Today In Issues:
FDD Research & Analysis
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Israel’s military is caught in a political no man’s land in Lebanon Israel, Lebanon discuss pilot project for Lebanese army to control zones after Hezbollah withdraws Trump dismisses Iran’s rejection of nuclear inspections In Middle East, Rubio Says ‘no country’ can charge for Hormuz traffic Russia pressures Belarus in bid to open new front in Ukraine war Bypassing Sanctions: The secret route between Doha and Tehran Crypto networks fuel the Houthi war machine UK, France, Germany raise alarm about Chinese activities off eastern Taiwan NATO's Rutte to meet Trump, aiming to ease tensions ahead of July summit WaPo Editorial: What Brexit really gave Britain Niger becomes the third country to leave the International Criminal Court China takes supercomputer crown from U.S. for first time since 2017In The News
Israel
Israeli troops stationed in Lebanon are increasingly caught between U.S. limits on Israel’s military operations and domestic pressure to fight on against Iran-backed Hezbollah, leaving them in a no man’s land that risks a resumption of the fighting that could derail the truce between Washington and Tehran. – Wall Street Journal
A former Israeli prime minister acknowledged on Tuesday that Israel had smuggled Starlink internet receivers into Iran to help anti-government protesters, though he said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government failed to follow through on the plans. – Reuters
Officers from the Moroccan military, whose deployment was announced in February, have arrived in Israel to join a nascent international force for Gaza, US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace said Tuesday. – Agence-France Presse
Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter laid into US President Donald Trump’s administration over its willingness to include the ceasefire in Lebanon as part of a memorandum of understanding Washington inked last week with Tehran, as Beirut and Jerusalem kicked off a fifth round of negotiations at the US State Department in Washington on Tuesday. – Agence-France Presse
Former Gaza hostage Ilana Gritzewsky took the floor at the UN Human Rights Council on Tuesday in order to confront the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women for her minimization of sexual violence used against victims on October 7, 2023. – Jerusalem Post
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett warned on Tuesday that Israel’s relationship with the United States had entered a precarious period, saying Jerusalem must rebuild its image in America and stop assuming that support from President Donald Trump alone can secure the alliance. – Jerusalem Post
The fifth round of negotiations between Israel and Lebanon opened on Tuesday in Washington, with the talks centered on creating “pilot areas” where Israeli forces would withdraw in order for the Lebanese army to prove its ability to disarm Hezbollah. – Jerusalem Post
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new national security adviser, Shmuel Ben Ezra, reportedly convened an urgent meeting Tuesday on “encouraging voluntary emigration” of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. – Times of Israel
Representatives from the various bodies of the Board of Peace will gather at a resort in Cyprus next week, as the US-led international panel overseeing the postwar management of Gaza seeks to recalibrate after a rocky six months since its establishment. – Times of Israel
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that Israel needs to be “free” from military dependence on the United States and develop its own weapons-production capabilities, arguing that this is needed to support the ongoing fight with Iran and its terror proxies. – Times of Israel
Shas and United Torah Judaism on Tuesday denied reports that they have reached a deal with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to advance some of their legislative agenda in exchange for supporting coalition priorities, following a meeting with the premier. – Times of Israel
The Israel Defense Forces said it struck armed Hezbollah operatives spotted near Israeli forces in southern Lebanon in two separate incidents on Tuesday, as Jerusalem and Beirut kicked off another round of direct talks in Washington. – Times of Israel
A limited postponement of elections could be justified in an emergency if free, equal and accessible voting could not be held, the Central Elections Committee chairman said on Tuesday, but warned that such a move must not become a tool for a government to extend its rule. – Ynet
Editorial: Although we don’t know the full details about what’s being discussed between the US and Iran under the auspices of Pakistan and Qatar, nevertheless, agreements made in Switzerland that affect the lives of IDF soldiers serving in Lebanon and Israeli citizens suffering the brunt of Hezbollah attacks must be made with the involvement of Israel. Why we have been shut out and whether we’re impotent to do anything about it are matters that need to be considered when Israelis go to the polls this fall. – Jerusalem Post
Duvi Honig writes: Israel’s leaders have lived through the consequences of believing that concessions would moderate extremists. They have watched peace initiatives turn into terror campaigns, and withdrawals turn into security disasters. That experience should not be mocked, minimized, or brushed aside. It should be respected. Because when history keeps delivering the same lesson, wisdom means paying attention. Israel gave up Gush Katif for peace and received October 7 instead. Before America places its faith in Iran’s promises, it should ask why this time will be different. – Jerusalem Post
