How Turkey sees its Syria invasion
A new phase of the Syrian civil war appears to have been averted — at least for now.
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Publications
Indo-Pacific Monitor No. 1
Thai army chief wary of Hong Kong-type unrest;
India receives a warning about Huawei;
China eyes additional naval base in Cambodia;
The trade consequences of Kashmir;
Sino-Russian balancing, and Mongolia
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2342
The Kremlins' war on the web;
Priests defending protestors:
More Kremlin support for Maduro;
Moscow's moratorium proposal dead on arrival;
New evidence in exile's assassination;
Lavrov strikes a defiant pose in New York
Azerbaijan: Reform Behind a Static Façade
Oil-rich Azerbaijan is undergoing a major process of top-down modernization. Here’s why the reforms are happening now—and why Washington should take an interest.
China Reform Monitor No. 1388
Facial recognition comes to Chinese schools;
China hacked Asian telecoms to spy on Uighurs and other targets;
China exposes violations of party frugality;
Manila to allow China telecom into military bases;
Nation's first polar observation satellite launched
Trump’s Syria Decision… And Its Consequences
The White House's October 6th announcement that it plans to pull U.S. troops out of northern Syria, paving the way for a Turkish invasion of the territory, has been greeted with widespread dismay both in the United States and abroad. Yet in truth, it should not have been altogether surprising.
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2341
St. Petersburg voters cry foul;
Putin plays up Israel ties;
New study highlights harsh "justice" for Moscow protestors;
A sudden poaching spat with Pyongyang;
The China/Russia/Iran axis mobilizes
US should support, but also prod, Ukraine
President Donald Trump’s controversial interactions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky must not distract attention from the important question of U.S. policy toward Russia in connection with its war in Ukraine.
The future of combat is urban
The US armed forces are waking up to the fact that cities are likely to be the main environment for tomorrow’s battles and that they have some catching up to do with their rivals, as Jacob McCarty reports.
Why Hong Kong Holds the Key to Confronting China’s Communist Party
[T]o compete with the CCP, think like the CCP. Bringing this imperative to scale will require Washington to relearn the basics of grand strategy.
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2340
Confederacy with Belarus inches forward;
Russian oil rising;
Russia's "hot zone" hit by explosion;
Deterrence against Russia eroding, U.S. military chief warns;
Unfair sentencing feeds new protest;
Moscow scores and energy win in Uganda
Iraq Pushes Back Against Iranian Influence
Suddenly, Iran's clerical regime doesn't seem quite so powerful.
Iran Democracy Monitor No. 200
A slackening of ideological bonds;
Tehran eyes the South Caucasus...;
...as Beijing buckles a bit
China Reform Monitor No. 1387 SPECIAL CRM: CHINA’S PORK CRISIS
A raft of new policies to address the pig crisis;
Tapping national pork reserves;
Beijing hopes Europe will save its bacon...;
...and the America's too;
Impossible Foods says China its top priority
How much should America spend to defend its satellites?
Today, there is near-universal acknowledgement that America’s critical satellite infrastructure is at risk and needs to be better protected.
Today, there is near-universal acknowledgement that America’s critical satellite infrastructure is at risk and needs to be better protected.
Both nations need to work closer together on this critical issue.
Erdogan’s Chinese Gamble
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is betting big on China.
China, Russia Deepen Technological Ties
With joint dialogues, incubators, and technology parks, Beijing and Moscow are seeking to overcome deficiencies and compete with the United States.
Defense Technology Monitor No. 45
SpaceX develops key to hypersonic weapon tracking;
A new cyber weapon: Acoustic attacks;
Making navy ships more lethal;
Nanotech helps address"shrinkage";
New lasers to protect army infantry
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2339
Elections illustrate Russia's political divide;
Answers in spy exfiltration drama?;
Arctic gas bound for China?;
EU sanctions linger;
New prospects for Russo-Ukrainian peace
Russia’s National AI Center Is Taking Shape
A famed Russian technical university is helping to lead the government’s push for public-private efforts to develop AI technologies and applications — including a joint project with China’s Huawei — and to stop top talent from flowing to the West.
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2338
Nyonoksa fallout continues;
A dubious offer;
Russian mercenaries bolster final Idlib assault;
Kyiv and Moscow swap prisoners;
A deadly protest over endangered languages
Global Islamism Monitor No. 71
The PA drifts towards radicalism...;
...as Hamas cleans house (sort of)...;
...and bends the knee to Tehran;
al-Qaeda seeks to reclaim the high ground
What’s Changed In Israel – And What Hasn’t
[W]hatever happens on the political front, the country's foreign policy outlook, and its security priorities, will stay largely the same.
Today, Hong Kong. Tomorrow, Taipei
The breakdown of Hong Kong’s autonomy is a failure for China, as its current President Xi Jinping has no good options from which to choose.
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2337
Cracks in the Russian religio-political alliance;
The Kremlin's response to protests unfolds;
Mapping Russia's footprint in Africa;
Russia buys in to Beijing's 5G vision
The Long Game for Iranian Democracy
After forty years of draconian religious rule, meaningful change may be possible in Iran.
