| Middle East → Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa met President Trump in Washington DC on Monday, making him the first Syrian head of state to visit the White House, hoping to secure sanctions relief and a stronger partnership with the West. Since coming to power, al-Sharaa has attempted to appear as a moderate regional leader. Part of this plan is launching an anti-Islamic State campaign across Syria, which continues to be plagued by the terror group. Yesterday’s meeting marks yet more progress in the US-Syrian relationship since the fall of Assad. Al-Sharaa is clearly prioritizing a strong relationship with the US as a means of rebuilding a prosperous Syria. From the US perspective, having a true US ally in Syria, compared to a Russian and Iranian proxy like the Assad regime, is a remarkable flip. → Jared Kushner met with Prime Minister Netanyahu in Israel on Monday to discuss Phase 2 of the ceasefire. However, complicating these discussions are reports of an estimated 200 Hamas fighters trapped in tunnels underneath the yellow zone in Rafah, which is under IDF control. US mediators reportedly suggested allowing them safe passage in exchange for disarmament. Neither Israel or Hamas has agreed to these terms. → On Thursday, President Trump announced that Kazakhstan would join the Abraham Accords. The addition of Kazakhstan appears to be largely symbolic, given that the Central Asian country already had diplomatic relations with Israel. The Trump administration hopes the Kazakhstan announcement will help to restart the Accords’ momentum ahead of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s planned Washington visit next week. As of now, it seems unlikely that the Trump administration will be able to facilitate full Israeli-Saudi normalization in just the next two weeks. Too much remains to be figured out in Gaza, not to mention the memory of the conflict is still too fresh for most Saudis to accept a normalization deal. The Saudis will likely push for a security agreement – like the one Trump signed with the Qataris – at next week’s meetings, in addition to discussing plans for Gaza. The Saudis may also begin to make clearer what they would need to see in order to put normalization with Israel back on the table (e.g. US support for a Saudi civilian nuclear program, a roadmap to a two-state solution in Israel-Palestine, etc.) International Affairs → Over the weekend, more than 2,000 Sudanese civilians were displaced by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), following the bloody invasion of el Fasher in October. This time the RSF invaded the region of North Kordofan, in western Darfur. These civilians add to the estimated 92,000 people that have evacuated the el Fasher area in fear for their safety over the past two weeks. Though true figures are still unclear, satellite imagery reportedly shows RSF militants digging mass graves and burning bodies in the streets. → On Monday, Ukrainian President Zelenskyy will reportedly request 25 Patriot air defense systems from European countries. Air defense systems are crucial to Ukraine’s war effort. NATO has been regularly delivering weapons to Ukraine, much of which are purchased from the US. A deficit in air defense systems may make it easier for Russia to target Ukrainian energy infrastructure. As winter approaches, damage to heating and power resources may severely threaten the health and safety of Ukrainians. → On Tuesday, the British Parliament is scheduled to discuss the threatened legal battle between President Trump and BBC. President Trump is accusing the BBC – specifically, those involved in the documentary “Trump: A Second Chance?” – of creating misleading news content suggesting that Trump called for violent action after losing the 2020 election. Late last week, BBC’s top executive Time Davie resigned, citing the outlet’s recent struggle to protect its integrity and several errors in judgement. → Super Typhoon Fung-wong hit the Philippines on Sunday, killing two and displacing over one million. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr declared a state of emergency and both military and humanitarian resources have been deployed to various parts of the country. US → Thousands of flights across the US were cancelled over the past week due to FAA staffing shortages and the ongoing government shutdown. Major disruptions occurred, with some airports reporting hours-long delays. According to Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, delays will likely continue in the weeks leading to Thanksgiving. Though Congress appears to be making progress on ending the shutdown, the FAA reports that flight cuts are unlikely to be lifted in the next few weeks. |
| Resources: US Department of State Travel Advisories CISA: nation-state cybersecurity threats and other resources for cybersecurity matters. Our latest blog post examining data security on social media. |
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