Hezi Halavia writes: Israel has another major advantage: proven experience. During more than two years of war and unprecedented security challenges, Israel’s supply chains continued to function. Israelis did not experience any substantial shortage of consumer goods, in part because of the operational continuity of the country’s ports and logistics infrastructure. Israel has proved its ability to maintain functional continuity even during the most difficult periods. It must therefore continue to lead efforts to establish the trade route connecting Asia and Europe. An agreement with Iran may change the tactics, but it does not change the strategic need: The world needs another trade route, and Israel can and should be a central part of it. – Ynet
Iran
President Donald Trump accused Tehran of making “false statements” on Tuesday, after an Iranian official said his government had not agreed to allow international inspectors access to their country’s damaged nuclear facilities, despite U.S. claims. – Washington Post
Secretary of State Marco Rubio kicked off a visit to the Middle East by saying that “no country” could charge ships for passage through the Strait of Hormuz, drawing a bright line on a key negotiating point with Iran that has major implications for global commerce. – New York Times
A United Nations agency said on Tuesday that it had started a plan to evacuate the hundreds of ships and thousands of mariners that became stranded in the Persian Gulf during the U.S.-Israeli war against Iran. – New York Times
It took two devastating wars and the collapse of two previous attempts at mediation. Now, regional experts say, Iran and the United States finally look ready at least to try to strike a deal in good faith. – New York Times
An Iranian court has sentenced an outspoken female singer to 74 lashes for performing at a concert without wearing a hijab, according to a person close to her family and state media news reports. The punishment indicated a possible tightening of religious rules for women under an Iranian political order reshaped by war. – New York Times
Three stranded supertankers passed through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, while seven empty Qatar-linked liquefied natural gas tankers have entered in recent weeks in an early sign Gulf gas shipping may be resuming, ship-tracking data showed. – Reuters
Iran alone will decide how to use assets that are unfrozen under a deal with the United States, an Iranian envoy said on Tuesday, denying Washington would have any control over the funds or that they must be used to buy U.S. commodities. – Reuters
Oman and Iran agreed on Tuesday to press on with discussions about the future administration of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, including maritime services in the strategic waterway and the costs associated with them. – Reuters
Iran’s state-owned banking technology provider said on Tuesday that cyberattacks had disrupted card-based banking services at Bank Melli, Bank Saderat and Bank Tejarat. – Reuters
A US fighter pilot who was rescued after his jet was downed over Iran during the war in April reportedly described seeing multiple Iranian drones moving in a synchronized formation that resembled a jellyfish before his plane was shot down, which, if true, would mean Tehran possesses alarmingly advanced capabilities. – Times of Israel
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Tuesday robustly defended his country’s arsenal, claiming that lacking a ballistic program would have left the nation vulnerable to devastation comparable to the destruction in the Gaza Strip. – Arutz Sheva
Kate Koren, Patrick Panjeti, Emma Surnow, Kevin Kurland, and Omar Al-Ghusbi write: While Chinese materials, components, and equipment will likely be good enough to meet the bulk of Iran’s needs, Iran will likely continue its attempts to illicitly procure advanced Western technologies, such as German and Japanese machine tool controllers. Diplomatic pressure on China could also lead to further trade obfuscation, with goods making multiple stops between China and Iran, making it more difficult to identify sources of supply but also slowing procurements and making them more costly. […] Extending new tools from the Russia playbook to address circumvention, chiefly a “no reexport to Iran” clause and the authority to restrict sales to third countries that serve as transshipment points, would help close the gaps as UAE-based reexport networks migrate. – Center for Strategic and International Studies
Matthew Kroenig writes: Third, and most likely, the two sides will be unable to strike a final accord, but the cease-fire and interim provisions remain in place. Neither side is eager to return to open warfare, and both have a strong economic incentive to keep the strait open. Critics argue that, if this third outcome is realized, Trump will simply have restored the prewar status quo. But this misses an important point. Before the war, Iran’s leadership and military were strong. Now, they are weak. The perception of the leaders involved is relevant, and Trump has repeatedly claimed that the United States won a “total and complete victory.” When asked if Iran won the war, in contrast, Ali Khamenei was unavailable for comment. – Foreign Policy
Russia and Ukraine
Russia’s closest ally, Belarus, has emerged as a potential new front in the Kremlin’s confrontation with the West, as Moscow seeks to strengthen its military union with the country and Ukraine threatens strikes on its territory. – Wall Street Journal
