The Assad regime ruled Syria for 50 years. Here’s how it fell in less than two weeks

Antoinette Radford

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At the historic Umayyad Mosque in the heart of Damascus, a red, white, black and green flag flies.

On the other side of the Syrian capital, former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s palace burns.

An anchor reads the Sunday news: “We announce to you from the Syrian news channel the victory of the great Syrian revolution after 13 years of patience and sacrifice.”

And on the streets, hundreds of people cheer, celebrating the stunning fall of 50 years of the Assad family’s dictatorship.

After less than two weeks of fighting across Syria’s northwest, rebel groups swiftly seized control of the capital. Their presence seemed to catch the regime off guard, forcing Assad to flee to Russia with his family.

“We are now the happiest country in the world,” one man told CNN on the road leading to Damascus on Sunday.

5 things to watch as Syria confronts a new future

Scott Neuman

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The Islamist rebels whose swift seizure of Syria over the weekend toppled long-time dictator Bashar al-Assad have not only ushered in an unsettled new era for the troubled country, but they promise to reshuffle the region's fraught geopolitics.

The ousting of Assad, who ruled Syria for a quarter century after assuming power from his father, leaves a dangerous political vacuum. Ahmed al-Shara – formerly known by his nom de guerre, Abu Mohmmad al-Jolani – at the head of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, is at least nominally in charge. He and his group are at the helm of a fractious rebel alliance that fought Assad over more than 13 years of civil war. Formerly known as the al-Nusra Front, HTS was once affiliated with al-Qaida. Although Shara claims to have broken ties with al-Qaida, HTS remains on a U.S. State Department list of terrorist organizations.

It's a complex and fluid situation on the ground, and most observers agree it's all but impossible to predict how things will play out in the coming days, weeks and months. But as Syria marks the start of a new chapter, here are five dynamics that experts say will be important to pay attention to.

Special Briefing: After Assad’s fall, what’s next for Syria and the region?

Charles Lister, Paul Salem, Fatemeh Aman, Meliha Benli Altunışık, Paul Scham & Brian Katulis

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At long last, Syrians are free of Assad regime rule. After 54 years, the iron grip that Hafez and then Bashar had built based upon fear melted away and a glimmer of light appeared at the end of the tunnel as regime control disintegrated in the north and then the south. The speed with which the collapse took place spoke volumes about the extent to which the regime had decayed from within, its security apparatus fragmented, and any prior ties of loyalty frayed by 14 years of debilitating conflict and humanitarian and economic collapse.

In the very early days of this astonishing development, Syria is witnessing a remarkable degree of societal unity. From inter-religious dialogues in Latakia and Tartus to localized reconciliation deals between the leading rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and Christian, Ismaili, Kurdish, and Alawite bodies, the euphoria resulting from Syria’s sudden freedom from Assad is translating into a kind of solidarity that would have been unimaginable just weeks ago.

However, this is the honeymoon period for Syria. A huge challenge lies ahead in determining how the transition occurs and what shape it will take. Beginning in Doha this past weekend, the international community gathered in various bilateral and multilateral formats to discuss next steps. All actors appear to accept that despite its terrorist designation, HTS will require a seat at the table, and most are now proactively communicating with the group. The United Nations is preparing to host a hurriedly arranged Geneva meeting to begin the steps laid out by UN Security Council Resolution 2254 — including establishing a transitional governing body and creating conditions for free and fair elections — though the format, scope, and participant list are yet to be determined.

The fall of Assad represents a revolution in the Middle East

Rajan Menon

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A new political chapter has opened in Syria. President Bashar al-Assad has fled to Moscow, where he has been granted asylum. And the rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), led by Abu-Mohammed al-Jolani, the nom de guerre of Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa, has captured Damascus, barely ten days after launching its offensive on 27 November.

Brace for numerous theories about why Assad’s regime fell suddenly, with little more than a whimper, and even claims that its downfall was inevitable. In truth, no one predicted HTS’s lightning advance from its redoubts in the north-western province of Idlib, adjacent to Turkey – not Assad, not Iran and Russia, his principal patrons, perhaps not even Al-Jolani himself. The House of Assad was built in 1971 by Bashar’s iron-fisted father, Hafez, who ruled until 2000. Having brought it down, Al-Jolani has a country to run – most of it anyway.