China Reform Monitor No. 1386
Massive drug bust uncovers enough Chinese fentanyl to kill 14 million;
China claims it will crack down on Fentanyl;
China faces world's largest Hep C epidemic: WHO;
China to drop all duties at Shanghai Free Trade Zone;
New pilot FTZs christened in Yunnan and Guangxi
A formal US-Israeli defense pact is still a bad idea
At a time when the relationship between Israel and American Jewry is already under significant strain, this would be an added stressor, and perhaps a significant one.
China Reform Monitor No. 1385
Xi officially named "The People's Leader";
Shenzhen to be turned into a "socialist demonstration area";
Beijing to Hong Kong: You are not "irreplaceable";
Taiwan pledges help for Hong Kong activists seeking sanctuary;
Taiwan is fighting China's travel ban
Saudi Strikes Are A Critical Test For Trump
[H]ow Washington responds to the incident will have profound implications, both for its continued credibility in the region and for the future of its relations with Iran.
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2336
Apathy in the face of Moscow's protests;
Tit-for-tat in post-INF world;
A bleak future for Russian orphans;
No Russian visas for Kremlin critics;
Yet another extraterritorial killing?;
New theory in Russian radiation release controversy
First glimpses of Tokayev’s Kazakhstan: The listening state?
- President Tokayev seeks to "maintain continuity" yet nonetheless calls for "systemic reforms." He appears to mean both.
- In the effort to engage society more deeply in governance, Kazakhstan will institute and seek to manage reforms from above.
- In continuing the principle of balance in its foreign policy, which Tokayev invented two decades ago, Kazakhstan will seek increased engagement and investment from the West.
China Reform Monitor No. 1384
Cameroon ends road project, alleging Chinese incompetence;
Russia threatens wood export ban to China;
PLA expands ties with North Korean military...;
...and Pakistan's armed forces;
Shandong U apologies for controversial "buddy program"
Iran’s Struggling Space Program Could Be A Real Threat If It Ever Gets Off The Ground
On August 29th, Iran attempted to put its newest commercial satellite, the Nahid-1, into orbit from a test range in the country's north.
Will Israel Go To War Over Hezbollah’s Precision-Guided Missiles?
Israel’s Syria campaign has demonstrated that, despite their best efforts, Iran and its proxies “have no deterrence whatsoever” against Israel. But this may not last.
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2335
Russia's widening stake in Syria;
Forest fires strain federal budget;
No exposure warnin, Nyonoksa victim doctors claim;
Floating nuclear power station sets sail;
Whelan detention extended;
Officials belatedly come clean in missile test disaster
Future Iran nuclear deal needs stronger verification
This week’s revelations that the International Atomic Energy Agency found traces of uranium at an undeclared nuclear site in Iran’s Tehran Province — revelations which the regime has refused to explain — shows that the Iranian nuclear issue is far more complicated than U.S. and Iranian jockeying of recent days suggests.
Sneak Preview: First Draft of Russia’s AI Strategy
The draft, produced by the country's largest bank, focuses on data, training, and ethics. The final version is due next month.
China Reform Monitor No. 1383
Philippines may ask for U.S. help to monitor Chinese ships;
Indonesian minister defense decision to send officials to China...;
...as Jakarta seeks help from China to reform national healthcare;
Confucius Institute teachers must "love the motherland;
Australian Department of Education expels institutes
China in the Middle East: Reshaping Regional Politics
China has well and truly arrived in the Middle East. After years of relative passivity, the People's Republic of China (PRC) is now making a concerted effort to expand its strategic presence and economic clout in the region.
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2334
Echoes of Chernobyl in mysterious nuclear accident;
UK to cut off sub exports;
New evidence confirms Russia's hand in Ukraine conflict;
Trump backs Moscow's G7 return
A Historic National Vision for Spacepower
Does the United States have a vision of future spacepower grand enough around which to organize a new space force?
How America’s Iran outreach is missing in action
The Voice of America's Persian News Network opts out of covering protests
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2333
Ballooning consumer debt;
How Moscow is managing protests;
Ceasefire violation prompts presidential phone call;
Election protests persist in Moscow
The FARC is back: Washington should beware
Global Islamism Monitor No. 70
Malaysia's religious police go digital;
ISIS rears its head in Spain;
A step forward for Egyptian counterterrorism...;
...amid new signs of life for Egyptian Salafism;
Islamabad seeks Beijing's support on threat finance blacklist
Defense Technology Monitor No. 44
Russian hypersonic weapons face material shortage;
Army embraces VR training;
Body armor on demand;
AI helps to ID small UAVs;
Dragonflies inspire missile defense
Russia Reform Monitor No. 2332
The sun sets on the INF Treaty;
Military depot explosion rocks Siberian town;
Farewell, John Huntsman;
Moscow slapped with second round of Salisbury sanctions
U.S. Space Command: A vision for the final frontier
Tomorrow, the Trump administration will formally inaugurate the newest U.S. Combatant Command, U.S. Space Command.