WORLD ROUNDUPChina’s New Planes Send the U.S. Military into Panic | Invading Mexico Will Not Solve the Cartel Problem | Secret Assad Files Show Stasi of Syria Put Children on Trial, and more

Secret Assad Files Show Stasi of Syria Put Children on Trial  (Louise Callaghan, The Times)
Analysis of intelligence documents reveals that family members spied on each other, teachers betrayed pupils —and “traitors” were tortured and killed.

Behind the Dismantling of Hezbollah: Decades of Israeli Intelligence  (Mark Mazzetti, Sheera Frenkel, and Ronen Bergman, New York Times)
A Times investigation shows how extensively Israel penetrated the Lebanese militia, closely tracking the group’s commanders and culminating in the assassination of its leader, Hassan Nasrallah.

Will Israel Bomb Iran —and 3 More Questions for the World in 2025  (John Bew, The Times)
Whether it’s China, Ukraine, Trump or the Middle East, Britain will have to tread carefully, a former foreign policy adviser in No 10 writes.

Why Azerbaijan Plane Crash Could Do Putin Serious Damage  (Mark Galeotti, The Times)
The Russian president’s role model, Yuri Andropov, never recovered after a similar tragedy 42 years ago. Moscow’s tactics have put the regime at risk.

Invading Mexico Will Not Solve the Cartel Problem  (Brandan P. Buck, CATO)
Proposals for the use of military force in our southern neighbor’s territory neglect the lessons of the wars on terror and drugs.

New Challenges to Xi Jinping’s Alternative Facts on Taiwan: Lessons for the Human Rights Space, Too  (Sophie Richardson, Just Security)
The Czech Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee adopted a resolution last week condemning the Chinese government’s manipulation of a key United Nations resolution on Taiwan. Similar initiatives in the parliaments of Australia, The Netherlands, the European Union, Canada, and the United Kingdom over the previous months called out Beijing’s longstanding campaign to block Taiwan’s democratic government from participating in U.N. activities. Governments willing to tackle this challenge also should confront Beijing’s strikingly similar threat to the U.N. human rights system.
At a time of global backsliding on democracy and human rights, these efforts may seem niche or Quixotic. But democracies defending one another, particularly through their own domestic institutions and not only as a matter of foreign policy, demonstrates a principled commitment.

What is the Future of American Counterterrorism Strikes in Somalia?  (David Sterman, Just Security)
As 2024 draws to a close, the United States is on the cusp of a significant political transition. In just weeks, President-elect Donald Trump will once again assume the presidency. This shift has sparked widespread debate over the direction of U.S. domestic and foreign policy under Trump’s renewed leadership. Yet, one critical area that has garnered relatively little attention is the future of America’s airstrikes and ground operations in Somalia.
Will Trump increase the pace and number of U.S. strikes and operations in Somalia, and what would be the implications for civilian harm?

Germany Says Baltic Cable Damage A ‘Wake-Up Call’ As Report Describes ‘Spy Ship’  (RFE/RL’s Russian Service)
Germany’s foreign minister described the suspected sabotage of a Baltic Sea power cable as a “wake-up call” for the West and urged the European Union to impose new sanctions targeting what is known as Russia’s “shadow fleet.”
Meanwhile, a media outlet focusing on shipping news and intelligence reported that the ship suspected of damaging the cable linking Finland and Estonia on December 25 was equipped with “special transmitting and receiving devices that were used to monitor naval activity.”

The Fate of the BRICS Under a Second Donald Trump Administration  (Rimon Tanvir Hossain, National Interest)
Trump’s re-entry to the White House may accelerate common cause within the anti-Western bloc.

China’s New Planes Send the U.S. Military into Panic  (Brandon J. Weichert, National Interest)
Beijing has no qualms about making the eggheads at the Pentagon overreact to their latest fighter demonstration.