Situation Reports

Mexican state-run oil company Pemex has awarded five of the 11 new joint venture contracts it had planned to close by year-end, Reuters reported on Dec. 17.

The U.S. Senate repealed the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act as part of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act in a 77-20 vote with bipartisan support to permanently end U.S. sanctions on Syria, the Financial Times reported on Dec. 17.

Following a National Security Committee meeting, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese unveiled five legal changes strengthening rules on hate speech offenses, sentencing and organizational listing power, alongside expanded visa rejection criteria and authority for the Department of Home Affairs, the Australian Financial Review reported on Dec. 18.

The Thai army said recent airstrikes in Cambodia targeted scam compounds and illegal casinos allegedly used by Cambodian forces as military facilities, including drone command centers and weapons depots, Bloomberg reported on Dec. 18.

The Lobito Atlantic Railway consortium signed a $553 million loan with the U.S. Development Finance Corp. and a $200 million loan with the Development Bank of Southern Africa, Reuters reported on Dec. 17.

The United States initiated congressional notification procedures for a proposed $11.1 billion arms sale to Taiwan, the largest in history, covering high-mobility artillery rocket systems, howitzers, drones and anti-tank missiles, Reuters reported on Dec. 18.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to allow Turkey to return the S-400 missile defense system it received in 2019 and recoup billions of dollars spent on the initial purchase, potentially in deductions from Turkey's oil and natural gas import bills, Bloomberg reported on Dec. 17.

India's lower house passed legislation to open the nuclear power sector to private participation and allow foreign companies to partner with Indian companies and obtain licenses to set up nuclear power plants, Reuters reported on Dec. 17.

U.S. President Donald Trump ordered a blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving Venezuela, Reuters reported on Dec. 16.

The U.S.-led U.N. Command objected to a bill proposed by South Korea's ruling Democratic Party earlier in 2025 that would give Seoul, rather that the U.N. Command, control of nonmilitary access to the inter-Korean demilitarized zone, Yonhap News Agency reported on Dec. 17.