CHINA WATCH

·  Philippines to Get US$500M in Defense Infusion from Washington
Cash “sends a clear message of support for the Philippines from Biden administration,” US defense secretary says

·  Iron Curtain in Orbit: China and the U.S. in Race for Space Supremacy
Since the end of the Cold War, the lead the United States achieved in the race for space has been unchallenged — until now

·  Water Wars: Glimmers of Hope Alongside Further Tensions in the Indo-Pacific
China and Philippines agree on resupply missions; Philippines builds more runways; Western powers deepen security engagement with Asian partners; and more

MIDDLE EAST

·  Ismail Haniyeh, a Top Hamas Leader, Killed
Haniyeh, the militant group’s exiled political chief, managed high-stakes negotiations, including the ongoing cease-fire talks to end the war in Gaza

·  A Hezbollah War Would Be Israel’s Biggest Challenge in Decades
The militant group is experienced, well-armed, and prepared

·  The Red Sea Crisis has Consolidated Houthi Control over Yemen
Houthi behavior has led to increased dependence on Iran and less hope for an end to Yemen’s decade-long civil war

·  Nothing Netanyahu Says Will Matter
He’s a master of grand pronouncements that amount to very little

THE LONG VIEW

·  Europe Is Pumping Billions into New Military Tech
The European Commission is allocating €7.3 billion for defense research over the next seven years. From drones and tanks of the future to battleships and space intelligence, here’s what it funds

·  The Trump/Vance Unilateralist Delusion
The Republican ticket has unified—around a fundamentally unrealistic foreign policy

·  India Is Deluding Itself: There’s No Multipolar World
Indian policymakers believe multipolarity could serve their country’s interests better, but they are wrong

·  Who Will Fill Europe’s Leadership Vacuum?
Paris is cheap and Berlin has no strategy. For serious leadership, look to Warsaw

MORE PICKS

·  France Backs Moroccan Claim Over Disputed Western Sahara
France has shifted its decades-long position on the status of Western Sahara. The Polisario Front, which claims to represent the Saharawi people, has vowed to push back against Morocco and France

·  The Dark Side of Tunisia’s Phosphate Boom
As Kais Saied’s government tries to capitalize on demand for a critical mineral, the country’s environment and Gafsa Valley residents are suffering

·  The Kamala Harris Doctrine
Everything we know about the presumptive Democratic nominee’s foreign-policy views

·  Is Russia Trying to Poison Finland’s Water?
Break-ins at water treatment plants are a prime example of gray-zone aggression. The Finns may never know who did it, but they must resist succumbing to fear

·  The Deep Roots of Bangladesh’s Crisis
How protests against a quota system turned into an uprising against Sheikh Hasina’s government

•  A U.K. Deportation Plan Cost $900 Million. Only Four People Left.
Britain’s last Conservative government spent almost a billion dollars on its controversial plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda, the newly appointed minister for immigration said Monday

·  German Spy Agency ‘Too Short-Staffed to Deal with Russian Threats’
Intelligence service severely hampered by low morale, sickly employees and budget pressures, sources claim

·  How Russia-Linked Malware Cut Heat to 600 Ukrainian Buildings in Deep Winter
The code, the first of its kind, was used to sabotage a heating utility in Lviv at the coldest point in the year—what appears to be yet another innovation in Russia’s torment of Ukrainian civilians