For four years, Hanna Zamyshliaieva has agonized over the fate of her severely disabled son, who disappeared in southern Ukraine soon after the Russian invasion. On Tuesday, she and two other women whose loved ones are among hundreds of Ukrainians missing from residential schools and other institutions made clear that they are not giving up. – New York Times
Ukraine has downgraded its representation at a key recovery forum in Poland by sending Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko instead of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in an effort to insulate the conference from a simmering diplomatic row. – Reuters
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday that Ukraine had submitted a revised application to join the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), a club of mostly advanced economies, as Kyiv pursues closer integration with Western institutions. – Reuters
The city of Sevastopol in Russia-annexed Crimea and Moscow-held parts of the Ukrainian region of Kherson were facing power outages on Wednesday, the Kremlin-installed authorities said, adding to fuel shortages as Kyiv intensifies attacks. – Reuters
Russia has accused the United States of failing to deliver on “understandings” reached between presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump at a summit in Alaska last August, a shift that suggests growing frustration in Moscow. – Reuters
Russia is considering a diesel export ban, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said on Tuesday, while a newspaper reported on possible fuel imports to tackle shortages, especially in Crimea, which tightened restrictions on public services and activities. – Reuters
The leader of South Ossetia, a breakaway region of Georgia that is backed by Russia, said on Tuesday that he is resigning to become an adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin. In an address published on a South Ossetian government website, Alan Gagloyev said he was resigning with immediate effect to take up a job in Russia’s presidential administration, and handing over the presidency to his prime minister. – Reuters
Hungary has delayed a key procedural step needed to push forward the EU membership bids of Ukraine and Moldova, according to two EU diplomats. – Politico
Tom Rogan writes: The Kerch Bridge, a very sensitive topic to Russia (as ), would never have been built if Putin thought what is happening now would be a possibility. For Russians in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Voronezh, Sevastopol, and all across the country, more than four years into a “special military operation” that was supposed to be over in weeks, victory has never looked more distant. As time drags on and the attacks continue, Putin will feel increasing pressure to either escalate dramatically or cut his losses. The United States and its allies should ensure Putin cannot get away with the former option. – Washington Examiner
Gulf States
Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said the Gulf state would resume normal liquefied natural gas production “within a few weeks”, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday. – Reuters
The document, recently compiled by a foreign intelligence agency, outlines how Qatar has become a central channel for strengthening Iran’s economy, trade relations and military capabilities since the 2018 withdrawal from the nuclear agreement, and in the period following the October 7 massacre. – Arutz Sheva
Arab media outlets reported in recent days that Qatar may become involved in future talks between Israel and Lebanon, as the United States continues efforts to stabilize the border and prevent renewed escalation with Hezbollah. – Ynet
Amine Ayoub writes: The third is treating Al Jazeera’s editorial line as a foreign policy input subject to scrutiny rather than background noise, since a state broadcaster that shapes Arab public opinion against Israel and the United States is doing strategic work, not journalism, regardless of how it is licensed in Washington bureaus. None of this requires confrontation for its own sake. It requires Washington to notice that the flexibility that makes Qatar useful in a crisis is the same flexibility that lets it hedge against American interests once the crisis passes. A landlord who rents rooms to both the fire department and the arsonist is not neutral. He simply profits no matter which way the fire spreads. Until Washington makes that arrangement more expensive than it is currently profitable, Doha will keep collecting the rent, and the region will keep paying it. – Ynet
Middle East & North Africa
Authorities in eastern and western Libya have intensified a crackdown on migrants and refugees in the last month with mass arrests, detentions and expulsions, Amnesty International said on Tuesday, accusing the EU of complicity in abuse. – Reuters
Turkish authorities detained 209 people in anti-terrorism operations on Tuesday, prosecutors said, a day after Ankara imposed restrictions on public gatherings ahead of next month’s NATO summit. – Reuters
Libya’s eastern-based government on Tuesday banned the entry of nationals of four African countries, a decision a government source said was due to a “reorganization of foreign nationals’ entry to Libya”. – Reuters
Italian prosecutors on Tuesday sought a life sentence for one Egyptian security officer and long jail terms for three others accused over the kidnapping, torture and murder of Italian student Giulio Regeni in Cairo in 2016. – Reuters
