
Any attack on Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei would trigger a declaration of jihad, or holy war, the Iranian Students News Agency quoted Iran’s national security parliamentary commission as saying on Tuesday. – Reuters
Iran’s foreign minister issued the most direct threat yet Wednesday against the United States after Tehran’s bloody crackdown on protesters, warning the Islamic Republic will be “firing back with everything we have if we come under renewed attack.” – Associated Press
Iranians have been struggling for nearly two weeks with the longest, most comprehensive internet shutdown in the history of the Islamic Republic — one that has not only restricted their access to information and the outside world, but is also throttling many businesses that rely on online advertising. – Associated Press
The United Nations nuclear watchdog sees Iran in a “very fragile” state amid stalled diplomatic efforts and nationwide protests that convulsed the country earlier this month. – Bloomberg
Iran’s foreign minister hit out at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos late Monday for canceling his appearance over a brutal crackdown on recent protests and said the decision was based on “lies and political pressure from Israel,” earning a sharp rebuke from President Isaac Herzog on Tuesday. – Agence France-Presse
The pictures, which are too graphic to show without blurring, reveal the bloodied, swollen and bruised faces of at least 326 victims – including 18 women. The images, displayed in a south Tehran mortuary, are one of the only ways families have been able to identify their dead loved ones. – BBC
A young soldier who refused to obey orders to shoot protesters during one of Iran’s most intense waves of nationwide unrest has been sentenced to death, a human rights group reported Tuesday. – Fox News
Gunfire echoed through Tehran Tuesday as heavily armed militias were deployed across the Iranian capital, transforming some districts into fortified zones under intense security. – Fox News
An official from Iran’s Interior Ministry has defected and joined the ongoing protests, calling on United States President Donald Trump to take action against the Islamic Republic, according to a report by Iran International on Tuesday. – Jerusalem Post
European officials discussed in European Parliament on Tuesday the possibility of listing the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), along with its subsidiary forces, the Quds Force and the Basij force, as terrorist organizations, in response to the Islamic regime’s brutal treatment of Iranian protesters. – Jerusalem Post
The European Union on Tuesday proposed banning the export of more drone and missile tech to Iran after a deadly crackdown on protesters, European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said. – Times of Israel
President Donald Trump has renewed threats against Iran’s leadership, saying the United States would respond with overwhelming force if Tehran attempted to assassinate him. – Ynet
Editorial: Also notice the foreign minister’s plea for negotiations. This is the regime’s familiar strategy of using diplomacy to play for time as it rebuilds its nuclear and missile programs. What Iran really wants is all sanctions lifted. If the regime wanted peace, it could have negotiated a deal after the destruction of its nuclear sites in June. Instead it has refused to compromise even on uranium enrichment, which has no purpose other than to build a bomb. Iran’s message to Mr. Trump is clear all right: Let us alone to rule our people with an iron fist, and to resume building a nuclear weapon, or else. – Wall Street Journal
Hillel Frisch writes: That war, which Pahlavi supported to the chagrin of many other opposition figures, caused his popularity to surge, a level exceeded only in the most recent spike less than a month ago since late December 2025. The ayatollah regime – led by an unpopular supreme leader, suffering ideological erosion, and facing a widely acknowledged opposition leader among Iranians inside Iran – is likely to fall sooner rather than later. – Jerusalem Post
Amine Ayoub writes: As the IRGC shifts from aggression abroad to survival at home, the entire Middle East is shifting with it. The story of Sunnis in Baluchistan fighting for dignity is a narrative that Tehran’s propaganda machine cannot kill. The “Mobarizoun Shock” has done more than ignite an insurgency; it has exposed the hollow core of the Islamic Republic. For Israel and its new regional partners, the message is clear: the greatest threat to the Iranian regime is no longer outside its borders; it is within them. – Ynet
Siamak Namazi writes: The Islamic Republic as we know it cannot endure. However, its collapse or transformation does not guarantee liberation. What Iran is entering is not a revolution’s endgame but a dangerous interregnum — one in which brutality has proven effective, legitimacy has evaporated, and the future remains profoundly contested. The tragedy is not that Iranians lack courage. It is that courage alone is not enough. – Middle East Institute
