Assad leaves behind a fragmented nation – stabilizing Syria will be a major challenge for fractured opposition and external backers

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Published: December 8, 2024 4.56pm GMT

End of a half-century of family rule.

A damaged portrait of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad hangs in the Syrian city of Qamishli. Delil Souleiman/AFP via Getty Images

Author

  1. Sefa Secen Assistant Professor of International and Global Studies, Nazareth University

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Sefa Secen does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

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The brutal 54-year reign of the Assad family in Syria looks to be over.

In a matter of days, opposition forces took the major city of Aleppo before advancing southward into other government-controlled areas of Hama, Homs and finally, on Dec 7, 2024, the capital, Damascus.

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FP Flash Point: The risks AI poses to democracy

DECEMBER 8, 2024| VIEW IN BROWSER|SUBSCRIBE
Álvaro Bernis illustration for Foreign Policy
Ahead of the U.S. election, some analysts worried that artificial intelligence could imperil election integrity. Although AI did not end up disrupting the vote, experts aren’t writing off the risks it poses to democracy.“I think it would be foolhardy to say: ‘Well, there’s been no major disaster yet, so we’re okay here,’” Gary Marcus, a scientist and AI expert, recently told FP’s Rishi Iyengar. “That’d be like saying we made a bunch of steamships, so this one’s invincible, and whoops, you hit an iceberg.”In this edition of Flash Points, FP contributors consider the ways AI could endanger democratic societies and how policymakers might face down those threats.—Chloe Hadavas
1. AI’s Alarming Trend Toward Illiberalism

Left ungoverned, the technology opens pathways to undermine democracy. By Ami Fields-Meyer, Janet Haven
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ConocoPhillips & Perenco vs. Vietnam: Making profits but refusing to pay taxes

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Photo: CEO, TNI, FOEI: CC BY 2.0

ISDS Platform

  • Amount demanded: Data not available
  • Outcome: pending
  • Treaty invoked: United Kingdom – Vietnam BIT (2002)
  • Sector: energy
  • Issue: tax avoidance

by CEO, FOE & TNI

Effectively and fairly collecting taxes is essential for all states, and especially for developing countries that wish to sustainably develop. Tax collection also offers a means to guarantee quality public services for all and to collectively face the challenges of climate change. However, in Vietnam and in other countries, big corporations challenge governments that try to impose taxes on their massive profits. Investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) is one of their main avenues to try to avoid paying taxes and to receive millions in compensation instead.

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US sets tariffs for solar panels from South-east Asian nations: Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand

American makers of solar panels say companies in Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand are flooding the market with unfairly cheap goods. PHOTO: REUTERS

Nov 30, 2024, 07:37 PM

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WASHINGTON – US trade officials announced on Nov 29 a new round of tariffs on solar panel imports from four South-east Asian nations after American manufacturers complained that companies there are flooding the market with unfairly cheap goods.

It is the second of two preliminary decisions that President Joe Biden’s Commerce Department is making in 2024 in a trade case brought by South Korea’s Hanwha Qcells, Arizona-based First Solar and several smaller producers seeking to protect billions of dollars in investments in US solar manufacturing.

The group, the American Alliance for Solar Manufacturing Trade Committee, accused big Chinese solar panel makers with factories in Malaysia, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand of causing global prices to collapse by dumping products into the market.

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China 5: Tensions at APEC 2024, PLA Navy in Hong Kong, videos inspire farmers

Center for Chna Analysis
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The latest on what’s happening in China from Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis.

THIS WEEK:
U.S.-China tensions at APEC 2024, PLA Navy flexes muscles in Hong Kong, videos boost agrotechnology, overtures to overseas Chinese, and Beijing updates dual-use export control list



People walk by the entrance of the Lima Convention Center, part of the government complex where the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit took place, in Lima, Peru. (Photo by Cris Bouroncle / AFP via Getty Images)

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Trump is already testing Congress and daring Republicans to oppose him

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Senate Minority Whip John Thune, R-S.D., joined at left by Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., meets with reporters after he was elected to succeed longtime GOP leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Tiếp tục đọc “Trump is already testing Congress and daring Republicans to oppose him”

China’s Increased Investment in Vietnam: Opportunities and Challenges

Published 13 Nov 2024

Le Hong Hiep

Chinese investments in Vietnam have surged. But they bring not only opportunities but also challenges for the latter.

Since the US–China trade war started in 2017, Vietnam has become an increasingly popular choice for multinational corporations (MNCs) seeking to diversify their supply chains away from China to mitigate geopolitical risks. According to the General Statistics Office (GSO) of Vietnam, foreign investors pledged to invest a total of US$248.3 billion in 19,701 projects in the country (see Figure 1) for the 2017-2023 period. This amount accounts for a staggering 52.8 per cent of Vietnam’s cumulative registered foreign direct investment (FDI) since the country adopted economic reforms in the late 1980s. This trend has continued in 2024, with the country recording a remarkable US$27.26 billion in new registered FDI by the end of October.

