Listen in on FDD Events featuring discussions on today’s most pressing national security and foreign policy challenges and opportunities with top policymakers and leading experts. Webpage: https://www.fdd.org/events/
Israel has launched precision strikes against nuclear and military facilities in Iran — just days after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) formally declared Iran in violation of its nuclear nonproliferation commitments for the first time since 2005. The Islamic Republic — closer than ever to acquiring a nuclear weapon — had dismissed U.S. diplomatic overtures and accelerated its nuclear program in ways that clearly exceed any plausible civilian use. What are the implications for regio...
TURKEY'S NEO-OTTOMAN VISION HEADLINE 1: The U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on a network of sham charities that fund Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, or “PFLP.” HEADLINE 2: Israel carried out strikes against Yemen’s Hodeida port. HEADLINE 3: The IDF took out two Hezbollah operatives in southern Lebanon. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Dr. Hay Eytan Cohen Yanarocak — author, resear...
RUSSIA, UKRAINE, AND ... GRETA THUNBERG? HEADLINE 1: Iranian intelligence agencies say they’ve acquired a cache of sensitive Israeli documents. HEADLINE 2: Al Qaeda in Yemen is back in the spotlight. HEADLINE 3: The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon may soon be a thing of the past. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD Founder and President Cliff May. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief/...
TURKEY'S INTERNAL CHALLENGES AND EXTERNAL INFLUENCE HEADLINE 1: Israel’s defense exports increased 13 percent in 2024. HEADLINE 2: Israel is arming jihadi criminals in Gaza. HEADLINE 3: The Syrian government agreed to give the International Atomic Energy Agency access to former Assad regime nuclear sites. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Sinan Ciddi, director of FDD's Turkey Program. Learn more at: www.fdd.or...
For malign actors seeking to undermine U.S. global leadership and economic prosperity, AI is the latest battleground. To learn how U.S. adversaries leverage AI to advance their military, cyber, and malign influence capabilities, join RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, senior director of FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation (CCTI); Matt Pottinger, chairman of FDD’s China Program and CEO of Garnaut Global LLC; and Leah Siskind, AI research fellow and director of impact at FDD. This panel will...
QATAR'S MALIGN INFLUENCE AND ANTI-ISRAEL PROPAGANDA HEADLINE 1: The Trump administration okay-ed the integration of foreign fighters into the Syrian army. HEADLINE 2: Rumors are swirling about who will replace Muhammed Sinwar as Hamas’s commander-in-chief. OK, maybe not swirling. We think we know who it is. HEADLINE 3: Chaos is festering on the Gaza aid front. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely updates and sharp analysis, followed by a conversation with writer and Middle East...
This episode provides an update on the multi-front Middle East war, discussing Israeli operations in Gaza, regional normalization efforts, Iran's nuclear program, and the Saudi-led delegation's blocked West Bank visit. The discussion features an interview with urban warfare expert John Spencer on Israel's military surge, the impact of aid distribution on Hamas control, and the critical race against time facing Israel amidst international pressure.
This episode features analysis on the multi-front war in the Middle East, including updates on Israeli laser defense, Lebanese action against Hezbollah, and the US presence in Syria. A conversation with Jacob Magid of The Times of Israel explores the complexities of the Trump administration's Middle East policy, stalled hostage negotiations, and underlying tensions in US-Israel and UAE-Israel relations.
WHAT'S THE STORY WITH HUMANITARIAN AID TO GAZA? HEADLINE 1: Israel and Syria are holding direct talks. HEADLINE 2: Germany is starting to change its tone on Israel. HEADLINE 3: The Palestinian flag is about to fly at the World Health Organization. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely updates and sharp analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD Distinguished Fellow Scooter Libby, former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmornin...
FOREIGN INFLUENCE IN K-12 SCHOOLS AND BEYOND HEADLINE 1: Israel and Turkey reportedly established a new mechanism to help prevent unwanted military incidents in Syria. HEADLINE 2: Two more Houthi missile attacks were recorded. HEADLINE 3: France is working with Saudi Arabia on a proposal for Gaza that would require Hamas to disarm. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Brandy Shufutinsky, director of FDD's brand-n...
EGYPT, CHINA, AND THE HORN OF AFRICA HEADLINE 1: The Israeli cabinet approved plans to build a security barrier along Israel’s border with Jordan. HEADLINE 2: Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is traveling to Lebanon this week. And the corrupt alta cocker might actually notch a legitimate win. HEADLINE 3: The U.S. State Department announced a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the disruption of Hezbollah financial networks. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer d...
