Today In Issues:
FDD Research & Analysis
The Must-Reads
U.S. sanctions Iran finance network in bid to sever Tehran’s global ties WSJ Editorial: Europe’s not-so-swift diplomacy WINEP’s Anna Borshchevskaya: Russia giving Syria the S-300 is more message than menace Khashoggi disappearance may disrupt Trump administration’s plans to squeeze Iran Trump appears to make room for Saudis to deny involvement in Khashoggi disappearance Saudi Arabia delivers $100 million pledged to U.S. as Pompeo lands in Riyadh AEI’s Danielle Pletka: MBS, Khashoggi, and the new fork in the road U.S. general says conditions for Islamist extremism still linger Talks begin on disarming Korean border village AEI’s Leon Aron: Russian pensions and the risk of war U.S. military airstrike kills 60 Shabab fighters in SomaliaIn The News
Iran
The U.S. sanctioned a multibillion-dollar network of Iranian companies, banks and funds accused of financing the country’s elite paramilitary unit, ratcheting up global pressure on Tehran and sending a warning to governments and companies considering continued engagement with Iran. – Wall Street Journal
Statements by the United States that it would reduce Iran’s oil exports to zero are a “political bluff”, the head of state-run National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) said, according to a report published by Tasnim news agency on Wednesday. – Reuters
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Tuesday they had killed the “mastermind” behind an attack on a military parade in the Iranian city of Ahvaz last month which left 25 people dead, nearly half of them members of the Guards. – Reuters
U.S. warships operating in the Persian Gulf are now regularly overflown by Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles, adding a new wrinkle to operations in the region, Navy and Marine commanders said on Tuesday. – USNI News
Editorial: Another trans-Atlantic showdown is looming as the Trump Administration prepares its next tranche of financial sanctions on Iran, and the puzzle is why Europe keeps backing itself into a corner. Brussels and European Union states seem ready to stage a battle with Washington over an obscure but important financial-service network—against Europe’s own interests. – Wall Street Journal
Syria
The Trump administration is developing a new strategy for the war in Syria that would focus more heavily on pushing Iran’s military and its proxy forces out of the country, according to five people familiar with the plan. – NBC News
A year after the fall of Raqqa, once the seat of the Islamic State’s “caliphate,” U.S.-backed forces are still struggling to eliminate the determined and elusive last threads of the terror group in Syria’s eastern deserts, near the Iraqi border, a coalition military spokesman said Tuesday. – Military.com
Mohamad Kamal al-Labwani writes: Rather, the continued repression of the Syrian regime, along with the cruel occupation of Russia and Iran, will only continue to foment conflict in the decades ahead. If the international community is actually interested in ending this cycle, it will be required to shape a new government in Syria, either now or when the country’s situation deteriorates again in the future. – Washington Institute
Anna Borshchevskaya writes: It may seem strange that Moscow has delivered its S-300 anti-aircraft system to Syria this month. […]But for the Kremlin, the delivery of the S-300 is about one thing: assertion of further dominance in Syria. It is a political statement to the West, and everyone else in the region: Russia is here to stay. – The Hill
Israel
Israeli jets struck targets in the Gaza Strip early on Wednesday after a rocket fired by Palestinian militants enclave struck a house in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba, the Israeli military said. – Reuters
Following rocket fire from the Gaza Strip early Wednesday morning, which destroyed a home in the city of Beersheba, and an IDF strike on the Palestinian coastal enclave in response, IDF Spokesperson Brig.-Gen. Ronen Manelis held Palestinian faction Hamas responsible for the attack. – Jerusalem Post
The 193-member United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday allowed the Palestinians to act more like a full U.N. member state during meetings in 2019 when they will chair the group of 77 developing nations. – Reuters
Seth J. Frantzman writes: With all eyes on Ankara, including Qatar and Egypt, major regional allies of both countries, the situation in Gaza is being seen more narrowly. Qatari-purchased fuel was recently delivered to Gaza, but Qatar appears to be taking a back seat publicly on the crises in Gaza. This means there are less constraints on both Hamas and Israel in the calculations of what comes next and is likely why Hamas has chosen to deny any role in the rocket fire. – Jerusalem Post
Saudi Arabia
White House officials are worried that the apparent killing of the dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and Saudi Arabia’s changing account of his fate, could derail a showdown with Iran and jeopardize plans to enlist Saudi help to avoid disrupting the oil market. – New York Times
