International

The new Syrian authorities plan to end compulsory military service

Ahmed al Charaa, leader of the insurgent coalition that overtoched the Bashar al-Asad regime last week and known as the war name of Abu Mohamed al Jolani, said on Sunday that they are studying the possibility of ending compulsory military service.

He said this in a meeting with journalists and activists related to the insurgents, who published several videos on social networks.

In one of those recordings, Al Charaa is asked what will happen with compulsory military service, to which he replied “we are studying it, but in principle it will be an Army of volunteers.”

Defense “of the homeland”

Even so, he qualified shortly after that the defense of “the homeland” is mandatory and is something that concerns everyone, and he did not rule out that in the future a temporary recruitment of fifteen days or twenty days can be applied for “a very short time”.

Mandatory military service has existed in Syria since 1947, a year after the country’s independence. Over time its duration has changed and the Armed Forces have been a pillar of the system, especially during the dictatorship of the Al Asad family that began in 1971 (first with Hafez al Asad and then with his son Bachar al Asad).

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At the beginning of 2011, the year in which the protests against the Government of Bashar al-Asad broke out, it lasted 18 months, but after the beginning of the conflict the soldiers were usually kept in their posts regardless of whether that period had ended.

The Al Asad regime fell a week ago after twelve days of offensive launched by a coalition led by the Islamist group Levante Liberation Agency along with other factions backed by Turkey.

Qatari delegation arrives in Syria to open its embassy

Meanwhile, a diplomatic delegation from Qatar arrived this Sunday in Syria to complete the procedures that allow it to open its embassy in the country “after the success of the revolution” that overthrewed the regime of the deposed Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, Qatari official sources reported.

The official spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Majed al Ansari, announced today in a statement that “a Qatari diplomatic delegation arrived in Damascus to complete the necessary procedures for the opening of the Qatar State embassy in the Syrian Arab Republic.”

Al Ansari said that the delegation met with the “transitional government” in Syria and reaffirmed the “full commitment of the State of Qatar to support the Syrian people in achieving their aspirations for security, peace, development and prosperity after the success of their revolution.”

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According to the Foreign Ministry spokesman, the delegation discussed with the Syrian side ways to improve the flow of humanitarian aid from Qatar and evaluated the needs of the Syrians “during this important phase” of transition.

Reopening

Last Wednesday, Al Ansari already announced Qatar’s intention to reopen its embassy in Syria “soon”, although an official date for it has not yet been announced.

Qatar, which maintains good relations with Turkey, has been very critical of the government of Bashar al-Assad and has denounced that during his mandate the overthrown president had wasted opportunities to fully reintegrate into the international community and end 13 years of war in Syria.

The small country of the Persian Gulf was one of the first to express on Sunday – after the flight of Al Asad and his family to Moscow -, its “firm support for the Syrian people”, and called on the different insurgent factions and the country’s political groups to “opt for dialogue” for “a better future for Syria.”

He has also set himself up as a mediator and, over the weekend, welcomed in Doha the foreign ministers of Turkey, Russia and Iran – the upprors of a ceasefire in Syria until the fall of Al Asad – to address the future and a peaceful transition in the punished Arab country.

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International

Paraguay summons Brazilian ambassador over Itaipú espionage scandal

Paraguay summoned the Brazilian ambassador in Asunción on Tuesday to demand “explanations” and called its own representative in Brasília for consultations following Brazil’s acknowledgment of an espionage operation. The Brazilian government, led by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, attributed the operation to the previous administration.

The surveillance effort aimed to uncover Paraguay’s position in now-suspended negotiations with Brazil regarding the pricing of electricity from the binational Itaipú hydroelectric plant, according to reports in the Brazilian press.

The Brazilian government “categorically denied any involvement in the intelligence operation,” stating in a Foreign Ministry communiqué on Monday that the espionage was carried out under former President Jair Bolsonaro’s administration (2019-2023).

“The operation was authorized by the previous government in June 2022 and was annulled by the interim director of the (state intelligence agency) ABIN on March 27, 2023, as soon as the current administration became aware of it,” Brazil’s government asserted.

Paraguay’s Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez announced that Brazilian Ambassador José Antonio Marcondes de Carvalho was summoned “to provide detailed explanations” regarding the operation. Additionally, Paraguay recalled its diplomatic representative in Brasília “to report on aspects related to the intelligence activity conducted by Brazil regarding Paraguay’s government affairs.”

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International

Elon Musk to step down as government advisor, per Trump insiders

President Donald Trump has informed his inner circle that Elon Musk will be stepping down from his role as a government advisor, according to a report by Politico today.

Citing three individuals close to Trump, Politico states that the president is pleased with Musk’s leadership at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), where he has implemented significant budget cuts. However, both have agreed that it is time for Musk to return to his businesses and support Trump from a different position outside the government.

A senior administration official told Politico that Musk will likely maintain an informal advisory role and continue to be an occasional visitor to the White House. Another source warned that anyone thinking Musk will completely disappear from Trump’s circle is “deluding themselves.”

According to the sources, this transition is expected to coincide with the end of Musk’s tenure as a “special government employee,” a temporary status that exempts him from certain ethics and conflict-of-interest regulations. This 130-day period is set to expire in late May or early June.

International

Milei vows to make Argentina so strong that Falkland Islanders “choose” to join

Argentine President Javier Milei reaffirmed his country’s claim over the Falkland Islands (known as the Islas Malvinas in Argentina) and praised the role of the nation’s armed forces during a ceremony marking the “Veterans and Fallen Soldiers of the Malvinas War Day,” commemorating 43 years since the 1982 conflict with the United Kingdom.

Argentina continues to assert sovereignty over the islands, arguing that Britain unlawfully seized them in 1833.

“If sovereignty over the Malvinas is the issue, we have always made it clear that the most important vote is the one cast with one’s feet. We hope that one day, the Malvinas residents will choose to vote with their feet and join us,” Milei stated.

“That is why we aim to become a global power—so much so that they would prefer to be Argentine, making deterrence or persuasion unnecessary. This is why we have embarked on a path of liberation, working to make Argentina the freest country in the world and once again the nation with the highest GDP per capita on the planet,” he added.