Her village of Dibbine is one of several Shiite-majority communities across southern Lebanon destroyed by Israeli forces battling the Iran-backed Shiite Hezbollah. Israel has occupied vast areas and fighting has raged through declared ceasefires. The latest truce — part of the interim peace deal between the United States and Iran — appears to be holding. – Associated Press
Turkish officials expect Syria’s president to visit Ankara around the time Turkey is hosting a NATO summit there next month, according to people familiar with the matter. – Bloomberg
In the basement of a dilapidated building in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, Nasser Sharhan, 46, sits under the dim light of a candle. A former government employee whose salary was cut off years ago, he now lives on the brink of starvation, unable to afford even a sack of flour for his five children. – Ynet
Korean Peninsula
North Korea should build two warships as large as its 5,000-metric-ton Choe Hyon vessel every year in the next five years, leader Kim Jong Un said at a commissioning ceremony of a destroyer on Tuesday, according to state media KCNA. – Reuters
South Korea’s government is in talks with Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix over plans for the next phase of large-scale investments in semiconductor production facilities, an official said on Wednesday, adding an announcement on a new chip cluster would be made soon. – Reuters
South Korea’s AI-fueled selloff has put a spotlight back on one of the fastest-growing corners of retail investing: leveraged exchange-traded funds. – Bloomberg
China
The White House has entered talks with Iran over a new nuclear deal, relying on a traditional strength: the promise of sanctions relief and access to some of roughly $100 billion in frozen assets. Yet, that leverage is waning. Tehran has blunted the U.S. sanctions campaign in recent years by successfully using China’s financial architecture—built on the yuan—that operates beyond Washington’s reach. – Wall Street Journal
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on BRICS countries on Tuesday to jointly respond to global challenges from Ebola to AI, and to strengthen cooperation on strategic mineral resources, according to a statement from his ministry. – Reuters
China’s newest and most advanced aircraft carrier, the Fujian, sailed through the Taiwan Strait on Tuesday, the Taiwanese defence ministry said, the first such mission in the sensitive waterway since April. – Reuters
Britain, France and Germany raised the alarm on Wednesday over recent Chinese activities off the east coast of Taiwan, where China has mounted coast guard patrols, saying they threaten regional stability and freedom of navigation. – Reuters
China is choking shipments of some critical minerals to Japan, a slowdown that’s hurting companies and prompting calls for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to find a diplomatic off-ramp with Beijing. – Bloomberg
China detained two Japanese nationals in May on suspicion of smuggling prohibited goods, adding to ongoing diplomatic tensions between the two nations. – Bloomberg
Dennis Blair writes: Keeping the competition stable and peaceful requires that both Beijing and Washington change the way they perceive and talk about the military balance. China must acknowledge the high risks and low probability of success of an attack on Taiwan, and tone down its nationalistic boasts of military prowess and exaggerated claims of American weakness. The United States must continue to devote attention and resources to maintaining its military edge and display confidence in its abilities rather than give credence to alarmist and hyperbolic warnings of imminent defeat. If all sides recognize the military reality, they can avoid outright conflict—and even preserve the possibility of cooperation that benefits them all. – Foreign Affairs
South Asia
From a lonely hilltop in Myanmar, an unlikely commander peered at the enemy on the next crest. He squinted through dust-covered glasses. As the wind whipped up dry earth, Dr. Lone Lone, a rebel leader of five years’ vintage, swallowed a cough, then emitted a slight wheeze. – New York Times
India will monitor steel imports for at least two more months before considering whether further measures are needed to curb the flow of shipments primarily from China, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. – Reuters
India’s imports of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from the U.S. are set to top 1 million metric tons in June, a record high, industry sources said, as New Delhi turned to costlier suppliers to offset disruption from the Middle East. – Reuters
The United States is focused on securing a fair, reciprocal trade deal with India that opens markets for American exporters and delivers benefits to both countries, the U.S. Embassy in India said in an X post on Tuesday. – Reuters
Bangladesh called on Tuesday for more funds and faster support for developing countries facing escalating threats from climate change, saying the global climate financing goal of $300 billion per year fell short of their needs. – Reuters
India has commissioned three domestically built naval vessels—a multi-role stealth frigate, an anti-submarine warfare platform, and a survey ship—as it accelerates both its naval modernization efforts and its push to design and build advanced naval platforms indigenously. – Defense News
Asia
The naysayers had projected Australia would be rationing fuel just after Easter. Describing how his government proved them wrong, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese perked up with a hint of pride. – New York Times
