What Working in Remote Conflict Zones Taught Me About America
There’s plenty of news to catch up on this week. The rebels in Syria are forming a transitional government, and the world is struggling to respond. Russia is working to maintain a much smaller foothold in Syria, while Israel is conducting incursions deeper and deeper into the country. Attempts to get South Korean President Yoon to leave office after his failed coup attempt are not working as swiftly as some expected. There seems to be real movement on a ceasefire deal for Gaza.
I’ve added links to all of that and more below. But first, I wanted to share an essay in Lazo Magazine from political scientist Julie Norman, who discusses what working in countries like South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo taught her about communities in the United States.
Read Julie’s essay by clicking here.
Lazo Magazine is on social media. You can follow along on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. You can also donate to Lazo Magazine.
What I’m writing:
• I wrote a deep dive into all of the moving pieces in Syria now that Assad is out, as well as the lackluster response from Washington. This story is unlocked and free to read.
• I spoke to Nemanja Starović, Serbia’s minister for labor, employment, veterans, and social affairs, during his visit to Washington, D.C. We discussed Serbia’s path toward European Union membership, its relationship with Kosovo, and expectations for the incoming Trump administration. This interview is unlocked and free to read.
My weekly news blurbs:
What I’m reading:
• Georgian lawmakers have elected Mikheil Kavelashvili, a pro-Russia, hardline critic of the West, as the country’s new president, the Guardian reports.
• Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili announced that she does not recognize the legitimacy of the presidential election, which the Georgian opposition boycotted. Andalou Agency has the story.
• A report from Human Rights Watch accuses Poland of “unlawfully, and sometimes violently” forcing people back to Belarus without considering the danger they face.
• French President Emmanuel Macron has named a veteran centrist, François Bayrou, the country’s new prime minister, Politico Europe reports.
• Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán met with Trump, his incoming national security adviser, and tech billionaire Elon Musk at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence, the Hill reports.
• Germany and France agreed to cooperate with the Syrian opposition groups that took power in Damascus “on the basis of fundamental human rights and the protection of ethnic and religious minorities,” Politico Europe reports.
• The United States would “recognize and fully support” a future Syrian government that results from “an inclusive and transparent [transition] process,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.
• France’s foreign minister said it is too soon for the European Union to consider lifting sanctions on Syria and that discussions in Brussels will focus on developing a position on the country’s transition, Reuters reports.
• The ongoing transition of power in Syria should not descend into "revenge" and "retaliation" between opposing factions, the European Union’s new foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas has urged. EuroNews has the story.
• European countries such as Austria, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom paused asylum claims from Syrians until further notice, Reuters reports.
• Syrians in Europe are resisting calls to return home, saying they need more time. The Financial Times has the story.
• Spain’s foreign minister called on the international community to establish “red lines” in talks with the new Syrian leadership, Reuters reports.
• The BBC has a profile of Abu Mohammed al-Jowlani, the head of the Syrian rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), and his attempt to reinvent his image from Syrian jihadist leader to rebel politician.
• The head of the Syrian opposition abroad said the country should have an 18-month transition period to establish “a safe, neutral, and quiet environment” for free elections, Reuters reports.
• The prime minister of Syria’s new transitional government said it is time for people to “enjoy stability and calm,” the BBC reports. Mohammed al-Bashir chaired a meeting in Damascus attended by members of his new government and Assad’s former cabinet to discuss the power transfer.
• HTS received 150 drones and other support from Ukrainian intelligence operatives to help with its assault against Bashar al-Assad, the Washington Post reports.
• Russia is in direct contact with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s (HTS) political committee and aims to maintain two military bases in Syria, Reuters reports.
• The Iranian government is facing fierce – and extraordinary – public backlash over the resources it spent on propping up the Assad regime, the New York Times reports.
• The United Nations accused Israel of violating a 1974 Disengagement Agreement with Syria after Israeli officials said they had taken “limited and temporary measures” in a demilitarized strip on the border in Syrian territory, the Times of Israel reports.
• Israel ordered its troops to prepare to remain throughout winter on Mount Hermon — a strategic peak inside a buffer zone with Syria that Israeli forces seized in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, NBC News reports.
• The United States is working with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a key partner in the ongoing fight against the self-styled Islamic State, as the group faces attacks from Turkey-backed fighters. Voice of America has the story.
• An SDF commander accused the United States of abandoning its Kurdish allies in Syria and leaving a “vacuum” that “ISIS and other actors” can take advantage of as the SDF seeks to fight off the SNA, the New York Times reports.
• About 1.1 million people have been displaced since the start of the rebel offensive in Syria, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
• Hamas has, for the first time, agreed to a temporary Israeli presence in Gaza after a ceasefire and handed over a list of hostages it would release, the Wall Street Journal reports.
• Israel’s arrest of almost 30 Jewish citizens who allegedly spied for Iran after being recruited via social media has caused alarm in the country and is Tehran’s most significant infiltration in decades, sources told Reuters.
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu testified in his corruption trial, becoming the country’s first sitting leader to take the stand as a criminal defendant, the Washington Post reports.
• South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol survived last Saturday’s impeachment vote after members of his party boycotted it, CNN reports. However, the ruling party’s leader said they would “continue to push for the president’s orderly resignation” as opposition lawmakers submitted another impeachment motion.
• Officers said that South Korea's Yoon ordered them to “drag out” MPs to prevent them from voting against martial law, Reuters reports.
• South Korean President Yoon Suk-Yeol later delivered a defiant speech attempting to justify his decision to impose martial law, as the country’s ruling party announced it supports impeachment after failing to persuade Yoon to resign. CNN has the story.
• South Korea’s parliament on Saturday (Dec. 14) impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol over his stunning and short-lived martial law decree, a move that ended days of political paralysis but set up an intense debate over Yoon’s fate, as jubilant crowds roared to celebrate another defiant moment in the country’s resilient democracy. The Associated Press has the story.
• Former South Korean Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun attempted to take his own life while in custody, Axios reports.
• A company with links to the United Arab Emirates has reportedly deployed contractors to support the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan, the Wall Street Journal reports.
• At least 86 UAE flights have landed at a small airstrip in Chad that some United Nations experts suspect is being used to funnel arms since the civil war in Sudan started, Reuters reports.
• France has begun its military withdrawal from Chad in the latest blow to its decreasing influence across its former African colonies, the Guardian reports.
• Australia’s government announced plans to charge big tech firms millions of dollars if they do not pay Australian media companies for news hosted on their platforms, Reuters reports.
You can write to me for any reason: c.maza@protonmail.com