President Trump offered embattled Saudi Arabia a suggestion of support Tuesday amid mounting pressure over the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, saying the kingdom is being judged “guilty until proven innocent.” – Washington Post
This summer, Saudi Arabia promised the Trump administration $100 million for American efforts to stabilize areas in Syria liberated from the Islamic State. That money landed in American accounts on Tuesday, the same day that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo landed in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, for discussions with the kingdom’s leaders about the fate of a missing Saudi dissident. – New York Times
When journalist Jamal Khashoggi vanished after stepping into Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul, it signaled a new low point for opponents of authoritarian regimes in the Arab world. – Wall Street Journal
Saudi operatives beat, drugged, killed and dismembered a dissident Saudi journalist in the presence of the kingdom’s top diplomat in Istanbul, Turkish officials said Tuesday, as Washington urged Riyadh to provide answers. – Wall Street Journal
Sen. Lindsey Graham, a key defender of U.S. arms sales to Saudi Arabia, has vowed never to work with the kingdom so long as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is in charge — a strong sign of the political tide is taking a swift turn. – Defense News
The mysterious disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Turkey is driving a wedge between President Trump and Republican members of Congress, who are pressing for an aggressive U.S. response if Saudi Arabia is found responsible for the suspected killing. – The Hill
Attorney General Jeff Sessions Tuesday called Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi’s disappearance and likely murder “a big deal,” adding that the Justice Department was “seriously evaluating” a possible role in the investigation. – USA Today
Europe may need to amend its relations with Saudi Arabia, depending on the outcome of an investigation into the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, an ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday. – Reuters
David Ignatius writes: Surrounded by yes-men who saw suppressing dissent as part of a media war, and rattled by the reversal of his dreams for economic reform, MBS moved toward the fateful moment when Khashoggi entered the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. When the brave journalist opened the door, he began a catastrophic process that has now put MBS’s own future in question. – Washington Post
David B. Ottaway writes: Khashoggi’s unpardonable sin was to call for debate not about the crown prince’s social reforms, which he wholeheartedly supported, but about the crown prince’s stifling intolerance for anyone who cast even a speck of dirt on his highly polished image as the kingdom’s long-awaited savior. – Washington Post
Kathy Gilsinan writes: As more time passes, it looks more doubtful that Khashoggi will reappear. Yet at the same time it looks more likely that the U.S. and Saudi Arabia will avoid a major rupture in their relationship. But that doesn’t mean the Khashoggi affair won’t harm the relationship in subtler ways. – The Atlantic
Danielle Pletka writes: There’s obviously much more to do if MBS is to hang on and complete the transformation of Saudi Arabia into a “real” and modern country. Horribly, and ironically, the Khashoggi killing could provide that opportunity if MBS is man enough, leader enough, and kingly enough to take it. We shall see soon enough. – American Enterprise Institute
Middle East & North Africa
The United States’ top military officer said on Tuesday that little progress had been made in dealing with the underlying conditions that have given rise to armed Islamist militants, even as military gains have been made against groups like Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. – Reuters
C. Jacob and H. Varulkar write: In the recent months, tensions have increased between the Yemeni government and Hizbullah, who is accused of supporting and arming the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. […]This report reviews Hizbullah’s support of the Houthis in Yemen and the criticism this has sparked in Yemen, Saudi Arabia and in Lebanon itself. – Middle East Media Research Institute
Abdelillah Bendaoudi writes: As the question of succession dominates public concerns in Algeria, divisions between Algerian President Bouteflika’s supporters and opponents have deepened among political, military, administrative, and economic elites. Intractable political conflicts resulting from the inability to decide over who holds the power of veto for succession have characterized the fourth term of the ailing President. Most notably, this power struggle has manifested itself in the internal politics of Algeria’s armed forces. – Washington Institute
