WORLD ROUNDUPTrump to Russia’s Rescue | Is the Rise in Internal Border Controls Ending the EU Dream? | Iran Has Lost Assad — and with Him $50bn, and more

Trump to Russia’s Rescue  (Tom Nichols, The Atlantic)
After a year of misfortune, Putin is about to have a friend in the White House.

Inside the Drugs Factory That Brought Assad’s Regime $5bn a Year  (Samer Al-Atrush, The Times)
Sixty tons of pills were found ready to be smuggled abroad in fake fruit at a plant fiercely guarded by soldiers working for Assad’s brother.

Syria Too Exhausted for a Conflict with Israel, Says Rebel Leader  (Richard Spencer, The Times)
Abu Mohammed al-Jolani insists HTS will seek diplomatic solutions amid fears that Assad’s downfall could drag the Middle East further into chaos.

Iran Has Lost Assad —and with Him $50bn  (Matthew Campbell, The Times)
Unearthed files show the Syrian dictator was deeply indebted to his sponsors in Tehran. Now that money is up in smoke and Iranians are not in a forgiving mood.

How Will the Rebels Rule Syria? Their Past Offers Clues.  (Neil MacFarquhar and Justin Scheck, New York Times)
The Islamist rebels who ousted Syria’s dictator ran a pragmatic and disciplined administration in the territory they controlled. They also jailed their critics.

Is the Rise in Internal Border Controls Ending the EU Dream?  (Bernd Riegert, DW)
More EU countries are bringing in internal border checks even as Bulgaria and Romania are set to become full Schengen Area members.

Who Lost More Weapons—Russia in Syria or America in Afghanistan?  (Gil Barndollar and Matthew C. Mai, Foreign Policy)
After the collapse of their client states, both patrons left behind a trove of military equipment.