Russia Policy Monitor No. 2730
An armed anti-regime movement emerges in Russia...;
...While Putin's support continues to slip...;
...And the Russian president does damage control;
Russia's hybrid assault on Europe
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China Policy Monitor No. 1677
Household registration restrictions to be relaxed - state council;
PRC nationals help Mexican cartels launder drug money;
Japan demands safety guarantees after Shanghai stabbing;
China expands crackdown on Myanmar scam compounds;
China removes tariffs on African imports
The Abraham Accords Should Be More Than A Bargaining Chip
By tying the Accords to the current Iran conflict, the Trump administration risks turning what was previously seen by regional states as a strategic opportunity into something approaching an unwelcome obligation. Doing so would end up serving neither the Accords nor U.S. regional policy well.
Global Islamism Monitor No. 141
Ankara moves against the Islamic State;
Shifting Palestinian public opinion;
Iraq's militias dig in...;
...As Iran's proxies collaborate
The Iran War and the Home Front Dilemma
Necessity Is the Mother of Reinvention for Iran
The Iranian regime may be down, but it is far from defeated. It is, moreover, adapting in ways that will invariably pose a problem for Western security—and a political and ideological challenge for its Muslim neighbors.
Strategic Implications of Lunar Mass Drivers as a Dual-Use Technology
Whoever first develops and fields an operational mass driver will fundamentally alter the character of space operations.
Russia Policy Monitor No. 2729
Russia stepping up drone production;
How Russia tricked thousands of Africans;
Obscuring regional statistics;
Russia's problematic new human rights commissioner
China’s One-Sided Theory of Peace
China believes peace is possible, as long as only the United States changes its behavior.
Washington’s Biggest Weapons Against Iran Are Pressure And Patience
The Iran war seems to have devolved into a waiting game
Hollow Heartland: Regional Consequences of Russia’s Ukraine Invasion
Russia’s war in Ukraine is draining the resource-rich regions that sustain its economy, creating labor shortages that will be increasingly difficult to replace.
Russia Policy Monitor No. 2728
Moscow eyes OPEC after the UAE;
Putin retreats to the bunker;
Moscow fuels post-Assad Syria;
Russia's migrant recruitment pipeline
Propaganda wars: Turning the tables on Russia
Information Warfare Watch 54
The SVR takes over Prigozhin's influence network;
Taiwan faces an information offensive;
A new (Canadian) tool again Russian disinformation;
Iran keeps loyal voices online
China Policy Monitor No. 1676
Beijing blames "foreign forces" for youth malaise;
Tehran and Beijing affirm strategic partnership ahead of Trump visit;
Taiwan indicts former news host for PRC espionage;
Two former Defense Ministers receive suspended death sentences;
Over a million corruption cases investigated in 2025
Indo-Pacific Monitor No. 54
Jakarta walks a fine line om airspace ambiguity;
Tokyo to diversity its defense trade;
Iran war sparks an Asian pivot to coal;
A changing of the guard in Myanmar?;
(Re)naming the seas
Mali’s Jihadist Surge Should Be A Wake Up Call
It’s the most important story that most people aren’t watching.
Africa Political Monitor No. 64
An ominous convergence destabilizes Mali;
A grim anniversary in Sudan;
DRC as a safehaven;
The return of Somali piracy
Global Islamism Monitor No. 140
In Mali, a Russian failure...and an Islamist advance;
All eyes on Hamas in Europe;
Afghanistan's women face a bleak future
Russia Policy Monitor 2727
Moscow preys on the mentally infirm;
Putin's growing paranoia;
Russia's shadow fleet takes the sky...;
...as its mercenaries struggle in Mali
China Policy Monitor No. 1675
Iran conflict increases Chinese reliance on U.S. ethane;
Beijing forces cancellation of Taiwanese President's Eswatini visit;
Tiangong space station to double in size;
Italy extradites PRC hacker to U.S.;
Manila dismisses PLA "combat patrols" as "information operations"
How Iran’s Regime Stays In Control
Permanent internet blackouts, child mobilization, and foreign militias have emerged as new features of the Islamic Republic’s crisis governance.
Could Floods in Dagestan Trigger a Tectonic Shift?
The catastrophic flooding in Dagestan and northern Azerbaijan has exposed the limits of Russian state capacity on its southern periphery at a moment when Moscow's grip on the wider Caucasus is already loosening.
Russia Policy Monitor No. 2726
Putin chokes off the internet;
The dismal state of the federation;
Russia pushes population displacement in occupied Mariupol;
More crackdowns on rights groups;
Putin reshuffles Russian soft power
Why NATO’s Weakest Link Is Spain
Recent weeks have made clear that the alliance doesn’t just have a Turkey problem. It has a Spanish one as well, and the latter is likely to emerge as a real headache for U.S.-NATO relations when the dust from the current Iran conflict finally clears.
Iran Democracy Monitor No. 251
Iran's regime exploits its youth;
...And harnesses foreign fighters;
The IRGC's expanding European footprint
Why Israel’s Economy Is Thriving Now
The strengthening shekel stands as a powerful testament to how both foreign investors and Israelis themselves view the country’s long-term prospects.
Space Nuclear Weapons Analysis
The placement or use of a nuclear weapon in space would pose an unprecedented threat to U.S. national security, global stability, and the commercial space economy.