Robert D. Kaplan writes: Iran’s future could very well be democratic, and that could affect politics in certain Arab police states. Iran, though not Arab, might serve as a role model in the region. Iran’s greater level of political development, even under the ayatollahs, with its cabinets, limited elections, and vague separation of powers, does give it institutional advantages lacking in the Arab world. The Middle East is turning on its axis. With regard to the great events of history, what for many years seems improbable suddenly becomes inevitable. – National Interest
Brandon J. Weichert writes: It is very likely that the Iranians were employing a set of ASAT tactics specifically designed to negate the advantages that Starlink allows its users to enjoy. And it is more than likely that those tactics were not created by the Iranians. Instead, they were likely crafted by the cutthroat space warriors in Beijing and Moscow and shared with their besieged partners in Tehran. It is my contention that Iran likely used a prototype of Russia’s Kalinka system. Now the Russians know that Kalinka works and they are integrating this system into their wider defensive measures aimed at stunting the immense advantages that Starlink (and eventually Starshield) gives the United States and its allies when in a geopolitical crisis. – National Interest
Arash Azizi writes: Over the years, I’ve often sought the opinion of Iranians for or against foreign intervention. And it has long been a contentious question that’s sharply divided the opponents of the Islamic Republic. But posing this question to about a dozen Iranians in recent days has yielded answers that feel strikingly new. First, most of those I spoke with favored one form or another of intervention by the United States. Second, many favored what would have been unthinkable not long ago: for Trump to take out Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. – The Atlantic
Russia and Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin has sought to undermine NATO for nearly two decades. Now, as President Trump pushes to control Greenland, Moscow is cheering from the sidelines. – Wall Street Journal
Russian strikes left thousands of apartment buildings in Ukraine’s capital without heat and more than one million consumers without electricity in subfreezing temperatures on Tuesday, the latest assault in a campaign that the Ukrainian authorities say is aimed at breaking the country’s morale. – New York Times
Envoys for U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday that their meeting in Davos on a possible future peace deal to end the Ukraine war had been “very positive” and “constructive”. – Reuters
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that Greenland was not “a natural part” of Denmark and that the problem of former colonial territories was becoming more acute. – Reuters
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has not decided yet on travelling to Davos as the U.S. has not made clear if a substantive meeting with President Donald Trump will happen, a Ukrainian official said on Tuesday. – Reuters
Ukraine’s military is working to replace Chinese-made drones with domestically produced models to cut the war-ravaged nation’s dependence on imports and sanctioned supply lines, the newly appointed defense minister said. – Bloomberg
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said electrical substations “vital for nuclear safety” were affected by the massive Russian strike on Ukraine overnight into Tuesday, leading the Chernobyl nuclear power plant to lose all of its off-site power. – Newsweek
Ukrainian forces fired nearly $100 million worth of air defense missiles battling Russia’s latest bombardment, Kyiv revealed on Tuesday, offering insight into the war’s growing financial toll. – Business Insider
David Ignatius writes: Putin doesn’t want to make concessions because he still thinks he can win. But Ukraine’s new network of AI-driven air defenses will make that less likely. If Ukraine can protect the civilians on Kyiv’s frozen streets — and reassure them that they won’t face another winter in the deep freeze, even if the war continues — perhaps Putin will reconsider his bet. – Washington Post
Samuel Greene and Christopher Walker write: In the years to come, Europe’s success vis-à-vis Russia will not be measured by how forcefully it condemns shadow attacks, or even by how effectively it punishes them, but by how consistently it deters them. The task, then, is to make plain to the Kremlin that any act of shadow warfare will be met not with mild rebuke, as in the past, but with a strong response. Moscow must understand that there are escalating costs to its aggression. – Foreign Affairs
Syria
The security of tightly guarded prisons and camps in northeastern Syria holding Islamic State detainees or their families was threatened Tuesday, after Syria’s government said more than 200 detainees had escaped from one prison and a Kurdish-led militia guarding another camp said its forces had withdrawn under fire. – Washington Post
