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Embattled Syrian President Bashar al Assad, who had survived attempts to overthrow his government throughout a civil war that began in 2011, has reportedly been forced out and slipped away on a plane to parts unknown (later reports have said he is in Moscow).

Washington says it raced (in the words of the Washington Post) to help secure the country by engaging in airstrikes against ISIS weapons stockpiles and operatives Sunday night, and that it ”strongly supports” a ”peaceful transition” via an ”inclusive Syrian-led process.” According to Secretary of State Antony Blinken. […]

As for the rebels who have overthrown the government, ”We have taken note of statements made by rebel leaders in recent days, but as they take on greater responsibility, we will assess not just their words, but their actions.” […]

It is not clear, however, how the news is being taken by the Alawite and Christian populations, Assad’s support base, in Damascus, and how the new dynamics will affect the Kurdish advances (supported by the U.S.) in the northeast, the Turkish moves against both Assad and the Kurds, and Israel’s interests in maintaining its control over the disputed Golan Heights (though there have been reports of Tel Aviv bombing Assad military assets in Damascus this morning and taking over the Golan Heights UN buffer zone ). Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly called the overthrow of Assad an ”historic day.”

Russia, too, has been involved in the war all along, and was providing airstrikes on behalf of Assad in recent days. Läs artikel

As reports continued to emerge from the Syrian capital, Damascus, where opposition forces declared victory overnight on State television, the UN chief said in a statement: The future of Syria is a matter for the Syrians to determine.

There is much work to be done to ensure an orderly political transition to renewed institutions, Mr. Guterres, and noted that his Special Envoy, Geir Pedersen, will be working with all Syrians to this end.

Mr. Pedersen, who has been attending a high-level meeting of Arab States in Doha this weekend, has called for “urgent political talks” in Geneva to secure a peaceful future for Syria.

There was widespread backing for his appeal, he said on Saturday, from Iran, Russia and Türkiye along with the United States, France, Great Britain, Germany and the European Union.

In the meantime, the Secretary-General renewed his call for calm and avoiding violence at this sensitive time, while protecting the rights of all Syrians, without distinction. He also noted that the inviolability of diplomatic and consular premises and personnel must be respected in all cases in accordance with international law.

“We will need the support of the international community to ensure that any political transition is inclusive and comprehensive and that it meets the legitimate aspirations of the people of Syria, in all their diversity,” Mr. Guterres said and underscored that: “Syria’s sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity must be restored.”

The UN, he said, will honor the memory of those who have borne the brunt of the 14-year conflict.

“We remain committed to helping Syrians build a country where reconciliation,  Läs  pressmeddelande

Donald Trump on Sunday pushed Russian President Vladimir Putin to act to reach an immediate cease-fire with Ukraine, describing it as part of his active efforts as president-elect to end the war despite being weeks from taking office.

“Zelenskyy and Ukraine would like to make a deal and stop the madness,” Trump wrote on social media, referring to Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky.

Trump also said he would be open to reducing military aid to Ukraine and pulling the United States out of NATO, in a television interview that aired Sunday.

Asked on NBC’s “Meet the Press” if he were actively working to end the nearly 3-year-old Ukraine war, Trump said, “I am.” […]

Asked in the “Meet the Press” interview taped Friday whether he would consider pulling out of NATO, Trump said, “If they’re paying their bills, and if I think they’re treating us fairly, the answer is absolutely I’d stay with NATO.”

But if not, he was asked if he would consider pulling the U.S. out of the alliance. He responded, “Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely.” Läs  artikel

The General Assembly,

[…] 1. Requests the Secretary-General to reappoint the Eminent Person appointed
pursuant to General Assembly resolution 77/252 to continue to review the information received and possible new information made available by Member States, including by individuals and private entities, to assess its probative value and to draw conclusions from the investigations already conducted;
2. Urges all Member States, in particular those referred to in the report, to
release any relevant records in their possession and to provide to the Eminent Person and the Secretary-General relevant information related to the death of Dag
Hammarskjöld and of the members of the party accompanying him, and to ensure that they have conducted a full review of their archives and records;
3. Calls upon those Member States referred to in the report to cooperate with and assist the Eminent Person fully, including by appointing without delay independent and high-ranking officials to determine whether relevant information exists within their security, intelligence and defence archives, and encourages the Eminent Person to remain engaged with all high-ranking officials, including those who have concluded their work; Läs resolutionen

Läs också tidigare resolution från Generalförsamlingen.

If there are names in international diplomacy that have become synonymous with statesmanship and conflict resolution, Hans Blix is certainly one of them. The former director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) turned 96 in June, and although his life in retirement means he no longer plays an active role in nuclear non-proliferation and arms control, his legacy has left an indelible mark on the institutions where he served, elevating the causes for which he fought.

Blix was most prominent globally as the person Bill Swainson, a former senior editor at Bloomsbury London, described as “the one unimpeachable inside witness to the events leading up to the war in Iraq.” It was the crescendo of Blix’s career, as chairman of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission, mandated with finding out if Iraq had stockpiled weapons of mass destruction. In the sensitive role, he established that the dreaded weapons widely assumed to be possessed by Saddam Hussein didn’t exist. Läs artikel

[…] So I’d like to talk today about what the Department has achieved in the past four years. And I’d like to focus on a few key areas: renewing our alliances and partnerships; meeting the ”pacing challenge” of the PRC; rallying the free world to stand up for what’s right in Ukraine; and supporting Israel’s right to self-defense and preventing full-scale war in the Middle East; investing in our capabilities; taking care of our people; and defending our values.

