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PaperclipPerfector  4mo ago (text post)   1123 thread views

Transnational Thursday for July 24, 2025

Transnational Thursday is a thread for people to discuss international news, foreign policy or international relations history. Feel free as well to drop in with coverage of countries you’re interested in, talk about ongoing dynamics like the wars in Israel or Ukraine, or even just whatever you’re reading.

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Some items I'm looking at this week:

Geopolitics

Europe

Belarus threatens to shift Zapad-2025 military drills closer to NATO border

Spain participated in a Latvia NATO exercise.

Israel is accused of 'mass starvation' as 100 charities blast aid blockade: At least ten people 'die of malnutrition' in 24 hours

Gaza faces 'man-made' mass starvation due to Israeli aid blockade, World Health Organization says

Russia |launches| major military exercise 'july storm' in the Baltic Sea

Middle East

US looking into reports American citizen killed in Syria's Suwayda

Syria evacuates Bedouin from Druze-majority city

Iran

Donald Trump warns that US could strike Iran's nuclear sites again 'if necessary'

Iran says nuclear program will recover after US-Israel strikes

Iran says it will continue uranium enrichment despite U.S. strikes on nuclear facilities

Fires in Iran; Iran accussed Israel of sabotage

Gaza

Belgian King slams Gaza killings as 'disgrace to humanity' (ironic)

Asia

China starts construction of world’s biggest hydropower dam in Tibet; could dwarf Three Gorges Dam

China is acquiring high-end weapons systems and equipment 5–6X faster than the United States

Thailand |deploys fighter jets| as border clashes erupt with Cambodia

Tensions between Thailand and Cambodia have escalated following a significant military confrontation, where Thai fighter jets targeted Cambodian military| installations, representing one of the most serious conflicts in recent years. This escalation was precipitated by a prior incident in which a Thai soldier was injured by a landmine near the disputed border area, further straining relations that have long been marred by territorial disputes. Reports of direct clashes between troops from both nations and resulting civilian injuries have intensified fears of broader hostilities.

Thailand Deploys Fighter Jets as Border Clashes Erupt with Cambodia

Thai and Cambodian forces clash at border

Africa

Mozambican Opposition Leader Venancio Mondlane Charged Amid Tensions Over Post-Election Unrest – Medafrica Times

At least 1,000 people killed in a day South Sudan Ethnic Clashes

Cholera and other epidemics are side effects of endless war in Sudan

Mozambique seeks to prosecute opposition leader over post-election unrest

Bio

Scientists resurrected the 1918 “Spanish Flu” virus

Tech and AI

US nuclear weapons agency reportedly breached in Microsoft SharePoint attacks

Starlink is down

Chinese hackers breach US Nuclear Agency in Microsoft SharePoint cyberattack

Here is how the weekly review ended:

  • Geopolitical risks: Thailand and Cambodia exchanged fire, and Thailand sent some F-16s into Cambodia, but a ceasefire has already been reached. Israel is being accused of causing mass starvation in Gaza by the WHO and others. Zelensky faced his first large-scale domestic protests over a law weakening the independence of anti-corruption bodies.
  • Economy and trade: The US and the EU reached a trade deal that would tariff EU goods coming into America at 15%. A similar agreement was reached between the US and Japan, which will now also face 15% tariffs on its goods exported to the US.
  • Biorisks: A paper reports a method for genetically editing mosquitoes to make them resistant to malaria in a way that can be transmitted to subsequent generations, and a method for driving such mutations into mosquito populations. H5N1 continues to pose an ongoing risk.
  • AI: The White House published an extensive AI Action Plan, which seeks to accelerate investment and buildout and espouses a framework of a race against China, while also recognizing some potential dangers from AI and including some recommendations for research on controllability and safety. Anthropic is embroiled in a new trial over pirating IP; forecasters assign a 68% chance that the case will reach a jury trial, and a 56% chance that $1.5B damages will be awarded conditional on losing a trial, but only a 1.1% chance that Anthropic will be out of business by the end of 2026 as a result of the trial.
  • Gray swans: None detected this week.

Some items I'm looking at this week:

If you want a better / more rounded list, just use the RealClear media roundup portal. The link is to RealClearWorld specifically for global emergent news, but there are a number of other portals (technology, energy, military, US politics, etc.) which provide more articles, from a broader selection of sources, daily.

Your link about chinese vs US weapon acquisition is broken.

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