WORLD ROUNDUPThe Case for a U.S.-UK Tech Alliance | Israel’s Expansionism Is a Danger to Others—and Itself | A Way Out of the DRC’s Proxy War, and more

Stopping Iran’s Nuclear Program Requires U.S.-Israel Unity  (Michael Makovsky and David Deptula, National Interest)
No specific weapons transfer can ensure Israel is able to block Tehran’s nuclear ambitions on its own—even an MOP.

The Case for a U.S.-UK Tech Alliance  (Paul Steidler, National Interest)
A “special relationship” should include thriving tech cooperation without burdensome regulations.

Fanning the Flames of Conflict  (Sherri Goodman and Leah Emanuel, Lawfare)
A review of Peter Schwartzstein, The Heat and the Fury: On the Front Lines of Climate Violence (Island Press, 2024).

A Way Out of the DRC’s Proxy War  (Sasha Lezhnev and John Prendergast, Just Security)
A full-scale cross-border invasion has been unfolding in an oft-ignored corner of the world, but one with important U.S. and European interests at stake, given the humanitarian toll and gold and other minerals that play a key role in the conflict. Rwandan-backed M23 rebels and as many as 12,000 of Rwanda’s own troops have fueled what is now one of the three most acute humanitarian crises in the world, with 6.5 million people displaced, as they have conquered the two largest cities in eastern DRC, Goma and Bukavu. Additionally, Rwanda is jeopardizing the global supply of some of the minerals by restarting a war in the DRC that threatens to expand beyond the east. For its part, the DRC government endangers the supply of these minerals through corruption that mainly favors China.

Taiwan’s Biggest Limitation in Defense Isn’t Spending, It’s Late Deliveries from U.S. Defense Companies  (Kevin Ting-Chen Sun and Howard Shen, War on the Rocks)
When it comes to Taiwan, comments from the Trump administration about the island nation increasing its defense budget to up to 10 percent of its annual gross domestic product have been making headlines, but this isn’t the real problem.
Taiwan relies almost exclusively on the United States for arms sales due to its diplomatic constraints. Such sales from the United States are mandated by the Taiwan Relations Act, passed by the U.S. Congress in 1979. This reliance renders Taiwan particularly vulnerable to chronic delays and systemic problems in U.S. arms deliveries. Persistent backlogs continue to hamper Taiwan’s defense planning and budgetary momentum — casting a long shadow over even the strongest political and institutional support for arms investment.
If the U.S. government and the defense industry it oversees can’t fix the systemic problems with late deliveries, Taiwan will be left to defend its shores with outdated equipment, including World War II-era artillery.

A Continent-Wide Blind Spot Revisited(Joe Bruhl, War on the Rocks)
The United States continues to neglect Africa at its own peril. Without a major shift, it will keep ceding influence to its biggest geopolitical rivals.

Israel’s Expansionism Is a Danger to Others—and Itself (Economist)
It risks turning hubris into disaster.

Syrian Christians: Debating the Past, Worry for the Future  (Claudia Mende, DW)
Syria’s Christians are a minority in flux. There are concerns about instability and insecurity in the country alongside demands for accountability, for members of the community who supported the brutal Assad regime.