
A Quincy Institute report finds Qatar and Saudi Arabia are reevaluating their decades‑long security reliance on the United States amid rising regional violence and doubts about Washington’s reliability. A 2026 Arab Opinion Index shows 77% of Gulf respondents view US policies as threatening regional stability, while an Israeli strike on Doha in September 2025 heightened Qatar’s concerns. Both states are quietly expanding partnerships—Qatar with Turkey, the UK and France, and Saudi Arabia with South Korea, Pakistan and Chinese weapons—while maintaining public loyalty to Washington. GCC members have also signaled they will not permit US airspace for strikes on Iran, underscoring a shift toward greater strategic autonomy.

Tom Barrack, the Trump administration’s special envoy to Syria and Turkey, announced on Jan. 20 that the Syrian Democratic Forces’ anti‑ISIS mission had largely expired, signalling a pivot toward Damascus and a centralized Syrian state. The shift sparked protests among Kurds...

On Dec. 26, 2025 Israel became the first nation to recognize Somaliland’s independence, prompting an emergency UN Security Council session where 14 members condemned the move. Israel cited cooperation in agriculture, health, technology and mineral access, while the United Nations...

Air Force maintenance units have spent $1.79 million on 5,166 high‑end combat knives—dubbed “box cutters”—between 2017 and June 2025, despite chronic shortages of essential supplies. The knives were ordered through misclassification that sidestepped normal procurement scrutiny, allowing rapid acquisition across multiple...