President Ahmed al-Sharaa of Syria won nearly every concession he had pushed for in the deal that he struck on Sunday with the Kurdish-led militia that had controlled much of the country’s northeast. Only a day later, the fragility of the deal was exposed as violence erupted in the northeast, posing a major test for Mr. al-Sharaa as his government tries to secure control over the region. – New York Times
The U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State was negotiating a handover of the Al-Hol camp, which houses IS-linked civilians, to Syrian authorities, three Syrian sources familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. – Reuters
Syria on Tuesday announced a ceasefire with Kurdish forces it has seized swathes of territory from in the northeast and gave them four days to agree on integrating into the central state, which their main ally, the United States, urged them to accept. – Reuters
Guards from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces abandoned a camp Tuesday in northeast Syria housing thousands of people linked to the Islamic State group, and the Syrian military said that allowed detainees to escape. Hours later, the Syrian government and the SDF announced a new four-day truce after a previous ceasefire broke down. – Associated Press
“We are going in to fight side by side with our people in Rojava,” the Office of General Hussein Yazdanpanah, commander-in-chief of the Kurdistan Freedom Party (PAK), told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday. – Jerusalem Post
Turkey
Turkey said on Tuesday it was investigating the burning of its flag during protests along its border with Syria by pro-Kurdish groups, coinciding with clashes there between the Damascus government army and Kurdish-led forces. – Reuters
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan discussed developments in Syria and Gaza with U.S. counterpart Donald Trump in a telephone call on Tuesday as Syria’s Turkey-backed government announced a ceasefire with U.S.-allied Kurdish forces after days of clashes. – Reuters
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan will soon decide whether to join U.S. President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace initiative after having received an invitation, Turkey’s foreign minister said on Tuesday. – Reuters
Turkey’s pro-Kurdish political party suggested on Tuesday that violence against Kurdish groups in Syria risks undermining fragile reconciliation efforts with Kurdish militants, who have fought a decadeslong insurgency inside Turkey. – Associated Press
Middle East & North Africa
The long-simmering rivalry between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates that erupted across southern Yemen in recent weeks has led to a dramatic shift in the regional balance of power — and threatens to upend other fragile states where the two countries hold sway. – Washington Post
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) accepted an invitation to join U.S. President Donald Trump’s newly proposed “Board of Peace,” the UAE foreign ministry said on Tuesday, placing Abu Dhabi among the first governments to publicly endorse the initiative. – Reuters
Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will meet U.S President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Egypt’s presidency said on Tuesday. – Reuters
The IDF struck a Hezbollah terrorist in southern Lebanon on Wednesday morning, the military stated, citing the terror group’s “repeated violations of the ceasefire understandings.” – Jerusalem Post
Yossi Mansharof writes: Israel would reap substantial benefits from such a tectonic shift, whose repercussions would resonate throughout the Middle East, particularly in Lebanon. In its current fragile condition, Hezbollah appears incapable of assisting the Iranian regime if attacked or of suppressing renewed protests. Israel should act to promote such a scenario, while preparing for the possibility that Hamas may launch attacks from Lebanon in support of the Iranian regime. – Jerusalem Post
Dr. Yoel Guzansky writes: Saudi Arabia is not merely seeking improved defensive capabilities. It is redefining itself as a central regional actor, expanding its room for maneuver and moving away from outdated assumptions of rigid, dichotomous camps toward a new strategic reality. Israel is not part of this vision. In Riyadh, there is growing disillusionment with an Israeli government seen as unwilling to meet what the kingdom considers a minimum threshold, namely a pathway toward a Palestinian state. Moreover, Saudi Arabia’s recent moves, and the potential alignment with Qatar and Turkey, could place Saudi Arabia and Israel on opposite sides of an emerging regional divide. – Ynet
Korean Peninsula
A South Korean court on Wednesday sentenced former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to 23 years in jail for charges including engaging in a key action of insurrection concerning ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of martial law in December 2024. – Reuters
