World roundup: April 4 2025

Stories from Yemen, Myanmar, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and elsewhere

TODAY IN HISTORY

April 4, 1949: Founding members Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States signed the North Atlantic Treaty, creating NATO (pending ratification by a majority of the signatories). Those original 12 states have grown to 32, so far, with Finland and Sweden the two latest countries to join.

April 4, 1959: The French government creates the autonomous Mali Federation, consisting of Senegal and French Sudan. Exactly one year later, French authorities agreed to grant the federation its independence, effective June 20, 1960. The aggregated state collapsed within two months, in August 1960, leaving in its wake the independent nations of Senegal and Mali. Through all of that, Senegal recognizes April 4 as its Independence Day—referring to April 4 1960, not 1959, but April 4 nevertheless.

MIDDLE EAST

SYRIA

According to Reuters the Israeli military (IDF) has attacked three Syrian military sites this week that the Turkish military had previously “scoped out” as potential bases. The Turkish and new Syrian governments are working on a defense pact that could see Turkish forces stationed inside Syria, which suffice to say is probably not a prospect that excites Israeli leaders. While I guess it’s possible that the IDF’s activities are just coincidentally overlapping with Turkey’s, three such overlaps in one week is a little hard to chalk up to coincidence—particularly since one IDF strike on the T4 airbase took place “just hours” before Turkish personnel were due to inspect the facility. Increasingly it looks like Turkey and Israel are going to be unable to coexist in the new Syria, though officials in each country say they want no conflict with the other. Of course Turkey is in Syria at the request of the country’s new government while Israel is occupying territory at nobody’s request, but let’s not get hung up on technicalities.