Today In Issues:
FDD Research & Analysis
The Must-Reads
Israel says Bulgarian diplomat Nickolay Mladenov to direct Trump’s Board of Peace for Gaza Somaliland delegation to arrive in Israel on Sunday following FM Sa'ar's historic visit JPost Editorial: As ceasefires unravel, Israel faces critical decisions on Gaza, Lebanon, Syria fronts Protests sweep Iran despite internet shutdown as state TV warns of casualties Iran ‘does not desire a war but we are ready for it,’ says foreign minister The Atlantic’s Arash Azizi: Change may be coming to Iran In blow to Trump plan, Russia rejects European peacekeepers in Ukraine Russia appears to use nuclear-capable missile in Ukraine U.S. pushes to defuse worsening violence in Syria’s Aleppo Saudi official accuses U.A.E. of helping Yemeni separatist to escape Bloomberg’s Gearoid Reidy: Japan can keep calm and carry on decoupling from China Venezuela regime releases five political prisoners as peace gestureIn The News
Israel
Israel’s Arkia Airlines said on Thursday it signed a deal with low-cost U.S. carrier JetBlue Airways (JBLU.O), that would allow its customers to connect on JetBlue flights in the United States and to Latin America and the Caribbean. – Reuters
A former U.N. Mideast envoy has been chosen to direct U.S. President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace to oversee the ceasefire in Gaza, Israel’s prime minister said Thursday, as at least eight more deaths from Israeli strikes were reported there. – Associated Press
An Egyptian warship entered the closed maritime zone off the coast of the Gaza Strip, the IDF confirmed on Thursday. – Jerusalem Post
Israel will make its own decision whether or not to renew airstrikes on Iran, US Ambassador Mike Huckabee told KAN News on Thursday. – Jerusalem Post
The Defense Ministry and the IDF on Thursday announced that they have completed the distribution of thousands of advanced Arad rifles to the local border communities’ rapid response teams across the country. – Jerusalem Post
The IDF began striking in Gaza after terrorists in Gaza attempted to launch a rocket at Israel on Thursday. – Jerusalem Post
An official delegation from Somaliland is set to arrive in Israel on Sunday, according to a statement from the NGO Sharaka released on Thursday. – Jerusalem Post
Israeli authorities arrested a 15-year-old resident of northern Israel on suspicion of swearing allegiance to the Islamic State and planning a terror attack, the case was cleared for publication on Thursday. – Jerusalem Post
The IDF conducted an airstrike in the Zaita region of southern Lebanon on Thursday, killing a Hezbollah operative, according to an official military statement. – Jerusalem Post
An official in Somaliland on Thursday told Israeli media that ties with Jerusalem have led to discussions on potentially setting up an Israeli military base in the African self-ruled territory. – Times of Israel
Editorial: As ceasefires in Lebanon and Gaza remain in limbo, Israel now has a rare opportunity to pacify the Syrian border and strengthen the security of its northern communities. Jerusalem should define redlines, demand verification, and keep freedom of action intact. It must also remain wary of a weak agreement that collapses at the first test. The potential benefits feel closer than they did a week ago, including an image that once sounded absurd: Israelis and Syrians sharing Mount Hermon in peace – even if that vision starts with a jointly operated ski resort. – Jerusalem Post
Iran
With Iran’s anti-government unrest evolving rapidly and foreign pressure mounting, the clerical establishment appears unable, for now, to tackle what has become a crisis of legitimacy at the heart of the Islamic Republic. – Reuters
Iranian protesters shouted and marched through the streets into Friday morning after a call by the country’s exiled crown prince for demonstrations, despite Iran’s theocracy cutting off the nation from the internet and international telephone calls. – Associated Press
Iran does not want war with Israel or the United States, but is ready to fight back if attacked again, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Thursday. – Associated Press
President Trump on Thursday reiterated his support for Iranian protesters as the civilian unrest continues. “I have let them know that if they start killing people, which they tend to do during their riots… we’re going to hit them very hard,” Trump said in an interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt on Thursday. – New York Post
Iran-linked hacker group Handala published a series of posts on social media, claiming to have uncovered the identity of an agent coordinating Mossad operations in Iran, and threatened to release further sensitive information on Thursday. – Jerusalem Post
Arash Azizi writes: Inside Iran, the protest movement appears to be growing, and Khamenei, besieged by his people and surrounded on all sides by foreign adversaries, must know that his days are numbered. No matter who comes out on top when he’s gone, the core structures and central policies of his regime are bound to change. How and by whom the Islamic Republic will be dismantled, and what will succeed it, are the questions that remain. – The Atlantic
Russia and Ukraine