IS SYRIA'S NEW REGIME MALIGN OR MODERATE? HEADLINE 1: Israel is working on a plan to relocate civilians in Gaza if a ceasefire doesn’t materialize soon. HEADLINE 2: It’s official: Hamas’s October 7th attack was designed to derail Saudi-Israel normalization. HEADLINE 3: Another day, another Israeli caught spying for Iran. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Barak Barfi, a Middle East scholar who specializes in Ar...
TRUMP'S GULF TRIP AND THE IMPLICATIONS FOR THE REGION HEADLINE 1: President Trump’s whirlwind Middle East tour was rife with record-breaking deals. HEADLINE 2: Congressional Republicans have reiterated their support for full Iranian nuclear dismantlement. HEADLINE 3: Trump’s sharp policy reversal on U.S. sanctions against Syria during his Gulf tour was coupled with a major request: that Syria join the Abraham Accords with Israel. -- FDD Research Fellow Hussain Abdul-Hussain fills in for Jonathan...
THE REGIONAL RAMIFICATIONS OF U.S.-SAUDI NUCLEAR COOPERATION HEADLINE 1: Tehran’s oil-for-missiles pipeline to Beijing just got sanctioned. HEADLINE 2: Israel targeted Muhammad Sinwar in a strike yesterday HEADLINE 3: Yesterday, President Trump announced that he’s lifting sanctions on Syria to — quote — “give them a chance at greatness” — end quote. -- FDD Senior Research Analyst Natalie Ecanow provides timely updates and analysis, followed by a conversation between Jonathan Schanzer and Andrea ...
NUCLEAR TALKS, CONGRESS, AND MAXIMUM SUPPORT FOR THE IRANIAN PEOPLE HEADLINE 1: The IDF is closing in on victory in the Hamas stronghold of Rafah in southern Gaza, with heavy fighting now focused on the neighborhood of Janina. HEADLINE 2: After 43 years, Israel brought home the body of a fallen soldier—Sgt. First Class Zvi Feldman—from deep inside Syria. HEADLINE 3: The IDF almost attacked Yemen. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by...
IRAN, SYRIA, THE HOUTHIS ... AND MORE HEADLINE 1: The United States dropped the demand for normalization with Israel as a condition for advancing civil nuclear cooperation discussions with Saudi Arabia. HEADLINE 2: A mob at Columbia University disseminated pamphlets praising a Palestinian terrorist. There’s a reason people call this school Birzeit on the Hudson. HEADLINE 3: Israel’s ‘Qatargate’ scandal has gotten even messier. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational up...
HOUTHIS, HAMAS, AND THE HOSTAGES HEADLINE 1: Israel prepares for “Operation Gideon’s Chariots” — a new, expanded ground offensive in Gaza. HEADLINE 2: The United States and Iran are set to resume nuclear talks. HEADLINE 3: Things are heating up a little in Lebanon. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with FDD Senior Fellow and former IDF International Spokesperson Lt. Col. (Ret.) Jonathan Conricus. Learn more at: htt...
DOCUMENTING THE TRUTH ABOUT THE OCTOBER 7 MASSACRE HEADLINE 1: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Qatar to stop playing games. HEADLINE 2: The UK arrested 8 men on suspected terror offenses. HEADLINE 3: Israel carried out a strike near the presidential palace in Damascus, Syria. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with British historian and author Lord Andrew Roberts, who chaired the United Kingdom's October 7 P...
THE IMPACT OF FOREIGN FUNDING TO AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES HEADLINE 1: On Wednesday, two Israeli reservists were wounded in a roadside bomb attack in the northern West Bank. HEADLINE 2: Seven Iranian entities were slapped with U.S. sanctions on Wednesday. HEADLINE 3: Reuters published details from a 33-page document its reporters found in Damascus after the Assad regime was toppled. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation wi...
ABRAHAM ACCORDS, TWO-STATE PARADIGM, AND U.S.-IRAN NUCLEAR TALKS HEADLINE 1: The Navy lost a $60 million fighter jet because of a Houthi missile attack. HEADLINE 2: An Israeli district court sentenced an Israeli citizen to 10 years in prison for treason. HEADLINE 3: Sectarian clashes broke out near Damascus in what people are still calling the new Syria. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with former U.S. Ambassador to Israel D...
