(2026-01-08). Palestinians slam Israel-Syria security agreement as an attempt to rebrand. haaretz.com A new U.S.-sponsored Israeli-Syrian security deal has sparked strong online backlash from Palestinian commentators. Some say it undermines Syrian sovereignty and ignores issues like the Israeli occupation of the Golan Heights…
(2026-01-08). EU Leaders' Syria Visit an Opportunity to Bolster Rights. hrw.org Click to expand Image | EU Council President Antonio Costa (L) and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Cairo, Egypt, March 4, 2025. | © 2025 EU Council/Anadolu via Getty Images | On January 9, the European Union's highest-level leaders, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and EU Council President Antonio Costa, are set to meet with Syrian leaders in Damascus for their first-ever visit to the country. Von der Leyen and Costa should use this significant moment to press for a rights-respecting transition in Syria. High on the agenda for both parties is Syria's economic recovery. While the EU's lifti…
(2026-01-08). Israel's Move In Somaliland As Broader Strategy For Regional Dominance. popularresistance.org As Donald Trump proclaimed a "forever peace" in the region last October, Israel proceeded to dramatically escalate its military operations, launching repeated assaults across Palestine, Syria, Lebanon, and beyond. In Gaza, Israel has violated the ceasefire over a thousand times; in Lebanon, it continues to target resistance forces; in Syria, it attempts to destabilize the new regime by exacerbating sectarian divisions; and more recently, it has continued to beat the drums of war with Iran. Its recent recognition of Somaliland also signals an Israel that seeks to regionalize its terror regime, challenge Turkey's p…
(2026-01-08). Israel blocks Russian move to deploy forces in southern Syria, Israeli source says. haaretz.com Syria sought to bring Russian forces into the country's south to serve as a protective umbrella against various Israeli actions, but Moscow was unwilling to move forward without coordinating with Israel, an Israeli source told Haaretz. Earlier this week, Israeli and Syrian representatives met in Paris for U.S.-mediated talks…
(2026-01-08). Pax Americana, Trump-Style. counterpunch.org 
Establishment officials in Europe and the United States are shedding longstanding norms of empire denial by taking positions on what the Trump administration's foreign policy means for the future of Pax Americana. Since former U.S. Ambassador to NATO and longtime architect of American empire Ivo Daalder declared "the end of Pax Americana" after the 2024