A new key Ukrainian negotiator in peace talks with the Russians is a man who has spent the past four years specializing in something else: killing them. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky picked Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, his former military spymaster, as chief of staff last week, reflecting the need to prepare both for war and peace amid uncertainties around President Trump’s push for an end to fighting. – Wall Street Journal
After Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed progress in developing a plan for postwar security guarantees, Russia’s foreign ministry on Thursday again rejected a core pillar of the emerging peace initiative: the deployment of British and European soldiers as part of a peacekeeping force. Russia said it regarded the prospect of foreign troops in Ukraine as a “direct threat.” – Washington Post
Ukraine’s Air Force reported a threat of a potential intermediate-range ballistic missile launch from a Russian strategic nuclear testing site shortly before midnight on Thursday. – New York Times
Ukraine on Thursday awarded a bid to mine a major state-owned lithium deposit to investors that include a billionaire friend of President Trump, as his administration has indicated it is looking for investment opportunities in the war-torn country. – New York Times
In the days since the U.S. raid in Venezuela, a network of Russian propaganda websites has been promoting a message that countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia should stop buying American military hardware, according to a firm that tracks the online activities. – New York Times
About half a million households were still without heat and power in the Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine on Thursday evening, as the authorities raced in the winter cold to restore services knocked out by Russian strikes the previous night. – New York Times
Russian drones attacked targets in Kyiv early on Friday, killing four people, injuring at least 19 and inflicting considerable damage on dwellings and infrastructure, Ukrainian officials said. – Reuters
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday the text of a bilateral security guarantee between Kyiv and Washington was “essentially ready” to be finalised with U.S. President Donald Trump. – Reuters
A Russian basketball player who was arrested in France last year and threatened with extradition to the United States has been released and flown back to Moscow, his lawyer was quoted as saying on Thursday. – Reuters
David J. Kramer writes: In his New Year address delivered from Kyiv, Zelensky declared, “We want the end of the war — not the end of Ukraine…Does that mean we are ready to surrender? Those who think so are deeply mistaken. And clearly, over all these years, they still have not understood who Ukrainians are.” Ukrainians are a heroic people on the frontlines of freedom. They deserve our military, political and economic support. The United States should not be a neutral arbiter in this war; instead, we should clearly stand on Ukraine’s side against Russia. Only by helping Ukraine win the war might Putin and his forces on the frontlines realize that his war, built on lies, is pointless. – The Hill
Adam Dixon writes: This throws a spotlight on a crucial question that is too little asked in a world suddenly consumed by “transactional diplomacy” and the projection of “hard power” into “spheres of influence”: what is it that Russia is bringing to its neighbors, and by extension, to the world? Is it able to offer scientific, technological, artistic, or cultural achievements? Or just a blind, malignant desire to dominate and destroy? Watching the catastrophe in Ukraine unfold, Kazakhstan is under no illusions: Diaghilev is dead. – National Interest
Syria
The U.S. is scrambling to contain a worsening clash between two of its military partners in Syria, as the country’s new government battles a Kurdish militia in the city of Aleppo. Lethal fighting raged Thursday between the two sides in the divided city where Kurdish-led forces hold key neighborhoods. – Wall Street Journal
Syria’s defence ministry declared a ceasefire in three neighbourhoods of the northern city of Aleppo early on Friday, a move that could halt fresh fighting between government troops and Kurdish fighters. – Reuters
Turkey said on Thursday it is ready to help Syria if asked after the Syrian army independently launched a “counter-terrorism” operation in Aleppo, where fierce fighting broke out in recent days between government forces and Kurdish fighters. – Reuters
An effort by Syria and Russia to deploy Russian forces in southern Syria has been halted for now after Israeli opposition to the move, an Israeli source told Haaretz on Thursday. – Haaretz
Lebanon
Lebanon’s central bank will seek the repayment of public funds embezzled by at least one former central bank official and by lawyers and commercial bankers, to help guarantee its liquidity, Central Bank Governor Karim Souaid said on Thursday. – Reuters
Lebanon will sign a gas exploration deal with a consortium comprising QatarEnergy, TotalEnergies (TTEF.PA), and Italy’s Eni (ENI.MI), in the country’s Block 8 offshore area, the Lebanese cabinet said on Thursday. – Reuters