First, we know that our unmatched network of alliances and partnerships is one of America’s great strategic advantages. […]

NATO now brings together 32 countries. In the Indo-Pacific, we have longstanding alliances with Australia and Japan, the Philippines, the Republic of Korea, and Thailand. We have 14 other major non-NATO allies, including Israel and Brazil. India and the UAE are outstanding major defense partners. And they are joined by many steadfast friends and partners worldwide.

We have access agreements with more than 40 countries. We have logistics agreements with more than 120. And that helps us project power with our partners where we need to, when we need to, and how we need to. Läs artikel

Idag har Försvarets materielverk (FMV) och deras danska motsvarighet FMI (Forsvarsministeriets Materiel- og Indkøpsstyrelse) undertecknat kontrakt med BAE Systems Hägglunds om en samordnad upphandling av 205 Stridsfordon 90 av versionen CV9035MkIIIC.

Det har sedan Rysslands invasion av Ukraina 2022 funnits en föreställning bland svenska politiker att svensk säkerhet handlar om att omfamna en världsordning som bygger på amerikansk dominans. Det bygger på idén om att detta skulle vara det enda sättet att hindra rysk expansion och dominansanspråk. I takt med att denna syn snabbt anammades av det svenska etablissemanget blev det samtidigt nödvändigt att ägna sig åt historierevisionism för att framställa USA:s utrikespolitik som god och välvillig. För att blint kunna omfamna Washington och få svenska folket med sig på ett snabbt Natomedlemskap, krävdes att USA:s utrikespolitik beskrevs i ett nytt – och falskt – ljus. […]

Sverige valde, baserat på en farligt naiv idé, att göra sig helt beroende och nära sammanvävd med, till och med att bli en lydstat till USA. En strategi som vi menar nu kraftigt ökar osäkerheten och gör Sverige mer sårbart. Att vi valde en sådan väg byggt på en rad falska förespeglingar om det internationella systemets utveckling de senaste trettio åren, är särskilt allvarligt. […]

Beslut som fattas under de kommande åren kommer att avgöra om världen rör sig mot en konflikt mellan USA och Kina där alla inklusive Sverige förlorar, eller om en världsordning som möjliggör fredlig samexistens kan skapas. Sveriges tidigare erfarenhet av alliansfrihet och diplomati gör att vi har en möjlighet att arbeta för nedrustning, dialog och avspänning. Läs artikel

Som neutralt och alliansfritt land planerade Sverige i decennier för att möta ett ryskt anfall här på hemmaplan. Som Nato-medlem duger de planerna inte längre.

Därför har Försvarsmakten under hösten skrivit en ny krigsplan, där den första skarpa delen idag lämnas in till Nato. Därmed börjar processen som integrerar Sverige i Natos regionala planer på allvar.

– Vår plan ligger inom ramen för Natos samlade plan för försvaret av norra Europa. Här reglerar vi vad armén ska göra, och var armén ska göra detta. Samma sak för flygvapnet och för marinen och alla andra delar, säger Fredrik Stålberg, Försvarsmaktens ställföreträdande operationschef.

Planen har lämnats till högkvarteret i Brunssum i Nederländerna, som samordnar försvaret av nordöstra Europa – eller ”Joint Operations Area Center” som det heter på Nato-språk. Utgångspunkten är scenarion som alliansen kan behöva möta i försvaret av Natos östra gräns. […]

Till exempel att Sverige förbereder en brigad för att kunna slåss i norra Finland, och markstyrkor i södra Sverige för att snabbt kunna förstärka den svenska bataljonen i Lettland. Fredrik Stålberg betonar att svenska förband är optimerade för två områden: Nordkalotten och Östersjöområdet. Läs artikel

[…] Utredningen konstaterar att som medlem i Nato så utgör de kollektiva försvarsförpliktelserna i artikel 5 i det nordatlantiska fördraget en central del av den svenska försvars- och säkerhetspolitiken. Utredningen föreslår därför att det ska tydliggöras i riktlinjerna att samverkan med allierade stater i princip får anses stå i överensstämmelse med Sveriges säkerhets- och försvarspolitik. I händelse av väpnat angrepp mot en allierad stat bör därav Sveriges åtaganden enligt artikel 5 i nordatlantiska fördraget ha företräde vid tillståndsprövningen.

Utredningen föreslår dessutom ytterligare ändringar i krigsmaterielregelverket. Bland annat föreslår utredningen:

• Att regeringen ska få meddela föreskrifter om undantag från kravet på tillverkningstillstånd för tillverkning av delar av krigsmateriel som sker på uppdrag av en tillståndsinnehavare,
• att Sverige bör ansluta till 2019 års avtal om exportkontroll, till vilket Frankrike, Spanien och Tyskland redan är parter, och
• nya nivåer för de sanktionsavgifter som beslutas av Inspektionen för strategiska produkter. Läs pressmeddelande