HTS’s military success was breathtaking. From Idlib, the group moved southward, taking Aleppo, Hama and Homs, the capital cities of eponymous provinces, and entered Damascus’s outskirts by 7 December, sweeping a hapless Syrian army from its path. Elsewhere, the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) attacked Kurdish positions in the north, and rebel militias overran Daraa in the south-west. And the US-supported, Kurd-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), led by Mazloum Abdi – who presides over the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), located across the north-east bank of the Euphrates river – chased Assad’s army from Deir ez-Zor province, which abuts Iraq and has been a conduit used by Iran and the Iraqi Shia’s militias backing Assad.

Russia's access to key military bases in Syria hangs in the balance, threatening its role in the region

Mia Jankowicz and Thibault Spirlet

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The fall of Bashar Assad has thrown Russia's military presence in Syria into question. It also poses a threat to Russia's ability to project power throughout the Middle East and beyond.

On Sunday, Syrian rebels, led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, overthrew Syria's longtime autocratic ruler.

It followed a dizzying two-week campaign that caught the world off guard and many are now trying to work out what will come next for the country.

Russia has been a close ally of Syria and has leases on two military bases in the country, giving it a strategic foothold in the Middle East.

"It hits them hard," Edmund Fitton-Brown, a senior advisor to the Counter Extremism Project, said of Russia.

He added: "Syria has been their most reliable Arab ally."

A springboard to power

In 2017, Syria granted Russia a 49-year lease on the Hmeimim air base and the Tartus naval base, in return for military assistance.

The US is striking targets across Syria, and it isn't the only one dropping bombs in this uncertain moment

Jake Epstein

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The US military has carried out extensive airstrikes in Syria since the Assad regime collapsed over the weekend, and it's not the only country on the hunt for targets in this uncertain moment.

American, Israeli, and Turkish forces have all been involved in bombing targets across Syria over the past few days in actions said to be in support of their respective national security interests.

For the US, this means continuing to go after the Islamic State, as it has done for years, but with an intensity to keep the group at bay. The Biden administration has stated that this mission will continue despite uncertainty about the future of Syria's leadership.

The US has repeatedly said that it is committed to the enduring defeat of ISIS. "We don't want to give ISIS an opportunity to exploit what's going on," White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Tuesday, adding, "They love nothing more than ungoverned space."

New Syrian Prime Minister Assumes Power Amid Airstrikes, Continued Fighting

Howard Altman

Source LInk

Syrian rebels selected a new caretaker prime minister on Tuesday as the nation remains roiled by conflict after the overthrow of dictator Bashar al-Assad. Mohammed al-Bashir assumes office on an interim basis amid ongoing fighting in parts of the country and as Israel and the U.S. take advantage of the post-Assad power vacuum in the form of mass airstrikes.

Bashir is a provincial leader aligned with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the former al-Qaidi-linked group that led the lightning 11-day offensive that toppled Assad. He will serve until March 1, 2025, Al Jazeera reported. His appointment was announced after meeting with members of the old Assad government.

“Today we had a meeting for the cabinet and we invited members from the old government and some directors from the administration in Idlib and its surrounding areas, in order to facilitate all the necessary works for the next two months until we have a constitutional system to be able to serve the Syrian people,” he told Al Jazeera.

Bashir headed the Syrian Salvation Government (SSG) in Idlib province before the rebel offensive and has close ties to HTS.

A Facebook page of the rebel administration says “al-Bashir was trained as an electrical engineer, later received a degree in sharia and law, and has also held posts in education,” Al Jazeera explained.

Israel Strikes Suspected Syrian Chemical Weapons Sites

Michael D. Carroll

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Israel's foreign minister says it has struck suspected chemical weapons sites and long-range rockets in Syria in order to prevent them from falling into the hands of hostile actors.

"The only interest we have is the security of Israel and its citizens," said Israel's foreign minister Gideon Saar on Monday.

"That's why we attacked strategic weapons systems, like, for example, remaining chemical weapons, or long-range missiles and rockets, in order that they will not fall in the hands of extremists."

He spoke after Syrian rebels entered Damascus, leading to the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad's government after nearly 14 years of civil war. This development has raised hopes for a more peaceful future but also concerns about a potential security vacuum in the country, which remains divided among various armed groups.

Were There Any Reported Airstrikes Near Damascus?

Airstrikes have been reported in the area of the Mezzeh military airport, southwest of the capital, on Sunday. The airport has previously been targeted in Israeli airstrikes, but it was not immediately clear who launched the latest strike.

