Curbing China’s Influence on the New Syrian Government Amid fears of Uyghur militancy and hopes of expanding business ties with Syria, Beijing has been rapidly adapting to the new reality in Damascus.

"Although China’s engagements with post-Assad Syria have been relatively small in number so far, it has shown a clear desire to improve ties despite lingering concerns about Uyghur militant elements in the new government," write @azelin.bsky.social and @grantrumley.bsky.social.

China, once a friend of Assad, is recalibrating, opening to the new Syrian government with two meetings since al-Sharaa assumed power, @roscarroll.bsky.social writes, with commentary from @grantrumley.bsky.social and @stimsoncenter.bsky.social's Yun Sun www.al-monitor.com/originals/20...

Semiconductors, AI, and the Gulf: Policy Considerations for the United States In seeking to bolster partnerships and simultaneously protect U.S. technology, officials will need to navigate export options ranging from permissive to restrictive.

UAE's Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed is visiting Washington to meet with senior Trump Administration officials and U.S. business leaders to discuss AI. Check out @lizydent.bsky.social and @grantrumley.bsky.social's report for more on AI in the Gulf.

Sudan-Russia deal: Final agreement reached over Red Sea naval base, says Sudan The status of the naval base deal has been unclear since war broke out in Sudan in 2023.

Sudanese FM says there are "no obstacles" remaining to finalizing long-standing basing agreement with Russia in Port Sudan. Key caveat, however: it's still pending "ratification" www.bbc.com/news/article...

Ukraine can help dismantle Russia’s influence in the Middle East The fall of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad has dealt a significant blow to Russia’s ambitions in the Middle East. Yet Russia still retains influence across the region through trade, diplomacy, and mi...

Important article from Anna Borshchevskaya on how Ukraine and the U.S. can work together to roll back Russia's influence in the Middle East: 1) expanding trade (ie: grain), 2) messaging, 3) sharing lessons from countering Iran. kyivindependent.com/ukraine-can-...

US tightens its grip on AI chip flows across the globe The U.S. government said it would further restrict artificial intelligence chip and technology exports, divvying up the world to keep advanced computing power in the U.S. and among its allies while finding more ways to block China's access.

“About 18 countries, including Japan, Britain, South Korea and the Netherlands, will essentially be exempt from the rules. Some 120 other countries, including Singapore, Israel, Saudi Arabia and the UAE will face country caps."

www.reuters.com/technology/a...

Syria is just one example. As ASD Ratner highlighted the other week, the China-Houthi relationship is likewise through the looking glass: www.csis.org/analysis/dis...

China likes to portray itself as an impartial actor in the Middle East, but its support for Assad was anything but. The U.S. should use this moment to gently remind the region of the differences between Beijing's words and actions. My latest: thehill.com/opinion/inte...
@washinstitute.bsky.social

Algerian shipyards to produce Chinese light frigates Algeria reportedly will produce Type 056 (F-15A) corvettes locally under a license from China. This move follows the delivery of the first vessel, El Moutassadi (hull number 940), in 2023. The vessel,...

Some rumors here that Algeria may be preparing to locally produce Chinese frigates. Would obviously take with a grain of salt. No doubt it's aspirational from the Algerian side -- whether it's feasible is another question.
defence-blog.com/algerian-shi...

Understanding the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum 2024 with Grant Rumley Prt.2 YouTube video by WashingtonInstitute

Top Videos of 2024: Understanding the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum 2024 with Grant Rumley Prt.2 - @grantrumley.bsky.social youtube.com/shorts/RdmMm...

"Few other relations of India have transformed as dramatically as Delhi’s ties with the Arab Gulf nations over the last decade."

Read Raja Mohan's excellent preview of Modi's upcoming trip to Kuwait here:

indianexpress.com/article/opin...

Outstanding work here projecting the future of Houthi attacks in the Red Sea from my @washinstitute.bsky.social colleagues Noam Raydan and Farzin Nadimi:

www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analy...

Another plug for my piece on Britain's strategic defence review (SDR) & the different options on the table. www.economist.com/britain/2024...

Big Chinese naval exercise leaves Taiwan and US struggling for response Taipei and Washington draw different conclusions over meaning of unannounced military deployment

"Taiwanese national security officials said the deployments of the past week involved close to 100 ships ... The presence, spread out over the East and South China Seas as well as waters far off Taiwan’s east coast in the western Pacific, was built up over 70 days."
www.ft.com/content/025a...

India Is Hoping for a Trump Bump Modi will seek greater alignment with Washington—but more autonomy, too.

Trump's re-election "will likely reaffirm India’s belief in the importance of building its own domestic capabilities, not outsourcing its security or nuclear deterrent, and avoiding overdependence on one partner."

Sharp as ever from @tanvimadan.bsky.social:

www.foreignaffairs.com/india/india-...

מטייסות מיג וסוחוי, עד מערך הנ"מ הצפוף בעולם: חיל האוויר הסורי קרוב להשמדה | תיעוד מהלך היסטורי של ישראל בחסות התפרקות משטר אסד: לראשונה זה יותר מ-5 עשורים, ישראל תוקפת בסיסים שלמים של חיל אוויר אויב. כ-300 תקיפות עם מאות מטוסים וכלי טיס בפחות מיומיים, בדרך לשמיים פתוחים במזרח התיכו...

Israel is systematically destroying what’s left of the Syrian Air Force

www.ynet.co.il/news/article...

South Korea commissions its first next-generation Aegis destroyer The ROKS Jeongjo the Greatis is the first warship to adopt the Korean Vertical Launching System II.

South Korea commissions its first next-generation Aegis destroyer -- @defensenews.bsky.social: www.defensenews.com/global/asia-...

Washington Needs a New Syria Policy Right Now Assad’s fall offers a chance to reverse years of indecision.

A new U.S. approach to Syria policy was long overdue. In this piece for @foreignpolicy.com, I offer some framing principles for the next and hopefully, better one.

foreignpolicy.com/2024/12/09/a...

Rheinmetall, Auterion to Develop Standardized Software for Military Drones The arms producer and drone software company have reached a deal to cooperate in creating an industry standard for controlling and operating unmanned drones, which is expected to benefit Ukraine in it...

“For autonomous systems we do not have a common language... Right now, a German brigade can’t use a French drone, and that’s very problematic because they might be operating together and they can’t talk to a different drone.” www.wsj.com/world/europe...

Had the opportunity to speak with BBC News tonight about the latest and future of Syria after the fall of the Assad regime

North Africa in an Era of Great Power Competition: Challenges and Opportunities for the United States Washington can demonstrate its decisive edge in areas like climate change remediation and economic development, while highlighting the many dangers posed by partnership with Russia and China.

Xi Jinping makes first stop in Morocco on way home from G20. Likely focused on BRI and EVs, possibly some defense issues. For more on the China-Morocco relationship, see our report for @washinstitute.bsky.social: www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analy...

Russia supplied air defense missiles to North Korea in return for its troops, South Korea says A top South Korean official says Russia has supplied air defense missile systems to North Korea in exchange for Pyongyang sending troops.

Russia has likely sent S-400 long-range surface-to-air missiles, launchers and ground-based radar systems to North Korea, according to South Korea. apnews.com/article/nort...

Semiconductors, AI, and the Gulf: Policy Considerations for the United States In seeking to bolster partnerships and simultaneously protect U.S. technology, officials will need to navigate export options ranging from permissive to restrictive.

For my first post on Blue Sky, I am thrilled to share my new report with Grant Rumley on policy considerations for the U.S. to export semiconductors to Gulf countries who have made AI central to their national development strategies:

www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analy...