Korean Peninsula
Officials from North and South Korea and the United Nations began talks on Tuesday to turn a border village into an unarmed neutral enclave where military guards and tourists from both sides would move freely across the demarcation line. – New York Times
South Korea refused Wednesday to grant refugee status to hundreds of Yemenis who fled the catastrophic war in their home country, allowing them to stay here only on temporary humanitarian visas. – New York Times
South Korea’s president is in Italy for a series of meetings that will culminate with an audience with Pope Francis at which he’s expected to extend an invitation from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to visit. – Associated Press
China
China will release some Muslim detainees held in the far western region of Xinjiang after they complete their “de-extremization education” by the end of this year, a regional leader said Tuesday as China unfurled its most extensive defense of the mass internment program to date. – Washington Post
A U.S. Navy research vessel has docked in Taiwan amid tensions with China over trade and arms sales. – Associated Press
Chinese officials have accused Washington of starting a new cold war, but the jostling between the two powers has already shown its potential to turn hot through accident or miscalculation, if action is not taken to defuse tensions. – The Guardian
The question following the recent close encounters between guided-missile destroyer USS Decatur (DDG-73), the U.K. Royal Navy’s amphibious ship HMS Albion and Chinese naval ships in the South China Sea is if Beijing is changing their posture toward foreign navies in the region,a Pacific maritime expert said Monday. – USNI News
Claude Barfield writes: Even if belatedly, the Trump administration is stepping up counterattacks on widespread Chinese government-backed theft of US firms’ intellectual property and trade secrets. Last week, the US Department of Justice indicted an official of China’s Ministry of State Security on charges of economic espionage and attempting to steal trade secrets from American aviation and aerospace companies. – American Enterprise Institute
South Asia
An Afghan election candidate was killed by a bomb planted under his office chair in the southern province of Helmand on Wednesday, officials said, with the Taliban claiming responsibility for the attack. – Reuters
Dozens of Afghan police were killed or wounded in heavy fighting in northern and central provinces overnight, officials said on Tuesday, just days before parliamentary elections which the insurgents have promised to disrupt. – Reuters
Anti-India protests and clashes erupted in the main city of disputed Kashmir on Wednesday shortly after a gunbattle between militants and government forces killed at least two suspected rebels and a counterinsurgency police official. – Associated Press
Russia
Ecuadorean government documents have laid bare an unorthodox attempt to extricate Assange from his embassy hideaway in London by naming him as a diplomat to Moscow. – Associated Press
When Central African Republic (CAR) pleaded for help last year to fight marauding militias, former colonial ruler France offered guns it had seized off Somalia. But Russia objected and donated its own weapons instead. By early February, Russia had sent nine planes with weapons along with dozens of contractors to train local soldiers and secure mining projects, marking the start of its highest-profile military foray in sub-Saharan Africa for decades. – Reuters
Russia has signed at least 19 military cooperation deals with governments in sub-Saharan Africa since 2014, when it came under Western sanctions for annexing Crimea and stepped up efforts to diversify its economic and diplomatic partnerships. – Reuters
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, are set to sign a comprehensive strategic partnership treaty that would further boost Russian-Egyptian ties, Putin’s foreign-affairs adviser, Yury Ushakov has said. –Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty
Leon Aron writes: Today, as pension reform threatens Mr. Putin’s support, it might be feeding time again. The obvious targets for engineering another Crimea or Ukraine are Narva and Latgale[…]. In addition to unleashing a patriotic flood, Mr. Putin would undoubtedly hope to expose the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as dithering and ineffectual. A risky step to be sure, but in Mr. Putin’s political calculus, foreign adventurism may be less perilous than domestic turmoil. – Wall Street Journal
Europe
A man who took a woman hostage in Cologne on Monday was a 55-year-old Syrian who was granted asylum in Germany, police said, adding he was in a coma after being shot several times. […]Witness statements suggested the man, who arrived in Germany in March 2015, had links to Islamic State – Reuters