Assad’s Fall Has Humiliated Washington

Eli Lake

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According to President Joe Biden, the end of Bashar al-Assad’s tyranny in Syria was made possible by his administration’s foreign policy. Speaking from the White House on Sunday in a televised address, he said, “For years the main backers of Assad have been Iran, Hezbollah, and Russia, but over the last week their support collapsed, all three of them, because all three of them are far weaker today than they were when I took office.”

Try not to laugh.

Biden attributes the woes that have befallen this alleged “Axis of Resistance” to “the blows Ukraine [and] Israel have delivered upon their own self-defense with unflagging support of the United States.”

This isn’t just a deceptive telling of recent history. Biden has it backward. While it’s true that Iran, Hezbollah, and Russia are weaker today than they were when Biden was inaugurated as president, it’s not because Biden had the foresight to unleash the Jewish state against America’s enemies in the Middle East. It’s because Israel defied Biden’s efforts to restrain it. Syria has toppled its tyrant in spite of the Biden administration, not because of it.

Syrian rebel leader’s victory speech holds a message for Iran – and for Trump and Israel too

Nic Robertson

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Abu Mohammad al-Jolani’s road to Damascus has been long. He has talked openly about his change along the way. From young al Qaeda fighter two decades ago, to rebel commander espousing sectarian tolerance.

It’s a journey along which he has had plenty of time to plan where and how he would mark his arrival, and to fine-tune his narrative – his message for those who put him in power, those who might bring him down, and others who can keep him in power.

It is no surprise that the Islamist rebel chose Damascus’s venerated Umayyad Mosque – not a TV studio, nor newly absented presidential palace, but a place of towering religious significance, which at 1,300 years old is one of the world’s most ancient mosques – to deliver that message.

“This victory, my brothers, is a victory for the entire Islamic nation,” he told his tiny entourage, who stumbled behind him against the backdrop of the mosque’s distinctive black and white stone splendor.

Assad’s Collapse Should Prompt A Rethink Of The Middle East

Paul R. Pillar

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The Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad, which collapsed over the weekend under a rebel offensive that had begun just days earlier, achieved a place of infamy that has long been taken for granted in Western foreign policy discussions. This was partly because of the brutal way in which Assad’s forces suppressed Arab Spring protests in 2011, launching a civil war that has continued to this day. Assad was widely viewed as a tyrannical ruler the world would be better off without.

In American foreign policy discourse, Assad was someone whose bloody hands no one should be caught shaking. Opponents of Donald Trump’s nomination of Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence use this as a talking point since the latter met with Assad on a “fact-finding” trip to Syria seven years ago.

Assad’s regime also has been viewed as part of an Iran-centered “Axis of Resistance.” This axis is, in turn, widely perceived—in Manichean, Cold War-like terms—as the root of evil in the Middle East, opposition to which should be, according to this interpretation, the top priority of anyone’s policy toward the Middle East. This view is the basis for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly celebrating Assad’s fall in terms that no doubt will be echoed in Washington in the days ahead.

Call the Axis of Adversaries Whatever You Want, But Take It Seriously

Raphael S. Cohen

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In November, two watershed moments changed the global geopolitical landscape. For the first time, North Korean troops showed up on the battlefield in the Russia-Ukraine war. Shortly afterward, the Danish military detained a Chinese-flagged bulk carrier, the Yi Peng 3, on the suspicion that it had deliberately cut two data cables on the floor of the Baltic Sea.

Both incidents mark a fundamental shift in the strategic environment. For the first time, the United States' adversaries are willing to come to the direct military aid of one another, even on the other side of the globe.

Call it an “axis of aggressors,” an “unholy alliance,” a new “axis of evil,” or something else altogether—the fact remains that military ties among China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are deepening. And this change should upend how the United States and its allies around the world think about and provide for their national security.

Military ties among China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea are deepening. And this change should upend how the United States and its allies around the world think about and provide for their national security.Share on Twitter

North Korea's troop deployment and China's suspected cable-cutting cargo carrier did not come out of nowhere. For years now, millions of North Korean shells and thousands of Iranian drones have showed up on the battlefield in Ukraine while Chinese economic assistance has also backstopped Russia's war effort. China and Russia announced their “no limits” friendship in February 2022, just days before Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine.

X-plane: US high-speed, runway-free rotor aircraft ready for real-world testing

Kapil Kajal

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Bell Textron has completed wind tunnel testing for its rotor-folding aircraft as part of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Speed and Runway Independent Technology (SPRINT) program.

This testing phase follows the Stop/Fold rotor system assessment conducted at the Holloman High-Speed Test Track in New Mexico in 2023.