Lebanon’s moves to remove weapons from all non-state groups and assert full state control are as important as financial reforms if the economy is to recover after years of crisis, the economy minister said Thursday. – Associated Press
Mona Yacoubian and Elisa Catalano Ewers write: For the first time in decades, Lebanon’s sovereignty can be liberated from both internal and external threats, potentially ushering in a new era of stability and prosperity. The degradation of Hezbollah’s leadership and capabilities, the election of a reform-minded Lebanese government not led by warlords or their proxies, and the departure of Bashar al-Assad in Syria have coincided to create a unique moment of opportunity. But the Lebanese government cannot seize this alone. Both Israel and the United States have vital interests at stake and must work in concert with Lebanon to seize the moment. – Foreign Policy
Yemen
Saudi Arabia on Thursday accused its neighbor and ally the United Arab Emirates of helping a separatist leader wanted on treason charges to escape Yemen, a claim that deepens a rift between two regional powerhouses. – New York Times
Yemen’s Saudi-backed presidential leadership council has dismissed Defence Minister Mohsen al-Daeri in the internationally recognised government, the state news agency Saba reported on Thursday. – Reuters
Somalia’s immigration and citizenship agency said on Thursday that it had launched an investigation after the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen accused the United Arab Emirates of spiriting a separatist leader out of the country via Mogadishu airport. – Reuters
Middle East & North Africa
Saudi Arabia’s SABIC (2010.SE), has agreed to sell its European petrochemical business and its Engineering Thermoplastics business in Europe and the Americas for a combined enterprise value of $950 million, as part of a restructuring during an industry slowdown. – Reuters
Egypt expects the remaining 4 billion euros ($4.66 billion) of a previously announced 5 billion macro-financial assistance package from the European Union to be disbursed in three tranches by 2027, Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said on Thursday. – Reuters
The main rival to Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is incarcerated in a high-security prison just outside Istanbul, but that’s not stopping him from vowing to win the presidency from his cell. – Politico
The UN’s beleaguered agency for Palestinian refugees is to open an office in Ankara within weeks, its chief Philippe Lazzarini said on a visit to the Turkish capital on Thursday. – Agence France-Presse
Natiq Malikzada writes: Saudi and Pakistani officials have repeatedly said that deterrence prevents war, that the two states have a right to cooperate, and that their agreement promotes peace and counterterrorism. The problem, however, is not cooperation. It is the architecture being built in a vague collective-defence language, nuclear signalling without clarity, and a growing role for a security establishment that already struggles to manage the consequences of past militant entanglements inside its country and in the region. – National Interest
Korean Peninsula
The new South Korean owner of the historic Philly Shipyard has a problem: too much demand. It was just over a year ago that Hanwha Ocean one of the world’s largest shipbuilders, bought the Philadelphia facility, a storied naval yard that has shriveled under competition from Asian competitors, particularly in China. – Wall Street Journal
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung will visit Japan on January 13 and 14 for a summit with Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, Lee’s office said in a statement on Friday. – Reuters
South Korea said on Friday it will open up its currency market to allow 24-hour trading starting in July, further removing restrictions on onshore trading in a bid to win an upgrade to developed-market status, the finance ministry said. – Reuters
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will visit South Korea between January 17 and 19 for a summit with President Lee Jae Myung, South Korea’s Blue House said in a statement on Friday. – Reuters
A Seoul court began a final hearing for former President Yoon Suk Yeol over his botched declaration of martial law in 2024, with prosecutors set to seek either the death penalty or a life sentence for the impeached leader. – Bloomberg
China
China has begun choking off exports of rare earths and rare-earth magnets to Japan, a potential blow to Japanese companies that use them to produce components for global chip makers, car companies and defense firms. – Wall Street Journal
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said there was room to balance roles for both the United States and China in Venezuela to allow for commerce but that Washington would not allow Beijing to have major control over the Latin American country. – Reuters
China said on Thursday it will release more information related to the extradition of an individual named Chen Zhi from Cambodia, without confirming the person’s whereabouts or if he is the same person sanctioned by the U.S. and Britain, accused of operating large online scam centres. – Reuters