Taiwan’s military needs to test if it can respond immediately to a war breaking out, as the warning time for any Chinese attack is shortening, Defence Minister Wellington Koo said on Wednesday. – Reuters
Malaysia’s central bank said on Wednesday it would step up efforts to support the ringgit , including measures to attract foreign funds and encourage state-linked firms and companies to repatriate overseas earnings. – Reuters
More than 5,300 people are still trapped in online scam centres near Myanmar’s Thai border, a human rights group said, over one year after thousands were freed during a multinational crackdown in the region. – Reuters
Philippine authorities are rethinking school safety measures and looking to expand civil defence planning to cover gun violence, officials said on Tuesday, a day after a deadly attack at a high school shocked a nation where such incidents are rare. – Reuters
Armenia is sending a top security official to the Ukraine Recovery Conference, underscoring Yerevan’s tilt away from Russia as Moscow continues to step up economic pressure on its longtime ally. – Bloomberg
Paul Heer writes: Indeed, a government-sponsored poll in Taiwan conducted two weeks after Trump’s visit to China found that nearly 30 percent of Taiwan’s residents favored “extending goodwill toward” China, while only 12 percent preferred “deepening cooperation” with the United States. This suggests the possibility of growing Taiwanese acceptance of Cheng’s approach to Beijing amid uncertainty about the reliability of support from the Trump administration. Washington should be confronting the complex and difficult issues raised by Cheng’s engagement with Beijing rather than dismissing it as appeasement, doubling down on military deterrence, and pretending that the US “one China policy” remains clear, consistent, and credible. – The National Interest
Europe
Matěj Macák, a materials engineer in the Czech Republic, recently came to the conclusion that he has a money problem. He’s afraid to spend it. The 24-year-old stopped buying sneakers, which he used to like collecting, and fretted over small purchases like a phone charger. – Wall Street Journal
A decade ago, British voters went to the polls with a singular image fresh in their minds: a ubiquitous red bus, the hallmark of the Brexit campaign, imploring residents of the once sprawling empire to “take back control” by severing ties to Europe. – New York Times
When the NATO secretary general, Mark Rutte, met with President Trump in January, the alliance seemed to be teetering. Mr. Trump had vowed to seize Greenland from Denmark and refused to rule out using force to do so. – New York Times
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte is set to meet with President Donald Trump at the White House on Wednesday, seeking to ease tensions over the Iran war and U.S. threats to draw down troops in Europe ahead of a pivotal NATO leaders summit in July in Ankara. – Reuters
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Tuesday relations with the United States had to return to normal following a public falling out between President Donald Trump and herself last week. “I don’t intend to keep fuelling this dispute,” Meloni said in an interview at an event in Rome. – Reuters
The European Central Bank secured key parliamentary backing on Tuesday for the launch of a digital euro, an electronic means of payments aimed at making the euro zone less reliant on U.S. credit cards at a time of fraying transatlantic relationships. – Reuters
The leaders of four Central European countries signaled the revival of their regional alliance on Tuesday as they met in Hungary to repair relations that had fractured over the pro-Russian stance of former Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán. – Associated Press
Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginienė and her cabinet stepped down Tuesday after changes to the ruling coalition, setting the stage for the Baltic country’s third prime minister in two years and an incoming government that has pledged to pursue a more pragmatic relationship with China after years of strained ties. – Associated Press
Outgoing UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is pushing ahead with a controversial plan to increase defense spending, setting up potential tensions with the man most likely to succeed him, former Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham. – Bloomberg
The US, Qatar and other natural gas exporters are urging the European Union to ease some of its pending methane emissions rules, warning that the regulations could threaten the bloc’s energy security. – Bloomberg
Spain is boosting its presence in Iceland as Europe tries to constrain Russian encroachment and warily eyes Donald Trump’s desires. “We’re working on the first polar and Arctic strategy Spain has ever had,” Spanish Foreign Affairs Minister José Manuel Albares said during a visit to Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital. “It’s about security, the economy and also the multilateral world.” – Bloomberg
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is weighing the possibility of holding Italy’s next general election as soon as April, months ahead of the legal deadline before the end of 2027, according to people familiar with the matter. – Bloomberg
Hungary’s parliament approved comprehensive anti-corruption legislation to meet a key demand of the European Union for the release of funds the bloc had been withholding under former Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s rule. – Bloomberg
