SITREP

Tusday SITREP: Americas Focus Tusday SITREP: Americas Focus Peace deal nears in Gaza, Lebanon’s new PM and Trump cabinet picks begin confirmation hearings. Andrew Sheves Good morning. xx 🕊️ Statements from officials in Doha and Washington indicate that a peace deal between Israel and Hamas is close to agreement. Several influential Israeli politicians on the right vehemently oppose a ceasefire and a similar deal has been under discussion since May last year so a breakthrough is not guaranteed. [More - BBC] ...

Syria reconstruction conference, Lebanon’s new President gets to work, Gaza peace talks, and North Korean troops captured in Ukraine. Plus flooding in Mayotte and fires continue in Los Angeles. Andrew Sheves Good morning, and Happy Monday. Some weekend headlines to prepare you for the week ahead. 🇸🇾 Saudi Arabia hosted regional and European diplomats at a conference to discuss the rebuilding of Syria and the country’s rehabilitation into the global community. Saudi diplomats stressed that easing sanctions and delisting members of the new regime from terrorist suspect lists are key steps to allowing Syria to recover after the 50-year reign of the Assad regime. [More - Politico] ...

Machado appears in Caracas and Musk seeks to oust Starmer. Andrew Sheves Good morning and Happy Friday. Two quick headlines today. 🇻🇪 Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado appeared at a rally in Caracas on Thursday and was briefly detained by police. Machado has been in hiding since July’s rigged election and appeared a day before President Maduro’s inauguration, planned for today (Friday). Machado and her exiled running mate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia remain highly popular in Venezuela and her quick release indicates that she is still a great threat to Maduro’s government which the US and other countries fail to recognize. [More - Washington Post] ...

Attack in N’Djamena, US Sanctions RSF and fire spreads in Los Angeles. Plus AI workshop today Andrew Sheves Good morning. 🇹🇩 Armed fighters, suspected to be members of Boko Haram, stormed Chad’s Presidential palace shortly after a visit by the Chinese Foreign Minister. Government forces thwarted the attack, leaving 18 of the 24 attackers dead, along with one member of the security forces. [More - Al Jazeera] 🇸🇩 On Monday, the US sanctioned the leaders of Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces, accusing the group of conducting a genocide. Both the RSF and Sudanese militaries have caused indiscriminate harm to civilians during the conflict but until now, the US has refrained from leveling sanctions on the RSF due to the group’s close support to the UAE. [More - Washington Post] ...

Trump’s Geopolitical Threats and Wildfire in California Andrew Sheves Good morning. Two headlines from the US today. 🇺🇸 **President-elect Trump held a very wide-ranging press conference Tuesday full of geopolitical threats and declarations **including: Refusing to rule out using force to take control of the Panama Canal and Greenland Continuing to suggest that Canada should join the US Promising to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America How much of this is posturing and how much is sincere remains unclear but it is a reminder of how much geopolitical uncertainty and turbulence will emanate from the incoming administration. [More - Axios] ...

Trudeau out, M23 increase hold in Goma and earthquake in Tibet. Andrew Sheves Good morning. Three quick headlines 🇨🇦 Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stepped down, proroguing (recessing) Canada’s parliament until March 24th while the Liberal party find a new leader. Canada’s conservatives will want to force a general election, and this leaves Trudeau — who will stay on until a replacement is found — as a lame duck in any negotiations with the incoming Trump administration. [More - CBC] ...

Ukraine reinforces position in Kursk, US offshore drilling ban, Trudeau to resign and Musk doubles-down on Europe’s hard right. Andrew Sheves Good morning, and welcome to the first full week of 2025. Let’s get after it. 🇺🇦 Ukraine began a new offensive into the Russian territory it holds in the Kursk region. Ukraine has held this since August, and reinforcing its hold on Russian ground will strengthen Kyiv’s hand in any upcoming peace talks. [More - Al Jazera] ...

US House Speak elections, no apparent links in US terror attacks and dockworker strike talks. Plus, Syria’s interim government starts diplomatic outreach. Andrew Sheves Good morning and Happy Friday. Some headlines to set you up for the weekend. 🚢 US dockworkers held off from striking over Christmas but that deal expires on January 15th. Talks begin next week to avoid a dockworker strike and automation will be a major theme issue to resolve. [More - Bloomberg] ...

New Year attacks in the US and Russian gas stops flowing to Europe Andrew Sheves Good morning. It’s an abbreviated SITREP today, but there are two stories worth tracking. There were two apparent terrorist attacks in the US. In New Orleans, a driver deliberately drove into a crowd celebrating New Year, killing 15. While in Las Vegas the driver of a vehicle detonated his Cybertruck outside the Trump Tower killing himself but no others. [More - Bloomberg] ...

Happy New Year! Andrew Sheves Good morning and a Happy New Year from windy Washington, DC. Wishing you a successful, safe and fulfilling 2025. Just the numbers and regional info today and tomorrow, but the full SITREP will be back on Friday and next week I’ll be sharing the 2025 look-ahead. Key Metrics WTI is $70.38 (Down) Low |— < —————-| High Wheat is $185.735 (Down) Low |—— < ————-| High ...