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said on Wednesday if Washington introduced higher U.S. tariffs on semiconductor imports, it would likely boost U.S. prices, playing down concerns about the proposed duty. – Reuters
South Korean authorities expect the won to strengthen to around the 1,400-per-dollar level in a month or two, although domestic policies alone will not be able to stabilise foreign exchange markets, President Lee Jae Myung said on Wednesday. – Reuters
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has dismissed a vice premier over troubles in a factory modernization project, an apparent move to tighten discipline among officials and push them to deliver greater results ahead of a major political conference. – Associated Press
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung said North Korea continues to produce nuclear material at a pace that could allow it to add up to 20 nuclear weapons a year, underscoring concerns that Pyongyang has no intention of slowing its nuclear program. – Bloomberg
Victor Cha writes: Such cooperation is not free, however. China is going to respond—and when it does, Beijing is likely to pull out every tool in its economic arsenal to target what it perceives to be the most vulnerable link in the trilateral group, South Korea. Only if all the targets of Chinese economic coercion—and South Korea, the United States, and Japan, in particular—are willing to work together will any country be able to end the escalating Chinese pressure campaigns that have so far gone unchecked. – Foreign Affairs
China
Senior state planners are formulating a five-year plan to lift domestic demand, acknowledging that the world’s second-largest economy currently faces an imbalance between “strong supply and weak demand,” according to comments from the National Development and Reform Commission to reporters on Tuesday. – Wall Street Journal
The Chinese military said on Tuesday it had organised naval and air forces to warn and drive away a Philippine government aircraft which “illegally intruded” into the airspace over Scarborough Shoal, a disputed atoll in the South China Sea. – Reuters
Britain and China aim to revive a “golden era” business dialogue when Prime Minister Keir Starmer makes a planned Beijing visit next week, said three sources familiar with the initiative, with top executives from both sides expected to participate. – Reuters
China on Tuesday confirmed that it had been asked to join U.S. President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace,” an invitation that Washington had extended to dozens of countries in his bid to launch a global initiative aimed at resolving conflicts. – Reuters
China has fulfilled its initial commitment to buy 12 million metric tons of soybeans from the U.S., but it’s not clear if the trade agreement announced in October can withstand President Donald Trump’s ever-shifting trade policy as American farmers are still dealing with high production costs. – Associated Press
Beijing has demanded the Taliban government protect its citizens after an explosion at a Chinese restaurant in the Afghan capital Kabul killed at least seven people. – BBC
Chinese authorities are blocking searches about the country’s plunging births in an apparent effort to prevent the topic from trending on social media. – Newsweek
Brandon J. Weichert writes: Should Taiwan manage to fully indigenize and streamline their production—while making that production line decentralized and harder to destroy with airstrikes—then the island could conceivably have a defensive plan that repels a Chinese invasion and/or blockade. As the US Army increases its own 155 mm production to meet increased demand globally, and with European producers similarly expanding, there is a broader shift toward greater domestic ammunition production everywhere. This is a necessary move, especially considering that both China and Russia have long ago indigenized their defense production, making their defense industrial bases far more durable and ready for large-scale conflict. – National Interest
South Asia
A bombing claimed by the Islamic State wing in Afghanistan killed at least seven people and wounded more than a dozen in a Chinese restaurant in Kabul on Monday, officials said, in a sign of the group’s persistent threat despite the Afghan government’s claim to have vanquished it. – New York Times
India will withdraw its diplomats’ families and dependents from Bangladesh in the face of security threats as tension rises ahead of a February 12 general election, an Indian official said on Wednesday. – Reuters
Long vilified for opposing independence and barred from electoral politics for over a decade, Bangladesh’s biggest Islamist party is reinventing itself and attracting new support ahead of parliamentary polls next month, unsettling moderates and minority communities. – Reuters
Pakistan’s defence manufacturing industry is running red hot since its jets, drones and missiles earned the coveted ‘combat tested’ tag in a conflict with India last year, attracting a slew of interested buyers. – Reuters