President Petr Pavel turned to a top Czech court over the government’s decision to exclude him from the delegation that’s slated to represent the country at the NATO summit in Turkey next month. – Bloomberg
They all knew Finland wasn’t really under attack but the room was tense as Sara Mella scanned the Finance Ministry’s fictitious budget to determine how much money could be redirected toward weapons, military equipment and contingency measures. – Bloomberg
A group of EU countries is considering sending rejected asylum seekers to Rwanda and Uzbekistan, three European diplomats confirmed, as the bloc moves to shift part of its migrant returns system beyond its borders for the first time. – Politico
Pressure is mounting for outgoing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s long-awaited blueprint for defense funding to be delayed yet again to allow his likely successor Andy Burnham to take control of the process. – Politico
Editorial: Policymakers still have a chance to change course. On artificial intelligence, for example, the U.K. has a chance to position itself as a welcoming alternative to the E.U.’s anti-tech hostility. With Starmer on his way out, the next prime minister would be wise to rise above quotidian political fights and focus instead on how to take advantage of this historic technological revolution. The slogan of Brexit was “take back control,” and Britain’s future is indeed up to the British now. The country just needs a politician who takes that responsibility seriously. – Washington Post
Timothy P. Carney writes: Starmer didn’t make the rules. He merely enforced them. When the rules changed, he changed. When the rules, for instance, stated that a woman can have a penis, Starmer maintained that women sometimes have penises. When that absurdity shriveled up and died, Starmer calmly reversed himself. Rarely has a great nation been led by such a follower. But again, this was fitting for today’s United Kingdom. When you look at the U.K.’s acceptance of mass immigration, at the state’s cowardly response to, and at Starmer’s implicit apologies for Brexit, it’s tempting to accuse the Brits of self-loathing. But “loathing” connotes strong emotion. Something more moribund than self-loathing is dragging the U.K. The U.K. simply doesn’t believe in itself. That’s why Starmer was its man. – Washington Examiner
Roderich Kiesewetter writes: When democracies are under attack, they must be willing to win. That is why a central statement is missing from the military strategy: We are building up our Bundeswehr at a pace that will allow us to win in the event of an attack on a NATO country. This is the expectation held by our European allies, who have long demanded Germany assumes greater military responsibility. This is the request the United States has made of us for a very long time. This is the standard we should hold ourselves to. A military strategy is only valuable when military advice is heard unfiltered and if it changes the thinking and concrete actions of policymakers. Germany is a master of making grand announcements and asserting its claim to leadership. Its military strategy also reflects this claim. Will Germany live up to it? I have considerable doubts. – War on the Rocks
Africa
The U.S. State Department has warned that Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces are massing near the city of El Obeid and that “mass atrocities” against civilians could occur if the city falls to the paramilitary group. – New York Times
The U.S. has provided doses of an experimental antibody drug from Mapp Biopharmaceutical for use in clinical trials to fight the widening Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo, a Health Department spokesperson said, a shift from its position of making the drug available just for Americans. – Reuters
Kenya’s health minister said on Tuesday he had ordered an immediate halt to the construction of a U.S.-backed Ebola quarantine facility at an air base after he was found guilty of contempt of court for failing to observe suspension orders. – Reuters
Kenya’s government has signed a 154.2 billion Kenyan shilling ($1.2 billion) agreement with China Road and Bridge Corporation to expand Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Transport Minister Davis Chirchir said on Tuesday. – Reuters
Police in Nigeria’s central Plateau state said on Tuesday that 20 people had been killed in a weekend attack on a community in Bokkos district, the latest in a region plagued by communal attacks despite repeated security deployments and government vows to stem the attacks. – Reuters
Niger has formally left the International Criminal Court, accusing the judicial body in The Hague of selective justice. – Associated Press
Sarit Ben Shabat writes: Competition over trade and energy routes is also bringing East Africa back to the center of the stage. The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia are investing billions of dollars in ports and infrastructure in the Horn of Africa and along the Red Sea.China views the region as a key link in its Belt and Road Initiative, India seeks to secure supply routes and new markets, and Turkey is expanding its political and security influence. The traditional boundary between the Middle East and Africa is increasingly blurred. Even if a deal between Washington and Tehran is signed and tensions around Hormuz subside, one key conclusion from the crisis is already clear: Africa is no longer a marginal player in the global energy market. – Ynet
The Americas