As the world digests the implications of the US capture of Venezuela’s leader, China has ramped up its messaging, touting its governance model as a superior alternative to Western capitalism and representing a new path for developing countries to follow. – Bloomberg
China is ramping up objections to what it sees as Japan’s desire to acquire nuclear weapons, despite Tokyo’s longstanding renunciation of such arms, deepening another fissure in the two neighbors’ increasingly tense ties. – Bloomberg
China’s two days of military drills in waters surrounding Taiwan last month came closer than ever to the self-ruled island’s coast and were the largest-scale exercises in more than three years of exercises partly aimed at deterring a U.S. role in an actual war, analysts say. – Defense News
South Asia
There is never any traffic in Naypyidaw. Built early this century, Naypyidaw, the capital of Myanmar, means the “abode of kings.” In reality, it is a vast bunker for the top brass of this Southeast Asian nation, who have stolen power for themselves for more than a half century. – New York Times
India’s Reliance Industries Ltd (RELI.NS), operator of the world’s largest refining complex, said on Thursday it would consider buying Venezuelan oil if it is permitted for sale to non-U.S. buyers. – Reuters
India’s finance ministry plans to scrap five-year-old restrictions on Chinese firms bidding for government contracts, two government sources said, as New Delhi seeks to revive commercial ties in an environment of reduced border tensions. – Reuters
India’s trade pact with the United States was delayed because Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not make a telephone call to President Donald Trump to close a deal they were negotiating, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on Friday. – Reuters
Germany and India are hammering out the details of a submarine manufacturing deal worth at least $8 billion — the largest-ever defense agreement for New Delhi, according to officials with direct knowledge of the details. – Bloomberg
Brahma Chellaney writes: Myanmar today is not merely a domestic tragedy; it is a geopolitical battleground. Continued U.S. disengagement leaves China free to shape outcomes, lock in infrastructure corridors, secure mineral access and entrench itself as the indispensable external actor. Strategic space, once lost, will be difficult to recover. The election will not legitimize Myanmar’s rulers. But it should legitimize a long-overdue rethink in Washington. The Trump administration has an opportunity to reshape policy in a way that advances U.S. interests, constrains China’s influence and reclaims leverage in a country that will matter more and more in the years ahead. – The Hill
Asia
Hundreds of thousands of Philippine devotees joined an annual procession of a centuries-old statue of Jesus Christ on Friday, one of the world’s largest displays of Catholic faith that this year served as a platform to criticise corrupt officials in the graft-weary nation. – Reuters
Malaysian prosecutors said on Thursday that they have put an end to their corruption case against Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, saying that there was insufficient evidence to continue. – Reuters
A decades-old Pacific organisation for environmental protection said the United States must go through a formal process to withdraw its support, after President Donald Trump listed it among 66 entities the U.S. would leave because they “operate contrary to U.S. national interests”. – Reuters
The United States will provide $45 million in assistance to Cambodia and Thailand, the senior U.S. diplomat for East Asia said on Friday during a visit to the region, to help solidify President Donald Trump’s peace-making efforts between the two. – Reuters
Singapore lawmakers are poised to debate if Pritam Singh should remain Leader of the Opposition when Parliament meets next week after his conviction for lying to a parliamentary committee. – Bloomberg
Taiwan is set to report a record annual trade surplus with the US, a figure that complicates the two sides’ drawn-out tariff negotiations. – Bloomberg
Gearoid Reidy writes: This is the third time this decade that Japanese firms have been forced to navigate the tides of unpredictable Chinese policy, after the Covid-era lockdowns and complaints over the release of treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant. There’s no reason to expect that pattern to change, even if relations may temporarily improve. Takaichi can continue to wait this moment out — and keep working to ensure the next one matters less. – Bloomberg
Europe
France will vote against a sweeping trade deal that the European Union is due to sign with South American nations, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday, as farmers blockaded roads into Paris and landmarks like the Arc de Triomphe to protest against the pact. – Reuters
Aides to U.S. President Donald Trump met at the White House on Thursday with envoys from Denmark and Greenland, a Danish government official said as Trump pushes to bring the island territory under U.S. control. – Reuters
Greenland should hold direct talks with the U.S. government without Denmark, a Greenlandic opposition leader told Reuters, as the Arctic island weighs how to respond to President Donald Trump’s renewed push to bring it under U.S. control. – Reuters