The European Union is on the verge of concluding a free trade agreement with India, although work remains to get it over the line, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Tuesday. – Reuters
India plans to launch over 50 spy satellites and add night-time imaging to enhance its national security capabilities, people familiar with the matter said, after New Delhi encountered surveillance blind spots during a border conflict last year with neighbor Pakistan. – Bloomberg
Asia
The man who fatally shot former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was sentenced to life in prison on Wednesday, nearly four years after the assassination that stunned world leaders and upended Japanese politics. – Washington Post
Three years ago, a party of reform-minded progressives swept Thailand’s election in the wake of mass anti-establishment protests only to be blocked from taking power and forced to disband. – Reuters
Thailand will hold a general election on February 8 in a showdown between three big parties that could lead to its fourth prime minister in less than three years. – Reuters
Indonesia’s Attorney General’s Office said on Wednesday it would later this month auction off an Iranian-flagged supertanker that was seized in 2023 on suspicion of involvement in the illegal transshipment of crude oil. – Reuters
New Zealand will hold a national election on Nov. 7, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced Wednesday. – Associated Press
Philippine Vice President Sara Duterte is facing new accusations of plunder and graft from a civil group, amid growing signs that the nation’s politics is headed into a new bout of internecine feuding. – Bloomberg
Japan has recently taken delivery of new drones designed for underwater defense as its military rival China undergoes naval modernization that is expanding its combat fleet. – Newsweek
The Philippine coast guard has released footage showing one of its patrol planes exchanging radio challenges with a Chinese warship on Tuesday in contested waters of the South China Sea. – Newsweek
Japan fighter aircraft were scrambled 448 times in the last nine months – a 14 percent decrease from the same timeframe last year – in response to Chinese and Russian aircraft, Japan’s Joint Staff Office reported Friday. – USNI News
Shivane Anand and Nava Goldstein write: In order to best capitalize on Kazakhstan’s inclusion in the Abraham Accords, expanding them further while establishing a multilateral working group on critical minerals and augmenting co-investment initiatives can lead both to increased resource sharing between signatories and serve as a lever for Washington and its allies in the strategic competition with China. – Washington Institute
Europe
President Trump questioned the legitimacy of Denmark’s claims to Greenland over the weekend while amping up rhetoric for his plans for the U.S. to acquire the Danish-held region. – Wall Street Journal
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he expects to go ahead with the U.S.’s trade deal with the European Union, despite some EU lawmakers saying they might hold up the agreement over President Trump’s comments over Greenland. – Wall Street Journal
The rift between the U.S. and Europe over Greenland is making the trans-Atlantic alliance vulnerable to a Russian attack on NATO territory, one of Germany’s highest ranking officers warned. – Wall Street Journal
The British government on Tuesday approved construction of a Chinese mega-embassy in the heart of London, rejecting the objections of critics who said the new building will make it easier for China to conduct spying operations. – New York Times
Rumen Radev painted a bleak picture of Bulgarian politics when he resigned as president on Monday in an unprecedented move that capped four years of weak governments and snap elections. He also offered a solution: himself. – Reuters
France has asked for a NATO exercise in Greenland and is ready to contribute to it, French President Emmanuel Macron’s office said on Wednesday. – Reuters
An agreement on sharing responsibility for the security of the Arctic and the North Atlantic could provide a way out of the stand-off between the United States and Europe over Greenland, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said on Tuesday. – Reuters
Norway will not take part in U.S. President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” initiative the way the plan is currently presented, Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Andreas Motzfeldt Kravik told daily Aftenposten on Tuesday. – Reuters
Britain is considering an Australian-style ban on social media for children under 16, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer warning on Tuesday they risk being pulled into “a world of endless scrolling, anxiety and comparison”. – Reuters
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Tuesday that the bloc’s executive arm is working on a package to support Arctic security and warned that tariffs proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump over Greenland are a mistake. – Reuters
