WORLD ROUNDUPFor China, the Ukraine War Is a Laboratory | RFK Jr Is Systematically Undermining Vaccines Around the World | Nuclear Nightmares Are Back, and more

America’s Military Runs on Chinese Rare Earths  (Christina Lu, Foreign Policy)
But the Pentagon is hoping it can change that.

Ferocity of Recent Killings in Syria Reveals Country’s Fragility  (Kareem Fahim and Zakaria Zakaria, Washington Post)
Tensions still simmer in Sweida, where sectarian-charged violence left hundreds dead and laid bare the government’s struggles to unite the country.

Nuclear Nightmares Are Back  (Economist)
A grim anniversary points to fading memories and a fraying world order.

How Much of Gaza Is Left Standing?  (Economist)
Analysis by independent researchers reveals the scale of the destruction.

How RFK Jr Is Systematically Undermining Vaccines Around the World  (Christina Pagel and Sheena Cruickshank, The Conversation)
Vaccines are one of the greatest public health success stories of all time. Over the past 50 years, they’ve saved an estimated 154 million lives. But in the US, both access to vaccines and public trust in them are being systematically undermined – not by conspiracy theorists online, but from within the highest levels of government.
In January 2025, Robert F. Kennedy Jr – long associated with vaccine misinformation – was confirmed as US health secretary. Despite being pressed during his Senate confirmation hearings, Kennedy insisted he was not anti-vaccine and pledged to maintain scientific standards.
Seven months later, his actions tell a different story.
Kennedy has launched a sweeping assault on the US vaccine infrastructure: gutting oversight committees, sowing doubt about settled science, politicizing ingredient safety, limiting access to vaccines and halting funding for research. His strategy doesn’t involve outright bans. But the cumulative effect may prove just as damaging.

Beyond Recognition: the Challenges of Creating a New Palestinian State Are So Formidable, Is It Even Possible?  (Martin Kear, The Conversation)
Recognizing a Palestinian state is at one level symbolic – it signals a growing global consensus behind the rights of Palestinians to have their own state. In the short term, it won’t impact the situation on the ground in Gaza.
Practically speaking, the formation of a future Palestinian state consisting of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem is far more difficult to achieve.
The Israeli government has ruled out a two-state solution and reacted with fury to the moves by the four G20 members to recognize Palestine. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the decision “shameful”.
So, what are the political issues that need to be resolved before a Palestinian state becomes a reality? And what is the point of recognition if it doesn’t overcome these seemingly intractable obstacles?

For China, the Ukraine War Is a Laboratory  (David Petraeus and Clara Kaluderovic, National Interest)
Beijing is using the Russia-Ukraine War as a testing ground to prepare for a showdown with the United States.

How US Inconsistency Undermines Its Central Asia Position  (Miras Zhiyenbayev, National Interest)
President Trump’s recent tariffs on Kazakhstan are largely symbolic. Yet, the move underscores a deeper problem in US engagement in Central Asia.