The day after in Syria
Curb your enthusiasm
Wagner Group
Back in Business: Russian ‘Merchant of Death’ Selling Arms to Houthis
The prolific Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout, released from American custody in 2022 as part of a U.S.-Russia prisoner swap, is once again plying his old trade, this time selling arms to Yemen’s...
Policy Briefs
Erdogan’s private military company looks to raise an Islamist army
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seeks a role for Turkey in Gaza’s post-war reconstruction if not governance, and the Biden administration appears ready to accede to this request. Others also see...
Op-eds
Ukraine’s bold—and risky—gamble in Kursk
Now on its fourth day, Ukraine’s surprise offensive in Russia’s Kursk region is a daring gambit likely intended to divert Russian forces and snatch back the war’s momentum. But it also comes with...
Op-eds
Tuareg rebels, JNIM each claim victory over Russia’s Wagner Group in Mali
Over the weekend, fierce fighting between Tuareg rebels and the Malian military, backed by mercenaries from Russia’s Wagner Group, was reported in the extreme north of Mali. The Russian mercenaries suffered...
Op-eds
Israel Strikes Syrian Terror Group That Targeted Eilat School with Drone
Israel said on November 10 that it conducted a strike in Syria targeting a group that launched a drone attack on an Israeli school in Eilat the day before. The drone attack was one...
Flash Briefs
Israel SitRep: Nov. 8, 2023
Netanyahu Reiterates: No Ceasefire Without Release of Hostages; Qatar-Mediated Deal on Ceasefire-Hostage Exchange Reported to be Underway | IDF: Israel Operating in the ‘Heart of Gaza’; Hamas Retains...
Israel at War Situation Report
Russia’s Wagner Group to Transfer Air Defense System to Hezbollah, U.S. Intel Says
U.S. intelligence reportedly believes that Russia’s Wagner paramilitary organization plans to send Hezbollah a short-range air defense system that currently belongs to the Syrian military. Moscow may...
Policy Briefs
Russia’s alarming axis with Iran is in plain view and should stiffen resolve behind Ukraine
News that the Wagner Group will provide Hezbollah with sophisticated anti-aircraft weapons should remove any doubt: Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine and Israel’s campaign to evict Hamas...
Op-eds
Russia-Iran axis: Could Wagner weapons in Lebanon harm Israel? – analysis
Hezbollah operates as an illegal terrorist army in Lebanon. The fact that it works with other groups like Wagner potentially presents a threat to the region.
Op-eds
Analysis: Setting the stage for Mali’s near future
Mali’s immediate and near future prospects for security are immensely bleak. France, and many of its international counter-terrorism partners, are long gone. The United Nations’ peacekeeping mission...
Op-eds
Time To Destroy North Korea’s Revenue Generation
The Biden team believes it can shame North Korea into being a responsible actor. But Kim cares not about international prestige but about survival, and right now Putin and Xi are offering better terms.
Op-eds
Imperialism returns to Africa
The new colonialists are Chinese, Russian, and Islamist
Op-eds
The Corruption War: Russia Is Losing The War For The Same Reason It Started It
On Feb. 21, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin cited corruption as a motivator for his decision to invade Ukraine. While complaining about Ukrainian corruption in his televised speech on...
Op-eds
Putin has opened a sinister new front in his war against Britain
If London hopes to defuse the Kremlin’s information operations, it must start by giving Moscow a taste of its own medicine
Op-eds
The Wagner Rebellion: How the West Can Take Advantage of the Chaos Caused
“The West can impede the Kremlin’s initiative to centralize its armed forces into a more unified structure, prolonging the current decentralized state of the Russian Armed Forces."
Op-eds
Putin’s soft underbelly is ripe for revolt
It's wrong to assume Russia's 'allies' will forever be loyal to Moscow - often the reverse is true. The West can exploit this
Op-eds
The rise and fall of Putin’s warlord
Yevgeny Prigozhin sought more than wealth and power
Op-eds
Biden Administration Foreign Policy Tracker: July
By John Hardie Welcome back to the Biden Administration Foreign Policy Tracker. Once a month, we ask FDD’s experts and scholars to assess the administration’s foreign policy. They provide trendlines...
Policy Tracker
Russia’s National Guard to Get Tanks Following Wagner Mutiny
In the wake of Wagner’s mutiny, Viktor Zolotov, the head of Rosgvardia, Russia’s National Guard, said his troops will receive tanks and other heavy equipment. This appears to be a reaction to Rosgvardia’s...