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Global Security Situation Brief

22/01/2026

Greenland

  • The French President Macron stated yesterday: We prefer respect over bullying. He added that France will not yield to intimidation and attempts to undermine European sovereignty, following President Trump's threat to impose new tariffs on European countries unless Denmark agrees to sell Greenland. France is one of the eight countries threatened with a 10% tariff on their exports to the United States starting February 1. (The New York Times)
  • President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen yesterday called for the EU to achieve permanent independence from the United States, comparing Donald Trump's hostile attitude toward allies to the scale of the 1971 Nixon Shock. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney also stated at the World Economic Forum: "I want to be very clear: we are in a period of rupture, not a period of transition." Trump will arrive in Davos today and is scheduled to meet with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, among others, to discuss the issue of Greenland. (Axios)
  • U.S. officials stated yesterday that despite former President Trump repeatedly suggesting the possibility of using American military force to seize Greenland from Denmark, the Pentagon has not received any plans to invade Greenland. (The New York Times)

Minnesota

  • Federal prosecutors issued subpoenas yesterday to at least five Democratic officials in Minnesota, including Governor Tim Walz, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, and Saint Paul Mayor Kaohly Her. The subpoenas require them to provide documents related to the state's immigration enforcement policies. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty also received similar subpoenas. (The New York Times)
  • According to the Associated Press, on Sunday, federal immigration enforcement officers broke into the home of U.S. citizen Chong Ly Scott Thao without a search warrant and detained him. A video reviewed by Thao's family and the Associated Press shows law enforcement officers dragging him onto the street, where temperatures were below freezing, while he was only wearing underwear. Thao stated that the officers eventually confirmed he was a U.S. citizen with no criminal record, and after an hour or two, they brought him back home. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security stated that the immigration enforcement operation conducted at Thao's home was a targeted action aimed at apprehending two sex offenders.
  • Police Chief Mark Bruley of Brooklyn Park, a suburb of Minneapolis, stated yesterday that enforcement officers from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have violated the civil rights of American citizens, including those of off-duty police officers. Bruley added that all the off-duty officers targeted by ICE are people of color. Hennepin County Sheriff Dawanna Witt said that individuals are being stopped, questioned, and harassed solely because of their skin color. (The Washington Post)

Israel-Hamas war

  • Amid the international controversy surrounding Trump's invitation for countries to join his Peace Commission, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu announced today that he has accepted Trump's invitation. The UAE also publicly committed to joining yesterday, while Turkish President Erdogan stated that Turkey will make a decision soon. Hungary is the only European country to have agreed to join so far. (Reuters)
  • Eight diplomats revealed that some European countries are considering whether to stop sending personnel to the Civil-Military Coordination Center (CMCC), which was established in southern Israel in October last year under U.S. leadership. These diplomats added that the CMCC has failed to increase aid to Gaza and has not facilitated political change. One Western diplomat described the center as directionless, while another stated that everyone considers it a disaster but sees no alternative. (Reuters)
  • According to reports from residents of Bani Suhaila and Hamas yesterday, the Israeli military ordered dozens of Palestinian families in southern Gaza to evacuate their homes, marking the first known forced evacuation since the October ceasefire. Residents also stated that the Israeli military is expanding its area of control. They mentioned that on Monday, leaflets were distributed with the message: Urgent Notice. This area is now under the control of the Israel Defense Forces. You must evacuate immediately. The Israeli side confirmed the distribution of the leaflets but stated that their purpose was to warn Palestinians not to cross the ceasefire line agreed upon with Hamas. (Reuters)

Iran

  • According to U.S. officials, after withdrawing plans for airstrikes against Iran last week, Trump continues to urge his aides to take what he calls decisive military action against Iran. Trump's rhetoric has prompted aides at the Pentagon and the White House to consider options aimed at overthrowing the Iranian regime, as well as less aggressive alternatives, such as striking facilities of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. (The Wall Street Journal)
  • Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi stated today that if attacked again, the Islamic Republic of Iran will use all its strength to retaliate. (Associated Press)