On the night before President Donald Trump hosted a summit for a dozen administration-favored Latin American leaders in the Miami suburb of Doral in March, senior U.S. officials mingled with locals and lobbyists over canapés and wine at a welcome reception. – Washington Post
President Trump and Venezuela’s new leaders have portrayed their unlikely alliance as an unfettered success. Mr. Trump said last week that Venezuela “has become a happy country” because of all the money from new trade with United States. – New York Times
Peru’s leftist presidential candidate Roberto Sanchez said on Tuesday he would not recognise the result of the country’s presidential runoff, alleging fraud as his conservative rival Keiko Fujimori maintains a narrow lead. – Reuters
Efforts to overthrow the government in Bolivia represent a “grave threat” to constitutional order and democratic stability, the U.S. State Department said in a joint statement with other regional countries on Tuesday. – Reuters
Brazilian right-wing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, who plans to run in the country’s October presidential election, has registered to appear at a public hearing at the U.S. International Trade Commission, before the U.S. Trade Representative, to oppose a proposed 25% tariff on Brazilian goods. – Reuters
Canada plans to send warships to the Indo-Pacific in two deployments this year, its defense minister said, part of a move to deepen military ties with regional allies even as Ottawa also endeavors to build closer trade relations with China. – Bloomberg
The US sanctioned the Cuban military’s international banking arm and a state-run company that’s partnered with Trafigura Group and other miners, in the latest escalation of pressure against Havana’s communist leadership. – Bloomberg
Editorial: Voters in the region seem increasingly aware that capitalism, not socialism, is the path to a more prosperous future. In 2023, voters in Argentina chose Javier Milei, an unabashed proponent of free markets who is both pro-American and pro-Israel. De la Espriella’s apparent victory is the latest step in that direction. The turnabout is coming from citizens of these countries demanding change at the polls. But it is also linked to a more assertive and more effective U.S. foreign policy. […] In Latin America, the era of blaming the West for the failures of poor governance may finally be coming to a much-deserved and much-belated end. The free world will be better off as a result. – Washington Examiner
Michael Shifter writes: Mr. De La Espriella might assume Colombia’s top office, but his political movement has limited representation in Congress, which will force him to negotiate with many of the same parties he roundly denounced throughout his campaign. The outsider who promised to upend the system may soon discover that governing requires working within it. The real question is not whether Colombia has moved left or right. It is whether its democratic institutions are strong enough to channel yet another wave of anti-establishment politics without sacrificing the rule of law. The answer will determine whether this election marks the latest swing of the political pendulum — or a definitive, perilous step into the void. – New York Times
United States
Iran’s national soccer team can travel to the United States a day earlier than previously allowed for its final group game in Seattle on Friday, Iranian and United States officials said on Tuesday. – New York Times
The U.S. Senate backed legislation on Tuesday directing President Donald Trump to halt U.S. military action against Iran, the latest rebuke of the Republican president from an increasingly restive Congress. – Reuters
The Supreme Court sided with the Trump administration Tuesday in an immigration case dealing with the government’s power over green card holders accused of crimes. – Associated Press
The Pentagon has told senators it needs roughly $80 billion, mostly to cover the cost of the U.S. war against Iran, adding to what is already a sizable military spending boost being sought by President Donald Trump. – Associated Press
Three candidates endorsed by Zohran Mamdani swept to victory in Democratic congressional primaries on Tuesday, showing that the coalition which powered the New York City mayor to a surprising victory last year is gaining strength. – Bloomberg
Editorial: Mr. Sheehy also offered remedial education about America’s friends in the Middle East, especially Israel. “Let’s not forget Pakistan hid [Osama] bin Laden for a decade” and “Qatar’s been laundering money for terrorist organizations for decades.” To watch the Administration for the past several days, you’d think the biggest impediment to peace in the Middle East is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. […] But “you know what’s worse than a forever war in the Middle East is a forever war right here on our streets, just down the road in 9/11. The Iranians want to bring that war here. . . . They want to create a global caliphate of Sharia law and kill all of us. And that’s not a theory. That’s what they actually try to do every day. So I think we have to remember that, and you know, having our troops fight them there is far better than us fighting them here.” – Wall Street Journal
Cybersecurity
China took back a coveted computing crown from the United States on Tuesday, ratcheting up a fierce technological competition that has implications for science, national security and geopolitics. – New York Times
The United States issued sanctions on Tuesday against nine people and 26 entities linked to the Prince Group, citing cybertheft and scam operations originating in Southeast Asia that target Americans. – Reuters