German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has strongly criticised U.S. foreign policy under President Donald Trump and urged the world not to let the world order disintegrate into a “den of robbers” where the unscrupulous take what they want. – Reuters
U.S. President Donald Trump wished ‘best of luck’ to Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban, a long-time ally, in his election campaign in a letter posted by Orban on his Facebook page on Friday. – Reuters
Giorgia Meloni has made a career out of confounding the skeptics. Having emerged as a force beyond Italy, the country’s first female prime minister now confronts two stubborn domestic obstacles standing between her and a potentially historic tenure: stagnant living standards and a political system that tends toward deadlock. – Bloomberg
The UK’s Ministry of Defence is short £28 billion ($38 billion) over the next four years despite vows to boost spending on the department, Britain’s most senior military chief has warned Prime Minister Keir Starmer. – Bloomberg
Italy has formally announced an air force base in Sicily is to become the first F-35 training school outside the United States, reflecting a growth in demand for pilot training after fresh orders of the jet in Europe. – Defense News
Editorial: British politicians such as Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch are asking why the police officials responsible for this fiasco still have their jobs—an excellent question Prime Minister Keir Starmer has yet to answer. But the implications are bigger. British politicians joined the European chorus taking umbrage when the Trump Administration last year mused about whether Europe’s values still align with America’s. Maybe Britain should stop doing things—like hosting Jew-free soccer matches—that make Mr. Trump’s point. – Wall Street Journal
Africa
Senegalese Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko said on Thursday the debt-ridden country would not need to implement a restructuring plan despite a difficult repayment schedule. – Reuters
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on Thursday and called for greater cooperation with Africa’s fastest growing economy, including in infrastructure, green industry, and the digital economy. – Reuters
Bobi Wine, the main opposition candidate in Uganda’s presidential election next week, said he would review the country’s agreements with international oil firms if he won power and revise any that did not favour Ugandans. – Reuters
Somalia’s government on Thursday denied an allegation by the U.S. government that authorities in Mogadishu destroyed an American-funded warehouse belonging to the World Food Program and seized food aid earmarked for impoverished civilians. – Associated Press
Dozens of people gathered outside the U.S. Embassy in the South African capital Thursday to protest the U.S. intervention in Venezuela and the capture of former president Nicolas Maduro. – Associated Press
A former Ghanaian finance minister who faces corruption charges in the West African nation has been detained in the US for overstaying his visa. – Bloomberg
Warships from some members of the BRICS group of developing nations gathered in Cape Town waters for a naval exercise that places host South Africa at risk of renewed US ire. – Bloomberg
The Americas
Venezuela’s regime released five political prisoners on Thursday and was expected to free many more, as it looked to appease the Trump administration less than a week after U.S. commandos captured the country’s former leader, Nicolás Maduro. – Wall Street Journal
President Trump’s surprise announcement that the U.S. would take millions of barrels of Venezuelan crude could be an economic boon for the battered South American nation—if Washington and Caracas can maintain their nascent detente, U.S. officials and economists said. – Wall Street Journal
U.S. President Donald Trump indicated on Thursday that Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was coming to Washington next week. – Reuters
Honduran opposition lawmaker Gladis Aurora Lopez was injured on Thursday after an explosive device was thrown near her at the National Congress, her National Party said in a statement, as tensions remain high following the country’s disputed presidential election. – Reuters
Panama’s maritime authority on Thursday said it had canceled in January of last year the flag of the M Sophia, a Venezuela-linked oil tanker seized by the U.S. military this week. – Reuters
Brazil’s Justice Minister Ricardo Lewandowski resigned from his role, a letter released by the ministry showed on Thursday. – Reuters
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva vetoed on Thursday a bill passed by Congress cutting former President Jair Bolsonaro’s 27-year prison sentence for plotting a coup after losing the 2022 election. – Reuters
A federal court in Argentina Thursday ordered the judiciary to press on with investigations into alleged crimes against humanity committed by members of Venezuela’s national guard, turning down an appeal by a former officer who argued that Argentina had no jurisdiction to go after Venezuelan officials. – Associated Press