TARIFFS, TRUMP DOCTRINE, AND WHITE HOUSE DIVISIONS HEADLINE 1: The Palestinian Liberation Organization has a new vice president. HEADLINE 2: The Houthis launched yet another ballistic missile at Israel on Saturday morning. HEADLINE 3: Qatar and Saudi Arabia are settling Syria’s debt to the World Bank. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with author and Free Press columnist Batya Ungar-Sargon. Learn more at: https://w...
SOCIOECONOMIC AND POLITICAL REALITIES IN ISRAEL POST-OCTOBER 7 HEADLINE 1: The Palestinian Liberation Organization Central Council held a two-day meeting this week. HEADLINE 2: Iran may be operating a new, deeply buried tunnel and an expanded security perimeter near the Natanz nuclear site. HEADLINE 3: Interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa says he is open to normalizing ties with Israel. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely updates and analysis, followed by a conversation wi...
SANCTIONS, ILLICIT FINANCE, AND THE IRANIAN PEOPLE HEADLINE 1 : Egypt and Qatar reportedly tabled a new ceasefire proposal. HEADLINE 2: Another day, another round of Iran sanctions. HEADLINE 3: Egypt and China kicked off their first-ever joint air force exercise. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Saeed Ghasseminejad, senior Iran and financial economic advisor at FDD. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorni...
To help protect the United States and its allies from the rising threat of missile and drone attacks, FDD is excited to inaugurate its new Air and Missile Defense Program , housed within the Center on Military and Political Power (CMPP). This state-of-the-art program conducts rigorous, timely research regarding the air and missile defense capabilities necessary to protect the United States, its forward-deployed forces, and its allies and partners from adversary missiles, aircraft, and drones. Th...
The current economic “moment” is seeing a generational re-ordering of global trade, alliances, and capital. The Trump Administration is unleashing an unprecedented and muscular use of economic power, with tariffs on historical allies and adversaries alike, ramped up sanctions on Iran and Venezuela, new investment incentives and reviews, and willingness to endure economic pain to remake the global order. The framework and objectives for this new use of economic power, however, continue to evolve....
SANCTIONS, TARIFFS, AND MORE HEADLINE 1: Turkish Intelligence Chief Ibrahim Kalin met with Hamas leaders over the weekend. HEADLINE 2: The U.S. and Iran held a second round of nuclear talks in Rome. HEADLINE 3: Hamas launched a deadly attack against Israeli troops in northern Gaza. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Juan Zarate, former deputy national security advisor for combating terrorism under George W. Bush and chairm...
MORAL COURAGE IN THE WAKE OF OCTOBER 7 HEADLINE 1: Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani arrived in Moscow yesterday for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin. HEADLINE 2: Hamas is on the verge of bankruptcy. HEADLINE 3: The U.S. Treasury sanctioned the International Bank of Yemen. HEADLINE 4: Lebanese forces detained multiple people who fired rockets into Israel last month. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer provides timely updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with ac...
The U.S. military has a vested interest in the security of the nation’s critical transportation infrastructure. During a conflict, America’s adversaries are likely to attack U.S. critical infrastructure in an attempt to constrain Washington’s policy options, including its capacity to mobilize the armed forces. Over the past year, the intelligence community has revealed how deeply Chinese hackers known as Volt Typhoon penetrated U.S. transportation, energy, and water systems. Meanwhile, other Chi...
CAN THE UNITED STATES SUSTAIN SIMULTANEOUS MILITARY SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL, UKRAINE, AND TAIWAN? HEADLINE 1: Jordan arrested 16 people linked to the Muslim Brotherhood who were involved in a plot to undermine Jordan with targeted attacks. HEADLINE 2: The European Union announced a new aid package for the Palestinian Authority. HEADLINE 3: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun says 2025 is the year that the Lebanese Armed Forces must gain a monopoly of arms in his country. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Scha...
IRAN, OMAN, AND THE UNITED STATES HEADLINE 1: The IDF struck a Hamas command center inside Gaza’s al-Ahli hospital. HEADLINE 2: Syrian President Abu Mohammed Al-Jolani was on a charm offensive this weekend. Yes, I still called him by the name he used when he was openly leading an Al-Qaeda affiliate group. HEADLINE 3: The U.S. and Saudi Arabia are reportedly planning to sign a nuclear energy cooperation agreement. -- FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and anal...