An Indian investigation found that Telegram is being used extensively to share child sexual abuse material and perpetrate financial scams, according to a report by the government, which added it was “proactively monitoring” groups on the messaging app. – Reuters
China has overtaken the U.S. to win the top spot on a list of the world’s fastest supercomputers, but the results may say more about Beijing’s desire to show self-sufficiency in computing systems than its standing in the global AI race, experts said. – Reuters
Alibaba, the Chinese technology and e-commerce giant, sued the U.S. government on Tuesday over being placed on a list of businesses from China that the Department of Defense linked to that country’s military. – Reuters
Taiwan’s ASE Technology Holding, the world’s largest chip packaging and testing provider, is expanding capacity to meet AI demand, Chief Operating Officer Tien Wu said on Wednesday. – Reuters
Forty mayors from around the world have signed onto a pact announced Tuesday to try to shape how urban data centers are built and operated. – Associated Press
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Tuesday called on artificial intelligence companies to release information about the carbon pollution they create, along with the water and land used to power their operations. – Associated Press
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told executives at a closed-door meeting Monday that his department is studying state-subsidized robotics imports and signaled the administration could take strong action once the review is complete, according to three people who attended the meeting and were granted anonymity to discuss it. – Politico
An Algerian man known online as “SPOX” was extradited from Spain and charged with running a black-market cybercrime operation that prosecutors say defrauded thousands of victims and funneled roughly $900,000 through a cryptocurrency account over a three-year period. – Cyberscoop
The Justice Department on Tuesday said it has seized infrastructure tied to what officials called one of the world’s most prolific criminal marketplaces, used to commit cyber scams and other crimes. – Cyberscoop
The House is ramping up an effort to make the Small Business Administration more transparent about its artificial intelligence work, passing a bill Tuesday that would require the agency to deliver an annual report to Congress on its use of the emerging technology. – Fedscoop
The U.S. government said Tuesday that it took another step to undermine a Cambodian company accused of supporting investment scams, money laundering and other cyber-enabled crimes. – The Record
Rapidly evolving AI is an urgent cybersecurity threat that business leaders must immediately address, members of the Five Eyes intelligence collaborative warned Monday. – The Record
Two alleged members of the cybercrime gang Scattered Spider pleaded guilty Monday to carrying out a cyberattack against London’s transport authority that disrupted services for months, exposed customer data and cost the organization tens of millions of pounds. – The Record
Indian manufacturer Tata Electronics has confirmed a cybersecurity incident affecting some of its systems, weeks after a cybercrime group claimed to have stolen confidential documents belonging to the company’s clients. – The Record
Defense
The Army’s commander of its forces in Europe and Africa — who was famously the last American soldier to leave Afghanistan in 2021 — is unexpectedly stepping down from his post after just 18 months in the job, the Army confirmed late Tuesday. – Associated Press
US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll wants defense companies to develop cheaper air-defense interceptors within a year, part of a bid to upend decades of weapons-development inertia and fix shortcomings exposed by the wars in Ukraine and Iran. – Bloomberg
Dozens of miles from an interstate or a major airport, a tiny mill town in the Virginia piedmont is the crucible for next-generation manufacturing for the Navy. – USNI News
The Pentagon’s workforce shrank by roughly 10.7% during the height of the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency implementation efforts, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office. – Defensescoop
The Marine Corps is releasing a new digital application that all units must use to meet requirements for operational Situation Reports, or SITREPs, the service announced. – Defensescoop
Paul Scharre writes: The war between England and Spain dragged on for 16 more years after the defeat of the Spanish Armada, but the peak of Spain’s naval power had passed, as had the peak of Spain’s power as a global empire. The United States can remain the world’s leading military if it acts now to adapt to the changing contours of modern warfare. But if the Pentagon fails to push its operations in the necessary directions, it will be eclipsed by competitors that are more dogged and intrepid in adjusting to the realities of a new age. – Foreign Affairs
Brynn Tannehill writes: An Army captain in the field might see dropping a 2,000-pound munition on a house as a self-contained solution to his troops taking fire; a flag officer understands the risk of it creating 100 more enemies next week. The consequences of the botched war effort are nothing short of catastrophic. The U.S.’s munitions stockpiles are depleted, its military reputation is in tatters, its foreign relations are strained to the breaking, and Iranian leadership is in the best strategic position it has ever been in. It’s a hard way to relearn the old lesson that airpower alone doesn’t win wars. – The Atlantic