The U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has cancelled his plans to attend the Davos meeting in Switzerland where he was due to deliver a special address, a U.N. spokesperson said on Tuesday. – Reuters
The European Union said Tuesday it plans to phase out gear supplied by companies based in “high risk” countries from critical infrastructure such as high-speed telecom networks, in a move seen as targeting Chinese companies including Huawei and ZTE. – Associated Press
French far-right leader Marine Le Pen’s political future hangs in the balance at an appeals trial in Paris which may damage her party’s ambitions of radically changing France’s direction through anti-immigration and nationalist policies. – Associated Press
The UK is seeking to advance talks to sell warships to Denmark amid increasing threats posed by Russia in the North Atlantic and as transatlantic ties are put under strain by Donald Trump’s efforts to take control of Greenland. – Bloomberg
Poland may ban Chinese-made cars from entering military facilities in an effort to protect its security, according to a deputy defense minister. – Bloomberg
The European Parliament is planning to suspend approval of the US trade deal agreed in July, according to sources close to its international trade committee. – BBC
French carmaker Renault will start manufacturing long-range strike drones under a contract with the country’s Directorate General for Armament, and in partnership with local defense contractor Turgis Gaillard. – Defense News
Italy’s outlay on the design and development of the tri-nation GCAP fighter has tripled from €6 billion to €18.6 billion — or from $7 billion to $21.8 billion — in the last five years, the country’s defense minister has told parliament. – Defense News
Aura Sabadus writes: For Bucharest, regional stability is linked to Moldova’s energy security. The events of the last five years showed Russia was ready to use the energy lever to destabilize the country and the wider neighborhood. For Chisinau, Romania is a guarantor of resilience, which it requires on its path to EU integration. The countries may tactfully avoid the subject of unification, and it will be argued that this isn’t on the cards for now. But the truth remains that work is underway to ensure that in a sudden crisis, the barriers to union could be overcome. – Center for European Policy Analysis
David J. Kostelancik writes: This is why energy investment in the Western Balkans belongs within the national security conversation. It lowers the risk of instability on NATO’s southeastern flank, reduces the need for crisis-driven US engagement, and reinforces democratic governance through economic resilience. Sustained US engagement in Balkans energy investment will not only support economic growth — it will strengthen America’s national security and the stability of Europe as a whole. We have a strategic opportunity, if we take it. – Center for European Policy Analysis
Africa
Ugandan military chief Muhoozi Kainerugaba said he was praying for fugitive opposition leader Bobi Wine’s death and gave him 48 hours to surrender to the police following a contentious presidential election. – Reuters
Togo has arrested and expelled Burkina Faso’s former president to his home country after officials there accused him of attempting a coup, two sources told Reuters on Tuesday. – Reuters
The Democratic Republic of Congo has sent Washington a shortlist of state-owned assets – including manganese, copper-cobalt, gold and lithium projects – for U.S. investors to consider as part of a minerals partnership, two senior Congolese officials said. – Reuters
Five soldiers and one police officer were killed when troops were ambushed by militants in northwestern Nigeria on Monday, the military said on Tuesday. – Reuters
Nigerian police recognized that simultaneous church attacks occurred in northwestern Kaduna state over the weekend, after initially dismissing reports. – Associated Press
The president of South Sudan has dismissed his interior minister, the wife of a detained opposition leader with whom he was running a unity government following a peace agreement that ended a five-year civil war. – Associated Press
Uganda’s opposition leader Bobi Wine has told the BBC he will not contest the results of Thursday’s election in court, citing a lack of confidence in the judiciary and has instead urged his supporters to take to the streets to peacefully protest. – BBC
Justice Malala writes: There are numerous structural reasons — from a restive, disaffected youth to repression and rampant corruption — why Uganda’s administration may eventually fall to a popular uprising. But the days when repressive digital tactics could keep an unpopular regime in power are clearly numbered. In recent years, a growing number of tyrants who’ve relied on these methods have either fled their posts, have become pariahs like Tanzania’s Hassan or are clinging on to power by a thread. Uganda’s Museveni could be next. – Bloomberg
