Switzerland is open to working closer with the U.S. on export controls, sanctions and investment security issues as part of a broader trade framework between the two countries, according to a draft negotiating mandate released by Switzerland’s Federal Council this month.
The Council of the European Union on Dec. 8 extended its sanctions on the Democratic Republic of the Congo for another year, pushing them to Dec. 12, 2026. The sanctions cover 31 individuals and two entities.
Canada last week lifted certain sanctions against Syria, removing the country from its List of Foreign State Supporters of Terrorism and taking Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham off the List of Terrorist Entities under the Canadian Criminal Code.
The State Department’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls published a "redline" document to highlight recent changes made to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations as a result of the agency’s ITAR reorganization effort. The revised document reflects changes made to the ITAR in light of DDTC’s removal of its arms embargo against Cambodia (see 2511060016) and its continued temporary suspension of restrictions on certain defense exports to Cyprus (see 2509080001). "Those changes are identified in the reorg redline by identifier 'Rev.17,'" DDTC said.
One year after being created, the U.K.’s Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation has “a number of investigations” underway and has received nearly 150 referrals or reports involving possible sanctions and export control violations, the agency said in its first annual report.
House and Senate negotiators have reached agreement on a final FY 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) that includes legislation to limit U.S. outbound investment in China but omits a Senate proposal to restrict exports of advanced AI chips.
Casey Kirwan, a former senior official at the Office of Foreign Assets Control, left the agency last month to join TD Securities as a senior sanctions manager, he announced on LinkedIn. Kirwan had been with OFAC for nearly six years and was most recently the section chief for cyber and digital assets.
The White House last week published its national security strategy, a 33-page document that outlines what the Trump administration views as America’s “principles,” "priorities" and “national interests.” It also describes a plan to deprioritize engagement with Europe and focus more heavily on the Western Hemisphere, while “ending the perception, and preventing the reality, of NATO as a perpetually expanding alliance.”
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. is reviewing a Chinese company’s "deeply concerning" investment in Minnesota-based startup FastWave Medical, which is developing a new high-tech treatment for serious heart disease, Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla., disclosed Dec. 1.
The Trump administration’s recent decision to remove sanctions on former Serb Republic President Milorad Dodik was a “mistake” because it "prematurely" gave up “leverage” it needs to promote stability in the Western Balkans, a foreign policy expert told a congressional panel Dec. 2.