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Read Kamala Harris’ full concession speech, Donald Trump’s victory address

Harris’ decisive defeat shattered hopes that she could rescue Democrats’ chances after President Joe Biden’s reelection effort stalled and she replaced him at the top of the ticket

Published 2 hours ago

Harris Trump
Getty Images Voters were disappointed about the economy and their finances, all of which fueled a desire for change. And Trump cleaned up with “change” voters.

Faced with a sweeping rejection by American voters, Kamala Harris conceded the presidential election to Donald Trump on Wednesday and encouraged supporters to continue fighting for their vision of the country. Tiếp tục đọc “Read Kamala Harris’ full concession speech, Donald Trump’s victory address”

Harris’ decisive defeat shattered hopes that she could rescue Democrats’ chances after President Joe Biden’s reelection effort stalled and she replaced him at the top of the ticket

Published 2 hours ago

Harris Trump
Getty Images Voters were disappointed about the economy and their finances, all of which fueled a desire for change. And Trump cleaned up with “change” voters.

Faced with a sweeping rejection by American voters, Kamala Harris conceded the presidential election to Donald Trump on Wednesday and encouraged supporters to continue fighting for their vision of the country. Tiếp tục đọc “Read Kamala Harris’ full concession speech, Donald Trump’s victory address”

I suddenly feel differently about the election and Trump

October 30, 2024, Mother Jones Daily
I’m back from a quick, child-free vacation with the closest of friends, the kind of hang that leaves your soul nourished.

But after spending the morning catching up on the news—which is to say, the racist vitriolthreats of election violence, and cowardice of billionaires—I’m now feeling catastrophically nervous.

What is the world going to look like this time next week? Will we finally close the door on this horrific chapter? Will democracy survive another Trump win? Tiếp tục đọc “I suddenly feel differently about the election and Trump”

Hereditary nobles have sat in Britain’s Parliament for centuries. Their time may be up

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FILE – Members of the House of Commons and Lords during the State Opening of Parliament, in the House of Lords, in London, Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. (Aaron Chown/Pool Photo via AP, File)Read More

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FILE – Member of the House of Lords take their seats in the Lords Chamber, ahead of the State Opening of Parliament, in the Houses of Parliament, in London, Wednesday, July 17, 2024. (Henry Nicholls/POOL via AP, File)Read More

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By  JILL LAWLESSUpdated 3:48 AM GMT+7, October 16, 2024Share

LONDON (AP) — Like his ancestors for centuries, the Earl of Devon serves in Parliament, helping to make the laws of the land. But not for much longer.

British lawmakers voted Tuesday to approve in principle a bill to strip hereditary aristocrats of the right to sit and vote in the House of Lords after more than 700 years. The Labour Party government says the decision will complete a long-stalled reform of Parliament’s upper chamber and remove an “outdated and indefensible” relic of the past.

“In the 21st century, there should not be places in our Parliament, making our laws, reserved for those who are born into certain families,” Constitution Minister Nick Thomas-Symonds said Tuesday as he opened debate on the bill in the House of Commons.

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Deepfake romance scam raked in $46 million from men across Asia, police say

Jessie Yeung

By Jessie Yeung, CNN

Published 2:12 AM EDT, Tue October 15, 2024

Deepfakes have become the latest technology adopted by online scam networks

Deepfakes have become the latest technology adopted by online scam networks Tippapatt/iStockphoto/Getty ImagesHong KongCNN — 

She appeared to be a beautiful woman and in the minds of men across Asia, the video calls they spoke on confirmed their newfound love was real.

But Hong Kong police say the men had fallen prey to a romance scam that used deepfake artificial intelligence to lure its victims into parting with more than $46 million.

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The Gaza Strip − why the history of the densely populated enclave is key to understanding the current conflict

Published: The Conversation, October 10, 2023 7.16pm BST Updated: October 12, 2023 4.17pm BST

Author

  1. Maha Nassar Associate Professor in the School of Middle Eastern and North African Studies, University of Arizona

Disclosure statement

Maha Nassar does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

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The focus on conflict in the Middle East has again returned to the Gaza Strip, with Israel’s defense minister ordering a “complete siege” of the Palestinian enclave.

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Thanh tra Chính phủ công bố kết luận thanh tra tại Dự án Trung tâm Đức mẹ Núi Cúi

Cập nhật lúc 08:00, Thứ sáu, 27/09/2024 (GMT+7)

(Thanh tra) – Thanh tra Chính phủ vừa công bố công khai thông báo kết luận thanh tra việc chấp hành pháp luật trong quản lý, sử dụng đất đai, xây dựng tại Dự án (DA) Trung tâm Đức mẹ Núi Cúi, huyện Thống Nhất, tỉnh Đồng Nai. Kết luận thanh tra được Thủ tướng Chính phủ có ý kiến chỉ đạo tại Văn bản số 6356/VPCP-V.I ngày 6/9/2024 của Văn phòng Chính phủ.
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Quy hoạch chi tiết xây dựng tỷ lệ 1/500 Trung tâm Đức mẹ Núi Cúi tại xã Gia Tân 1, huyện Thống Nhất, tỉnh Đồng Nai. Ảnh: Bộ XD

Tiếp tục đọc “Thanh tra Chính phủ công bố kết luận thanh tra tại Dự án Trung tâm Đức mẹ Núi Cúi”