- Former Bush Administration officials are joining Trump’s White House. [Link]
- Five people were killed in a helicopter crash in Mexico. A husband and wife with powerful political influence were killed. [Link]
- The UK sends a warship to the Black Sea in support of Ukraine. [Link]
- Netanyahu calls for early elections as his majority is falling apart. [Link]
- Russia voices support for MbS and tells the US not to mess with Saudi royal succession. [Link]
- A British citizen was released from an Iranian prison. He was held since 2016. [Link]
- At least 43 killed by an attack on an Afghan government compound. The Afghan government blames the Taliban for the attack. The Taliban deny involvement. [Link]
- The 2019 Afghan presidential elections, scheduled for April, will be delayed several months. The delay is over technical issues with voting machines. [Link]
- Erdogan invites Trump to meet in Turkey. [Link]
- Israel attacks Syrian Army positions near Damascus on Christmas. [Link]
- Trump Tweets Saudi Arabia will pay to rebuild Syria. [Link]
- Peter Van Buren writes a short history of the US going to war in Syria. [Link] Eric Margolis explains why Trump made the right decision by leaving Syria. [Link] Veterans for Peace backs Trump’s decision. [Link]
- An ISIS suicide bomber kills three in Iraq. [Link]
- Trump visits US troops in Iraq on Christmas. [Link]
- The US is blocking a UNSC Yemen ceasefire resolution. [Link] The UNSC voted to approve the resolution after changes were made to the text. The changes were to reduce blame on Saudi Arabia. [Link]
- The NYT explains the American role in supporting the Saudi coalition air war in Yemen. [Link]
- Robert Fisk explains the lesson that MbS should learn from the Ottomans about Yemen. [Link]
- An al-Shabaab car bomb kills 16 in Somalia. [Link]
- Amnesty International believes 37 Sudanese protesters were killed by government forces. [Link]
