After months of domestic political stalling and deadlock, the US lower chamber (House of Representatives) has finally passed a military aid package for Ukraine. This is finally happening in part due to the current Speaker MIke Johnson’s final willingness to defy the isolationists in his party, even at the risk of losing his job. The foreign defense aid spending package also contains aid for Taiwan and Israel, which are vital theaters for the Four Pillars’ interests too. Furthermore, this package also contains a “sell or be banned” measure for TikTok, whose main bill which unfortunately stalled out in the US Senate.
Now, American and Four Pillars aid to Ukraine are especially important as there has been evidence that China is backing Russia with production and intelligence in their war too, a confirmation of the “natural friendship” the two regimes continue to share even if China tries to present itself differently.
In the Middle East, Israel has conducted its retaliatory actions against Iran, hitting both proxies and Iran itself through airstrikes and missile attacks. Interestingly, Iran state-affiliated media have downplayed the strikes, possibly as a way to sidestep the issue, as they may not have the capability for a full-blown state-to-state war. Still, for now, the moment appears to be de-escalated, or at least more so than where the situation was two weeks ago in the region.
Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times