Russia Policy Monitor No. 2725
Anti-corruption justice inches forward;
More Russian covert action thwarted in Kyiv;
Russia expands HIV testing;
Russia proffers nuclear assistance... on Iran;
Russia is still in dire economic straits
China Policy Monitor No. 1674
China sold Iran the spy satellite it used to target U.S., Arab assets;
Russia oil imports help offset Middle East supply shortfalls;
China and Turkmenistan ink deal to expand Galkynysh gas field;
Seven nuclear reactors to be commissioned this year;
Tianlong-3 rocket fails on debut
China Plans To Industrialize The Moon With Mines, Factories And Power Stations. The U.S. Has Not Established A Permanent Lunar Presence
On the Strait of Hormuz, Who Will Blink First, the U.S. or Iran?
Iran’s economy is already crippled, but still resilient. The US economy is less threatened, but its political system is less tolerant of short-term economic pain.
Trump’s Hormuz Blockade Has Been Planned For Years
In the wake of this weekend’s failed negotiations in Islamabad, the Iran conflict is back on. So, too, are the Trump administration’s efforts to bring the Islamic Republic to heel.
Insecurity Is A Key Lesson Of The Iran War
After the failed negotiations this weekend in Islamabad and the U.S. naval blockade of Iranian ports and coastal areas, the conflict appears poised to resume. Yet Washington heads into the next phase with a clearer understanding of the stakes because the past six-plus weeks have offered a stark lesson about the insecurity of global energy and the vulnerability of maritime choke points.
China Policy Monitor No. 1673
China surpasses U.S. in leadership approval;
Xi calls for "new energy system" as Iran war rolls markets;
Taipei warns of tech poaching and military infiltration;
PLA surges naval presence near Taiwan;
Beijing signals partial rapprochement following KMT visit
Russia Policy Monitor No. 2724
A setback for Moscow in Budapest;
Moscow boosts Iranian strikes;
A budget blowout;
The Kremlin targets another rights group
China Policy Monitor No. 1672
China expands its nuclear weapons infrastructure;
With Beijing's help, U.S. indicts Shandong firms for fentanyl;
"Teapot" refineries buffer China from oil price spikes;
Beijing bans "bone ash apartments";
Afghanistan-Pakistan peace talks take place in Xinjiang
Will the Iran War Trip up TRIPP?
The Iran War has temporarily disrupted Caucasus-Central Asia connectivity. The United States must reassure the region that it still wishes to engage with its development.
Russia Policy Monitor No. 2723
Oil shipment refocuses attention on Russian spy hub;
Moscow's energy windfall illusion;
The Kremlin's hybrid war continues;
Russo-Iranian nuke ties hit by new war
Zelensky Ties Ukraine To Broader Effort Against Iran’s Axis
Ukraine is demonstrating, both in word and in deed, that it can help shape the shared fight against today’s revisionist axis. Here’s hoping that the Trump administration takes notice.
China Policy Monitor No. 1671
PRC hackers suspected in breach of FBI surveillance network;
PLA-linked universities bypass U.S. export controls to buy AI chips;
China expands Panama-flagged ship inspections amid canal row;
Amid spiking oil prices, Beijing intervenes to suppress fuel costs;
Surging feed costs hit China's pig farmers
Africa Political Monitor No. 63
Iran war impacts stability in Africa;
What does "America First" look like in Africa?;
New U.S. sanctions target Rwanda;
Israel eyes Somaliland base
Defense Technology Monitor No. 117
Quantum calculation shortcuts for all;
Holographic 3D printing for chips;
Sunscreen for satellites;
Quantum coordination without communication;
The emergence of "brainbots"
Israel’s India Opportunity
Although it has since been overshadowed by the new Gulf war, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent state visit to Israel – complete with a historic address to the Knesset – speaks volumes about how New Delhi sees the Jewish state, and how one of Israel’s most promising bilateral partnerships might progress.
Russia Policy Monitor No. 2722
Russia's demographic crisis gets deeper;
The Kremlin expands its digital crackdown;
Moscow eyes Afghan labor;
The Kremlin rewrites Russian history
Iran Democracy Monitor No. 250
Iraq and the Iran war;
The regime clamps down on Starlink...;
...While platforming its own proponents;
Iran's outsourced intel
Information Warfare Watch No. 53
TikTok disinfo targets Poland;
Euronews faces fresh scrutiny;
Moscow moves to centralize control over nationwide communications;
Turkey moves toward tighter social media rules for minors
Kyiv Is Learning To Fight Without China
Over the past four years of war, the government of Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv has been engaging in a delicate balancing act. Western aid – including from the United States – represents a vital lifeline that has enabled Ukraine to successfully battle back against Russian aggression. That support, however, has required careful alignment with Washington and other Western capitals on an array of issues. This, in turn, has meant Kyiv has had to wrestle with just how much it should cooperate with China.
Iran Democracy Monitor No. 249
The regime clamps down at home;
Israel seeks to prevent Russian resupply...;
...As wary neighbors take sides
China Policy Monitor No. 1670
China launches fentanyl raids ahead of planned Trump visit;
Executives arrested for smuggling $2.5B in AI chips into China;
Beijing restricts "red-chip" IPOs amid capital flight concerns;
China unlikely to invade Taiwan in 2027, American intelligence says;
Property sector woes continue as prices hit eight-month low