Theresa May will urge EU leaders in Brussels on Wednesday to keep the door open to continuing Brexit negotiations, after a two and a half hour cabinet meeting that underscored the challenge of bridging the gap between London and Brussels in the days ahead. – The Guardian
Adam Taylor writes: May still needs to come up with a plan that satisfies the rest of Europe and her party at home, which is increasingly torn between those who support May and those who think she is driving too soft a bargain — and are potentially angling to replace her. – Washington Post
Agron Bajrami writes: The Balkans are boiling again. This time it’s because speculation is rife that Kosovo and Serbia may finally end their dispute and normalise their relations. Kosovo’s president, Hashim Thaçi, and his Serbian counterpart, Aleksandar Vučić, are said to be close to an agreement that would help stabilise the Balkans and open the doors for both countries to join the European Union. – The Guardian
Greg Ip writes: For outsiders, Brexit has the feel of a long-running soap opera: a mash-up of plot twists and tragic characters loaded with entertainment value but not much significance if you’re not British. That complacency is a mistake. Never in the last 70 years has a major advanced economy left a free-trade area. Brexit is providing the first real-world evidence of the costs that come from undoing the intricate bonds of globalization. – Wall Street Journal
Africa
The Pentagon’s Africa Command said on Tuesday that it had carried out the deadliest attack against the Islamist extremist group Shabab in nearly a year, killing about 60 fighters in central Somalia. The strike took place Friday in the vicinity of Harardhere, about 300 miles northeast of Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital, the military said in a statement. – New York Times
Residents and aid workers say Boko Haram has continued to carry out deadly attacks on villagers and military officials. The Boko Haram insurgency has killed more that 20,000 people and displaced 2 million, according to Al Jazeera. – Washington Post
Congo’s government condemned what it called the violent expulsion by Angolan authorities of thousands of Congolese citizens during a crackdown on artisanal diamond mining. – Reuters
Akhilesh Pillalamarri writes: The United States does not need to meddle in every part of the world that faces a lack of security, especially if we can count on our friends. Moreover, by getting involved in local fights against radicals — most of which can be dealt with by regional powers — we often go looking for trouble. American interests are better served by a more hands-off approach to Niger and the Sahel. – Defense News
The Pentagon’s Africa Command said on Tuesday that it had carried out the deadliest attack against the Islamist extremist group Shabab in nearly a year, killing about 60 fighters in central Somalia. The strike took place Friday in the vicinity of Harardhere, about 300 miles northeast of Mogadishu, Somalia’s capital, the military said in a statement. – New York Times
Residents and aid workers say Boko Haram has continued to carry out deadly attacks on villagers and military officials. The Boko Haram insurgency has killed more that 20,000 people and displaced 2 million, according to Al Jazeera. – Washington Post
Congo’s government condemned what it called the violent expulsion by Angolan authorities of thousands of Congolese citizens during a crackdown on artisanal diamond mining. – Reuters
Akhilesh Pillalamarri writes: The United States does not need to meddle in every part of the world that faces a lack of security, especially if we can count on our friends. Moreover, by getting involved in local fights against radicals — most of which can be dealt with by regional powers — we often go looking for trouble. American interests are better served by a more hands-off approach to Niger and the Sahel. – Defense News
Defense
The U.S. Army is in the throes of updating its air-and-missile defense strategy to align with the Pentagon’s conviction that the military must modernize and overmatch its near-peer adversaries Russia and China. – Defense News
As Arleigh Burke guided-missile destroyer USS Shoup (DDG-86) steams through the Oceana region on an independent deployment, the crew is assisting small Pacific island nations with protecting their exclusive economic zones. – USNI News
Fabrication of the future USS Bougainville (LHA-8) started at the Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) shipyard in Pascagoula, Miss following a successful pre-production review, Naval Sea Systems Command announced on Tuesday. – USNI News
Army artillery experts are inching closer to the service’s short-term goal of developing a 155-millimeter cannon that will shoot out to 70 kilometers, more than doubling the range of current 155s. – Military.com
The National Guard has begun standing up its new Security Force Assistance Brigade, with battalions in six states, a move that will finalize the Army’s push to create a permanent force of combat advisers. – Military.com