The wind tunnel program focused on validating the aircraft’s stability and control during the rotor fold and unfold sequence while in flight.

These evaluations and earlier rotor tests indicate that this aircraft’s development is now complete, and it is ready to proceed into the flight demonstration phase of the DARPA SPRINT program.

Rotor-folding aircraft

“Having completed folding rotor transition testing at Holloman Air Force Base last year, we are pleased to advance to this next phase of testing,” stated Jason Hurst, executive vice president of Engineering at Bell.

“The ongoing development of our Stop/Fold systems aims to enhance the capabilities of vertical lift aircraft for operations in various environments.”

US Air Force’s F-35 JSE likely to reach IOC in 202

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The US Air Force, alongside Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) and the Navy, is accelerating the development and integration of the Joint Simulation Environment (JSE) technology, aiming to surpass the capabilities of adversaries.

The JSE, a simulated battlespace designed for training on fifth-generation aircraft like F-35 joint strike fighter, is predicted for initial operational capability (IOC) by 2025 at the Joint Integrated Test and Training Center Nellis (JITTC-N) located at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.

Full operational integration is anticipated by 2028, according to HII specialists.

Construction of the JSE facility at Nellis Air Force Base commenced in 2020 under the direction of the US Air Force Test Center.

In the following year, the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center completed the accreditation process for the JSE.

This milestone was marked by the completion of 64 missions in September 2023, enabling the Joint Strike Fighter Operational Test Team (JOTT) to finalise the F-35 initial operational test and evaluation.

Who Betrayed America's Warfighters?

Stephen B. Young

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Before the Trump Administration can execute a MAGA national security policy, the legacy of Henry Kissinger must be exorcized.

Kissinger’s legacy has been a curse for 49 years. His intellectual brilliance, his Harvard credentials, his skill in cultivating elite patrons by feeding their illusions of self-importance brought him power and wealth on false pretenses and at a cost to his country.

On January 9, 1971, Kissinger met secretly with Soviet Ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin. Without consulting President Nixon, Kissinger decided the United States could effectively “win” the Vietnam War by allowing this sequence of events to unfold:

• the North and South sign a peace treaty;
• the United States withdraws its troops from South Vietnam;
• the North leaves its 13 divisions inside South Vietnam;
• the South has two years of freedom; and
• with massive Soviet and Chinese support, the North conquers the South.

After their meeting, Dobrynin reported to his Ministry in Moscow that Kissinger said: “ultimately it will no longer be the Americans’ concern, but that of the Vietnamese themselves, if some time after the U.S. troop withdrawal they start fighting with each other again.”

Russia disrupts internet access in multiple regions to test ‘sovereign internet’

Daryna Antoniuk

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Residents of several Russian regions experienced internet disruptions over the weekend as local authorities attempted to disconnect them from the global network and test the country’s so-called “sovereign internet” infrastructure.

According to a report by the U.S. nonprofit Institute for the Study of War (ISW), these trials mostly affected Russian regions populated by ethnic minorities, including Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia.

Data from the internet watchdog NetBlocks shows that the internet disruptions in Dagestan lasted for nearly 24 hours.

During that time, users couldn’t access some foreign and local apps and websites, including YouTube, Google, messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram, and some services of Russian internet giant Yandex. These were inaccessible even through virtual private networks (VPNs), according to local media reports.

A Russian internet service provider operating in the North Caucasus region stated on Saturday that it was aware of user complaints about internet access but could not influence the situation.

Overview of the Operational and Tactical Situation in Ukraine

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As the year of 2024 comes to a close, the situation remains as difficult as it was at the end of 2023, when Russian forces were assaulting Avdiivka, gradually dismantling Ukrainian defenses from the flanks. Has anything significantly changed since then? Yes and no. Beyond the obvious advantages in manpower, air power (particularly the use of KAB-guided munitions) and the ability to concentrate fire, there has been a shift in Russian tactics, one that emphasizes even smaller infantry groups than before.

In practice, Russian forces are now deploying tiny units, sometimes as few as two soldiers, to probe for weaknesses in Ukrainian lines. When they identify a vulnerability, they signal for larger reinforcements, often platoon- or company-sized units. Until such gaps are found, however, these small groups, sometimes using motorcycles, continue their repetitive efforts, probing for openings and exhausting defenders. Moscow can afford to lose these small units daily, as the steady influx of new soldiers ensures that the pressure never lets up. Our team has also learned that in several areas along the front, newly recruited Russian soldiers are sent straight into combat, with more experienced troops waiting in reserve to secure positions once they are captured. This approach helps mitigate casualties among the more valuable, seasoned soldiers, preserving them for critical operations.