Syria

  • Yesterday, the guards of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces withdrew from a camp in northeastern Syria. The camp held thousands of individuals linked to the Islamic State, and the Syrian military claimed that the guards released the detainees. The Syrian Democratic Forces confirmed that their guards had withdrawn but did not specify whether any detainees had escaped. In a social media statement, the Syrian Democratic Forces stated that they had redeployed the guards from the al-Hol camp to nearby cities and attributed the withdrawal to the international community's indifference. (Associated Press)
  • The Syrian military announced last night that it has reached a new four-day ceasefire agreement with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The SDF confirmed the agreement and stated that it will not take any military action unless its forces are attacked. The office of Syrian President Ahmad Hussein Shara issued a statement saying that government troops will not enter Kurdish-populated areas until an agreement is reached on a peaceful integration plan; Kurdish villages will be patrolled by local security forces composed of local residents. (Associated Press)

U.S. Caribbean and Pacific Operations

  • According to the U.S. Southern Command, U.S. forces boarded and took control of a seventh oil tanker related to Venezuela yesterday. The tanker, named the Sagitta, flies the Liberian flag, and its registration information indicates that it is owned and managed by a Hong Kong company. (Associated Press)
  • Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodriguez announced yesterday that the country has received $300 million in oil sales revenue, marking the first payment under an oil supply agreement between Washington and Caracas reached earlier this month following the arrest of Nicolás Maduro. Yesterday, Trump stated that the United States has transported 50 million barrels of oil from Venezuela and is selling a portion of it on the open market, but shipping records indicate that this oil has not yet been exported. (Reuters)

Developments in the Russia-Ukraine situation

  • Ukrainian Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov told reporters that Ukraine will allow its allies to use the operational data collected during the war against Russia to train artificial intelligence models. During the war, Ukraine has accumulated a large amount of battlefield data, including extensive video footage captured by its drone fleet. Fedorov stated that the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense will collaborate with the technology company Palantir to establish a database based on real war data, which will be provided to allies for training artificial intelligence to assist in intercepting enemy drones and protecting Ukrainian airspace. (Financial Times)

Other Global Development Trends

  • Israeli officials yesterday occupied the headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Jerusalem and demolished several buildings within the compound. An Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson defended the decision to occupy the headquarters, stating that UNRWA has long ceased to be a humanitarian aid organization and has instead become a breeding ground for terrorism. (The New York Times)

American relations

  • Mexico transferred 10 individuals accused of engaging in criminal activities to the United States yesterday. This marks the third such transfer since President Trump took office. Mexican Security Minister Omar García Harfuch stated yesterday that the transfer was legal and that an agreement had been reached with the U.S. Department of Justice not to seek the death penalty for these individuals. (The New York Times)

  • According to multiple officials, the Pentagon plans to reduce its participation in several NATO advisory groups. Sources indicate that this move will affect approximately 500 military personnel and will significantly decrease U.S. involvement in NATO centers of excellence. Two U.S. officials stated that the Pentagon does not intend to withdraw all at once but rather plans not to replace personnel after their terms end, adding that this process could take several years. Two European officials noted that NATO advisory groups responsible for energy security and naval operations are also among those being scaled back. (The Washington Post)

  • According to court documents filed yesterday, the family of Gerardo Luna Campos, a Cuban immigrant, claims that he was strangled by guards while in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at a detention center in El Paso. They are attempting to prevent the deportation of two detainees who witnessed the incident. Federal officials have denied the claim, stating that Luna Campos died by suicide after resisting staff. (The New York Times)

  • Federal prosecutor Lindsey Halligan from the Eastern District of Virginia has resigned, as announced by Virginia Attorney General Pam Bondi late last night. (The New York Times)

  • Representative James Comer (R-Ky.) yesterday rejected the conditions proposed by former President Bill Clinton's legal team for testifying in the House Oversight Committee's investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. Comer stated that the committee will vote today on whether to hold Bill and Hillary Clinton in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with subpoenas. (The New York Times)

Actions of the Trump administration

  • The U.S. Department of Justice disclosed yesterday that two employees from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) at the Social Security Administration may have improperly accessed and shared sensitive Social Security data. The Social Security Administration has referred these two employees for investigation to determine whether they violated the Hatch Act. This law prohibits government employees from engaging in political activities using their official positions. (POLITICO)