Natalia Cuadros writes: Africa is a continent of opportunity, not inevitability. But prolonged instability in Sudan would accelerate militancy, criminal economies, and regional destabilization. And if Africa bears the first cost, Europe – and Israel – will inevitably feel the consequences. Sudan’s war has many fronts, but its center of gravity remains unchanged. Until the Brotherhood’s grip on the state is broken, peace will remain elusive – and the strategic threat emanating from Sudan will continue to grow. – Jerusalem Post
The Americas
President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he was considering involving Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado in some capacity in her country, but did not say what role she could play. – Reuters
The U.S. military said it seized a Venezuela-linked tanker on Tuesday in the Caribbean, marking the seventh such apprehension since the start of U.S. President Donald Trump’s month-long campaign to control Venezuela’s oil flows. – Reuters
Venezuela’s government on Tuesday called on citizens to post its official map on social media as a “symbolic action” after U.S. President Donald Trump posted an altered image showing U.S. flags over Venezuela, as well as Canada and Greenland. – Reuters
Peruvian President Jose Jeri has asked to appear before Congress to “clarify” meetings he held with a Chinese businessman outside of his official agenda, which are being investigated by the public prosecutor in a new political scandal rocking the country. – Reuters
Chilean President-elect Jose Antonio Kast on Tuesday named economist Jorge Quiroz as finance minister, part of a cabinet that includes two lawyers who defended dictator Augusto Pinochet, a move that has revived tensions over human rights ahead of his inauguration. – Reuters
Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodriguez said on Tuesday that the country has received $300 million from oil sales, the first proceeds from U.S. President Donald Trump’s announced 50-million-barrel oil supply deal with Caracas, following the capture of President Nicolas Maduro earlier this month. – Reuters
Veteran Associated Press videographer Pierre-Richard Luxama was filming a tactical police unit patrolling Haiti’s capital Monday when some of the gang members who control almost the entire city attacked. – Associated Press
Colombia’s president on Tuesday reduced wages for members of Congress by approximately 30%, as the South American nation faces a budget crunch and gets ready to hold elections in the first semester of this year. – Associated Press
The former rebel group Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, is violating a 2016 peace deal with the Colombian government by failing to relinquish gold, land and other assets to fund reparations for the group’s victims, officials said Tuesday. – Associated Press
North America
Mexico’s government said it transferred 37 people with alleged ties to drug cartels to U.S. authorities, the latest handover as pressure from the Trump administration mounts to intensify the fight against drug-smuggling organizations. – Wall Street Journal
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Tuesday that the country strongly opposed any tariffs being imposed by the U.S. to further President Donald Trump’s aim of acquiring Greenland. – Reuters
Warship builder TKMS is in talks with Norwegian and German companies to offer a multi-billion-dollar investment package to Canada in a fiercely competitive submarine tender, its CEO said, seeking to beat a rival South Korean bid. – Reuters
Editorial: “I had discussions with President Xi about the situation in Greenland, about our sovereignty in the Arctic, about the sovereignty of the people of Greenland and the people of Denmark,” Carney said. “And I found much alignment of views in that regard.” What? There is universal agreement within NATO that the Arctic must be protected from China and Russia. Any suggestion that Ottawa and Beijing agree on geopolitical strategy concerning the Arctic is either deeply insincere or worryingly naive. – Washington Post
United States
President Trump has been publicly posting messages sent to him from world leaders in the run-up to his address Wednesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. – Wall Street Journal
European leaders have for months responded to President Trump’s desire to acquire Greenland with a simple refrain: it isn’t for sale. Now, those same leaders are rushing to set up meetings with Trump about the future of the territory after the U.S. president threatened to bludgeon Europe’s economy with stiff tariffs. – Wall Street Journal
The Pentagon plans to cut its participation in elements of NATO’s force structure and a range of the alliance’s advisory groups, the latest sign of the Trump administration’s drive to scale back the U.S. military presence in Europe, according to multiple officials familiar with the matter. – Washington Post
The Supreme Court could soon curtail President Trump’s ability to swiftly impose tariffs on allies and adversaries around the globe. – New York Times