Ukraine and Assault River Crossings

Mick Ryan

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Assault river crossings have featured in military operations since antiquity. During the Persian invasion of Greece in 480BC, Xerxes constructed a pontoon bridge across the Hellespont. The Siege of Antioch during the First Crusade (1097–1098), and the Siege of Damascus during the Second Crusade (1148) both featured military river crossing operations. The more modern wars of the 20th century have also seen many assault river crossings as part of land campaigns in Europe and elsewhere.

River crossing operations are an important element of combined arms maneuver that modern armies have retained in their arsenals because of their enduring relevance. The current situation in Ukraine highlights again while modern armies prepare for such operations. In at least two parts of the front line in Ukraine, there is potential for river crossings in the short term.

There have been recent reports about the Russian Army planning to conduct an operation to cross the Dnipro River, with the possible aim of advancing on Kherson. On 2 December, the Institute for the Study of War reported that a Russian milblogger had amplified claims that Russian forces will renew offensive operations in western Zaporizhia Oblast some time after December 5 and that the Russians might also attempt a crossing of the Dnipro River somewhere in Kherson Oblast.

Corruption as an Enabler in the Hybrid Influence Toolbox

John P. Sullivan

Source LInk

Hybrid threats and hybrid warfare are firmly embedded in the contemporary threat environment. They involve the complex blend of both state and non-state actors in an ongoing continuum of competition that blurs the boundaries between peace and war. They also embrace several approaches to conflict: conventional warfare, irregular warfare, and terrorism. As a consequence, they erode the distinctions between crime and war. Hybrid threats also leverage network forms of organization to extend influence and shape the operational environment.

Hybrid involves both the actors and the means they employ. That is, a range of actors (including criminal gangs, organized crime, and more traditional state actors) using a range of means—some traditional and some novel—ranging in sophistication from simple, low-tech violence through complex high-tech means using cyber and modern lethal systems (including anti-satellite weapons, and drones), as well as information warfare and traditional military operations. Hybrid operations often synchronize a variety of means to disrupt, degrade, or destabilize adversaries. This often involves leveraging cognitive warfare to gain advantage. As a result, influence operations are integrated with all other means.

If Hephaestus Doesn’t Answer: Supply Chains and Modern War

Evan Hanson

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In Homer’s The Iliad, Achilles and Hector epically dueled to settle the Trojan War. Each lunged and parried, clashing together with swords and throwing spears. After several misses, the legendary Hector threw his last spear—striking the shield that Hephaestus, god of the forge, previously gifted Achilles. Recognizing his fate, Hector cried out before Achilles delivered the final blow.

Since the end of the Gulf War, the US military could count on its Hephaestus—the defense industrial base, which encompasses the companies and government organizations that design, produce, and sustain America’s military arsenal. As the United States’ predominant national security focus shifts to counter Chinese aggression, the Department of Defense must confront emerging threats that target the defense industrial base and the US military’s ability to sustain operations in conflict. Beyond strategies, policy, and investment, the US military needs to create a command to develop national contingency plans to mobilize and sustain the materiel required by the joint force and, in the event of conflict, interdict adversary supply chains through partnerships across the government.

Sandbagging Trump: obstacles galore to a Ukraine deal

Stephen Bryen

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US President-elect Donald Trump reluctantly met with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky and French President Emanuel Macron in Paris to discuss the way forward in Ukraine.

While Trump says that he has convinced Zelensky to move ahead with negotiations with Russia, Zelensky is already wiggling on any commitments he may have made. Nor is a negotiation and ceasefire exactly what Macron wants either.

The Trump plan for Ukraine is straightforward but full of landmines. In simple terms, Trump proposes an immediate ceasefire and negotiations and expects that Ukraine will cede (some) territory to Russia. So far as can be determined, Trump has not yet talked to Putin.

Once a deal is made on territory, there will be a buffer zone of some sort, and some troops drawn from France, Germany and the UK will act as peacekeepers (which Russia almost certainly will not accept). In some fashion, Ukraine will withdraw itself from any consideration for NATO membership, probably for a period of time (anywhere from five to 20 years).

What will the Russians say? To begin with, the Russians are not likely to agree to a ceasefire as long as Ukrainian soldiers are on Russian territory. Putin, therefore, will demand their removal from Kursk.