President-elect José Antonio Kast told Chilean business leaders he’ll announce his long-awaited cabinet on Jan. 20 as he doubled down on his pro-market plans to spur economic growth and cut red tape. – Bloomberg
Editorial: Why, then, does Trump keep talking about Venezuelan oil as a boon for America? Perhaps because he’s stuck in the mindset of his youth, when OPEC ruled the roost, and oil was a scarce commodity that Americans, accustomed to gas lines, were desperate for. Trump has scheduled a meeting for Friday with oil executives, hoping to cajole them into entering Venezuela’s market. While America may not need their oil, the Venezuelan people desperately need companies and engineers competent enough to get it out of the ground. – Washington Post
Francisco Rodríguez writes: More than a quarter-century ago, a majority of Venezuelans became enamored with a young, charismatic leader who promised radical change and drew a stark line between the corruption of the past and a bright future. Yet in defining politics as moral absolutism, that leader, Mr. Chávez, created a trap from which the country has not been able to escape. The way is not to try to replace one moral absolutism with another. – New York Times
North America
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney spoke to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday about the situation in Venezuela, and the two countries have affirmed their support for a “peaceful, negotiated, and Venezuelan-led transition process.” – Reuters
Canada recorded a smaller-than-expected trade deficit in October and the share of exports to the United States fell to its lowest ever non-pandemic level, official data indicated on Thursday. – Reuters
Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum has overseen a nearly 40% drop in the country’s murder rate since taking office in October 2024, government officials said on Thursday, citing preliminary statistics. – Reuters
Humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders said Thursday that it was suspending services at a clinic in a violent neighborhood of Haiti’s capital given ongoing clashes between police and armed groups. – Associated Press
United States
The Trump administration’s seizure of tankers under a growing oil embargo is meant to warn adversaries attempting to gain a foothold in the Western Hemisphere and boost Washington’s influence in Latin America, according to U.S. officials. – Wall Street Journal
The Senate on Thursday advanced a bipartisan measure intended to block the Trump administration from conducting further military action in Venezuela, foreshadowing a rare assertion of Congress’s role in using lethal force after the stunning raid to apprehend the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro. – Washington Post
President Trump declared on Wednesday evening that his power as commander in chief is constrained only by his “own morality,” brushing aside international law and other checks on his ability to use military might to strike, invade or coerce nations around the world. – New York Times
U.S. officials have discussed sending lump sum payments to Greenlanders as part of a bid to convince them to secede from Denmark and potentially join the United States, according to four sources familiar with the matter. – Reuters
Billionaire energy entrepreneur and Republican donor Harry Sargeant III and his team are advising the Trump administration on how the U.S. can engineer a return of some American oil companies to Venezuela, according to four sources familiar with the matter. – Reuters
Editorial: Graham says the bipartisan legislation will “punish those countries who buy cheap Russian oil fueling Putin’s war machine”; it targets the 10-nation BRICS bloc (including Brazil, India, Iran, China and South Africa) that have been abetting Russia despite international sanctions. As Graham notes, “Ukraine is making concessions for peace and Putin is all talk, continuing to kill the innocent.” Moscow is still striving to break Kyiv’s will; secondary sanctions can instead crush the Kremlin’s resolve — Putin doesn’t dare let his civilian population suffer even more for his obsession with conquest. Yes, the House and Senate have plenty on their plates, but getting this bill passed must be a top priority. Delay is doing Putin’s work for him: Don’t protect his war machine. – New York Post
Meredith Schwartz and Gracelin Baskaran write: The United States has a significant opportunity to deepen strategic ties with Greenland, not through direct purchase or military intervention, but through coordinated investment. The Tanbreez mine presents a potential pathway to enhance U.S. REE access, but realizing this potential requires more than just financing—it demands long-term commitment to infrastructure, genuine community engagement, and diplomatic coordination. While Greenland’s mining future faces steep logistical and political challenges, a targeted and respectful U.S. strategy could help ensure that Greenland becomes not just a mineral supplier, but a trusted Arctic partner. – Center for Strategic and International Studies
Cybersecurity
China said it would review Meta’s recent acquisition of artificial-intelligence startup Manus, firing a warning shot toward Chinese entrepreneurs lured by Silicon Valley riches. People familiar with the matter said the review was part of broader consideration by Beijing about how it can build fences around its AI know-how when the U.S. and China are locked in an intensifying technology race. – Wall Street Journal