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he got along with the leaders of France and the United Kingdom but that he would not attend a Group of Seven nations meeting in Paris, with his comments coming during tensions with European powers over the Republican’s threat to take over Greenland. – Reuters
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday seeking to advance his effort to ban large institutional investors from buying single-family homes, before a trip to the World Economic Forum in Davos where he’s expected to lay out his efforts to address affordability concerns. – Bloomberg
Marc A. Thiessen writes: This is the path to a win-win-win for the U.S., Greenland and Denmark. As a real estate guy, Trump believes in the importance of ownership. But the experience of Cuba has shown that possession is nine-tenths of ownership. If it leases military bases in Greenland in perpetuity, the U.S. will have what it needs to protect its national security — and a path to de-escalate the current tensions. – Washington Post
Michael B.G. Froman writes: In planting his flag at Davos, Mr. Trump is indicating he is not an isolationist but rather is ready to engage with the rest of the world and reshape the international system, one piece after another. Davos is not immune from his gaze. Indeed, regardless of whether he receives the Nobel Peace Prize, Mr. Trump can rightfully argue that he has achieved a moniker of almost equal acclaim. Mr. Trump is Davos Man, but Davos might never be the same. – New York Times
Cybersecurity
The Gates Foundation and OpenAI are setting up a $50 million partnership to help African countries use artificial intelligence to improve their health systems. – Reuters
Brazil’s government and federal prosecutors gave Elon Musk’s xAI 30 days to stop its Grok chatbot from circulating fake sexualized content, according to a joint statement on Tuesday. – Reuters
The Philippines will restore access to Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok following commitments from its developer to remove image-manipulation tools that previously raised child safety concerns, its cybercrime investigation unit said on Wednesday. – Reuters
The EU plans to phase out components and equipment from high-risk suppliers in critical sectors, according to a draft proposal released by Brussels on Tuesday – a move criticised by China’s Huawei, which is set to be among the companies affected. – Reuters
Congressional appropriators announced funding legislation this week that extends an expiring cyber threat information-sharing law and provides $2.6 billion for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), including money for election security and directives on staffing levels. – CyberScoop
Four years ago, the Department of Justice announced it would no longer seek criminal charges against independent and third-party security researchers for “good faith” security research under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. Now, a prominent bug bounty platform is attempting to build a framework for industry to offer similar protections to researchers who study flaws in AI systems, including fields like AI safety and others that look at unintended behaviors and outputs that can impact security outcomes. – CyberScoop
British authorities on Tuesday formally launched Report Fraud, a new national service aimed at overhauling how fraud and cybercrime victims contact police and how those incidents are subsequently investigated. – The Record
Defense
The U.S. State Department has approved the potential sale of maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft and lightweight torpedoes and related equipment to Singapore in a deal valued at an estimated $2.3 billion, the Pentagon said on Tuesday. – Reuters
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent cautioned European nations against ramping up their military presence on Greenland and assailed France over calls to conduct a NATO exercise as European leaders brace for President Donald Trump’s arrival at Davos. – Bloomberg
Congressional lawmakers green-lighting $839 billion in US defense spending voiced strong support for an embattled test office at the Pentagon that was slashed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, highlighting its value at preventing the “catastrophic failure” of US weapons and military equipment. – Bloomberg
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Tuesday that it has strengthened its military posture in the Middle East with the arrival of an F‑15 fighter jet squadron, as tensions with Iran continue to simmer. – Arutz Sheva
The chief of staff of the Army is celebrating progress on a new generation of Abrams tank that he said is lighter, more advanced and on track to be delivered years ahead of schedule. – Defense News
The House and Senate’s conferenced version of a fiscal 2026 defense budget would restore funding for the Navy’s next-generation F/A-XX fighter and up the Pentagon’s spending request on the Air Force’s F-47. – Defense News
U.S. forces seized MT Sagitta, an oil tanker considered part of the Russian “shadow fleet,” U.S. Southern Command announced Tuesday on social media platform X. – USNI News