Latin America Is About to Become a Priority for U.S. Foreign Policy

Brian Winter

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While traveling throughout Latin America in recent years, visitors heard the same refrain: Washington isn’t paying enough attention to the region. Business leaders, academics, and politicians on both the left and the right agreed that the United States lacked a clear strategy for engagement and was losing influence and economic opportunities, especially to China. Such talk is hardly new. A 1973 article in Foreign Affairs warned that “the United States has no Latin American policy, save one of benign neglect.” But these laments seemed to reach a peak during the Biden administration, which was seen as too focused on the United States’ growing rivalry with Beijing and the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East to devote even minimal bandwidth to its southern neighbors.

As the adage goes, be careful what you wish for. Donald Trump’s second presidency seems destined to focus more attention on Latin America than any U.S. administration in perhaps 30 years, including the incoming president’s first term. The reason is straightforward: Trump’s top domestic priorities of cracking down on unauthorized immigration, stopping the smuggling of fentanyl and other illicit drugs, and reducing the influx of Chinese goods into the United States all depend heavily on policy toward Latin America. His stronger-than-expected electoral mandate (winning the popular vote plus control of both houses of Congress) coupled with a substantial increase in the flows of migrants and narcotics since he first occupied the White House mean that Trump will be even more emboldened than before to pressure Latin American governments to help achieve his goals. He will resort if necessary to punitive measures including tariffs, sanctions, and perhaps limited military action, such as drone strikes against Mexican cartels, to try to get his way.

Combating Russia’s Global Disinformation Campaign

Thomas Kent

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For years, Russia’s main tactic to compete with Western news media has been to create alternative outlets, like its television channel RT (previously Russia Today) and the Sputnik multimedia news agency. Now, however, Moscow is stepping up its efforts in two areas where Western media and foundations have long enjoyed an advantage: journalism training and fact-checking.

The new focus is notable. Western organizations have trained thousands of journalists in recent decades, particularly in formerly Soviet states and the countries of the Global South. These reporters have gone on to hold government officials to account and fight for democracy and free speech. Meanwhile, Western donors have backed a sprawling network of fact-checking groups around the world that have helped expose disinformation and explode conspiracy narratives.

Now, Russia—with its eye particularly trained on the Global South—seems intent on advancing its own mirror image of Western journalism training, one in which Russian media practices are portrayed as the gold standard. Simultaneously, Moscow is challenging the world’s largest fact-checking coalitions by creating a new fact-checking network under a similar-sounding name, aiming to unite fact-checkers “who share our views and values.”

10 golden rules before investing in crypto

Vinamrata Chaturvedi

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Investing in cryptocurrency is still a relatively new frontier, and for many, navigating the complexities of the crypto world can feel intimidating. However, as the crypto market experiences a notable resurgence in 2024, it’s catching the attention of a broader audience—including those who were previously skeptical. This renewed interest signals a shift in how people perceive digital assets, with many now taking them more seriously as part of an investment portfolio.

Amid this growing trend, it’s crucial to approach crypto investments thoughtfully and strategically. The volatile nature of the market and its unique challenges mean that careful planning is essential to minimize risks and maximize potential gains. To help you get started, here are some golden rules to keep in mind before investing in cryptocurrency.

As Space Gets More Crowded, Space Force Needs New AI Tools to Keep Up: Experts

Shaun Waterman

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Think tanks typically just write reports, but when it came to studying the use of artificial intelligence to help the Space Force track objects in orbit and warn about possible collisions, the RAND Corp. went one step beyond that.

A team of information scientists at RAND actually built AI tools which Space Force analysts could use to “fight tonight,” team leader Li Ang Zhang told Air & Space Forces Magazine.

“Having this kind of AI solution can really benefit the mission today,” he said, alleviating technology bottlenecks and providing a bridge capability until a delayed modernization program for space domain awareness (SDA) kicks in. Space Force officials seem to agree.

Machine learning AI (AI/ML) is quite different from the generative AI large language models that have captured headlines and public imagination in the last two years, but it is vital to help human analysts sift through and make sense of the huge amount of data coming off of and about the rapidly proliferating number of satellites, especially in low-earth orbit, or LEO, said Rudolph “Reb” Butler, a senior advisor to the Space Force’s Chief Technology and Innovation Officer.

The Space Force is working with its partners to ease the cognitive burden on humans dealing with SDA data through automation, he said at a recent CyberSat event: “There’s a lot of work to be done.”