TikTok was picked by FIFA as the first “preferred platform” for video content on social media at a men’s World Cup, the soccer body said Thursday. – Associated Press
As collective disgust has continued to build over the widespread generation and sharing of nonconsensual, sexualized deepfakes generated by X’s GrokAI tool, angry onlookers have expressed shock that the activity continues unabated and company owner Elon Musk isn’t being compelled – by either U.S. regulators or law enforcement – to put a halt to the practice. – CyberScoop
The Trump administration is withdrawing the United States from a handful of international organizations that work to strengthen cybersecurity. – CyberScoop
The National Security Agency has a new leadership roster for its cybersecurity directorate as the agency waits for its first Senate-confirmed chief in more than nine months. David Imbordino, a NSA senior executive who is currently serving as the directorate’s deputy chief, will take the reins in an acting capacity at the end of the month, according to three people familiar with the matter. – The Record
Ten emergency directives issued by the U.S.’s top cybersecurity agency have been retired after officials determined they were redundant thanks in part to a widely used catalog of exploited vulnerabilities. – The Record
Jianli Yang writes: The lesson of the Meta–Manus deal is not that globalization is over, but that it must be governed more intelligently. The United States can—and should—pursue a policy of “opening doors while maintaining robust national security control.” Doing so would allow America to absorb global talent and innovation while safeguarding its strategic interests. This is not only possible; it is necessary. In an era when AI agents may soon shape economies, societies, and even geopolitical outcomes, leadership will belong to those who can combine openness with vigilance. Meta’s bold acquisition has exposed the tensions inherent in that balance. Whether the United States can resolve them wisely will shape not just the future of AI, but the trajectory of global technological power. – National Interest
Defense
A U.S. Navy vessel is pursuing several sanctioned oil tankers that appear to be making a break across the Atlantic Ocean after leaving Venezuelan waters earlier this week, according to satellite imagery and a U.S. military official. The ships, most of them laden with oil, are hundreds of miles from land and appear to be heading east, toward Africa and Europe. – New York Times
President Donald Trump said the US military was preparing for strikes against drug cartel facilities, just days after he ordered an operation to capture Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro. – Bloomberg
US defense stocks are off to a strong start in 2026, extending last year’s stellar performance as geopolitical tensions ratchet higher and military spending plans rise to match them. – Bloomberg
Following a 2025 that saw Vandenberg Space Force Base complete a record 77 space launch, missile test and aeronautical operations, Space Launch Delta 30 is exploring further expansion at the California base. – Defense News
Northrop Grumman and Kratos Defense and Security Solutions are teaming up to build autonomous drone wingmen for the U.S. Marine Corps, the companies announced Thursday. – Defense News
Editorial: The administration has time to consider what forces and capabilities the Pentagon will require; it can even begin to invest in some of them, given how long they will take to put in place. Meanwhile, the president should use his upcoming summits with Chinese leader Xi Jinping to push hard for nuclear talks, at least to clarify the strategic thinking behind the mainland’s ICBM buildup. Any extension should be detached from the ongoing peace talks: A strong Ukraine that can defend itself against future Russian attacks will make the US and its allies more secure. But extending New START will, too. – Bloomberg
James Stavridis writes: Bottom line: The US desperately needs more warships, given China’s naval advantages in terms of pure numbers — about 360 ships against America’s 300 — and superior speed of construction. The smart approach, though, would be what’s called “distributed firepower” — spreading weaponry across many platforms — the opposite of a massive battleship. The watchwords should be lethality, quantity, simplicity and affordability. Also, smaller crews: Over time, sailors are the most expensive part of any warship. […] As much as I love the look of a big, beautiful battleship, they won’t make a new fleet “golden”: their time has passed. – Bloomberg
Macdonald Amoah, Morgan D. Bazilian, and Jahara Matisek write: Reforming export controls for pre-approved partners, enabling digital technical-data environments, and delegating more disclosure authority within the Pentagon would turn allied goodwill into actual production. American industrial strength must be more than a slogan. It is the sum of machines, workers, suppliers, and partners. The sooner Washington opens this black box, the sooner it can rebuild the arsenal it believes it already has. – Foreign Policy