America Is a Heartbeat Away from a War It Could Lose | Libertarianism Is Rising in Latin America | France Issues Arrest Warrant for Syrian President Assad, and more

France is Fueling the Flames of Conflict in the Middle East  (Joseph Epstein, National Interest)
Why is France supplying armored personnel carriers to the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF)? After the announcement early this month, French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu said it was “vital” to strengthen Lebanon’s military as tensions between Israel and Hezbollah rise.
But the hazards are enormous. There is a high risk that any military equipment supplied to the Lebanese army will make its way to the terrorist group Hezbollah or its master, Iran. France has ignored this risk despite almost constant Hezbollah rocket attacks on the north of Israel and the risk of war breaking out.
Skirmishes on Israel’s northern border have been commonplace since Hamas’s October 7 Massacre, and Hezbollah has threatened to expand the conflict. On November 6, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said the group prepared for all options and would “resort to them at any time.” Two days later, Hezbollah mobilized 1,500 of its troops from Syria to Lebanon.
The danger of arming Lebanon is nothing new. In 2016, the Israeli government presented evidence that Hezbollah was using APCs supplied by the United States to the LAF. In July, the ALMA Research and Education Center reported that weapons and military equipment provided to the Lebanese Army by the United States, United Kingdom, France, and other European countries have slipped into the hands of Hezbollah.
In other words, weapon shipments to the Lebanese military should be considered indirect weapons shipments to terrorists. By supplying the LAF with APCs, Paris is providing Hezbollah with military equipment that the militant group could use against Israel if Hezbollah decides to attack.

Why Libertarianism Is Rising in Latin America  (Juan P. Villasmil, Foreign Policy)
National populism is increasingly defining right-wing electoral politics in the United States and Europe. But Latin America has chosen a different path—emerging as a bastion of libertarianism on the global stage.
The political economy of Latin America helps explain why it has become the perfect breeding ground for libertarianism. The rapid growth of the movement, though, should be attributed to a network of libertarian think tanks, leaders, and activists who have long peddled influence—and are starting to see it pay off.

France Issues Arrest Warrant for Syrian President Assad  (Chris Liakos, Claudia Colliva and Dalal Mawad, CNN)
France has issued an arrest warrant for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad over the alleged use of banned chemical weapons against civilians in Syria, a judicial source told CNN on Wednesday.
According to the source, two investigative judges on Tuesday issued four warrants against Assad, his brother Maher al-Assad, and two other senior officials, for complicity in crimes against humanity and complicity in war crimes.
Anwar al-Bunni, a Syrian human rights lawyer and a founder of the Syrian Center for Legal Studies and Research, told CNN the decision was “unprecedented.” It is believed to be the first time a nation has issued an arrest warrant for crimes against humanity for a sitting head of state in another country.
An Interpol ‘Red Notice’ is expected to follow, according to Michael Chammas, a Syrian lawyer with knowledge of the case, who spoke to CNN from Germany.
A Red Notice is a request to law enforcement worldwide to locate and provisionally arrest someone pending extradition, surrender, or similar legal action, according to Interpol.

South Korea and Members of the US-led UN Command Warn North Korea Over Its Nuclear Threat  (Kin Tong-Hyung, AP)
Senior defense officials from South Korea, the United States and other nations on Tuesday warned North Korea over its nuclear ambitions and threats, vowing an unspecified collective response to any war-like aggression by the North toward its rival.
Their joint statement came after a meeting in Seoul involving U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, South Korean Defense Minister Shin Won-sik and officials from 16 other countries under the U.S.-led United Nations Command, which provided combat or medical forces in support of the South during the 1950-53 Korean War.