FDD Morning Brief

SOUTH AFRICA'S MALIGN TIES WITH AUTHORITARIANS HEADLINE 1: Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani was in Iran this week.HEADLINE 2: Arab leaders are meeting in Riyadh today to discuss alternatives to President Trump’s vision for Gaza.HEADLINE 3: Iran executed a record number of people in 2024.--FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Max Meizlish, senior research analyst at FDD's Center on Economic and Financial Power.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

ABRAHAM ACCORDS, 10/7 WAR, IRANHEADLINE 1: Secretary of State Marco Rubio, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz, and Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff met with Saudi officials in Riyadh.HEADLINE 2: Israeli troops remain in "buffer zone" in Lebanon to enforce the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire. HEADLINE 3: The European Union plans to weigh in on the postwar Gaza discussion.--FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Dan Feferman, a Middle East and Jewish studies scholar who serves as the chairman of the peace-building NGO Sharaka.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

STARTUP NATION, ISRAEL AND THE GULF, AND THE ABRAHAM ACCORDSHEADLINE 1: Secretary of State Marco Rubio was in Israel over the weekend.HEADLINE 2: On Friday evening, Hezbollah supporters attacked a UN peacekeeping convoy.HEADLINE 3: The IDF was hard at work in Gaza over the weekend.--FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Nave Shachar, who serves as the Gulf Cooperation Council and MENA Innovation Diplomacy Director at Startup Nation Central.Learn more at: https://fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation between Bradley Bowman, Senior Director of FDD's Center on Military & Political Power (CMPP), and IDF Major General (Ret.) Tal Kelman, who was tasked with overseeing Israel's "Iran file" during his service.Learn more at: https://fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Ed Husain, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and a professor at Georgetown University. Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Newsweek Senior Editor-at-Large Josh Hammer.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL).Learn more at: https://fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

FDD Executive Director Jon Schanzer delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with Professor Eyal Zisser, Middle East expert and Vice Rector of Tel Aviv University.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief

Rageh Omaar, a seasoned journalist and International Affairs Editor for ITV News, joins former IDF spokesperson Jonathan Conricus for an in-depth analysis of the Middle East's evolving conflict dynamics. They explore Iran's new ballistic missile capabilities and the concerns surrounding Qatar's role with Palestinian prisoners. The discussion shifts to the Horn of Africa, dissecting colonial legacies and geopolitical alliances, while also examining the influence of media narratives, particularly the evolution of Al Jazeera, on regional tensions.

RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, senior director of FDD's Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation, fills in for Jon Schanzer on the FDD Morning Brief. He delivers timely situational updates and analysis, followed by a conversation with retired U.S. Air Force General Mike Minihan.Learn more at: https://www.fdd.org/fddmorningbrief