Weekly News Roundup: The Disruption of Order
3 - 10 Jan 2026
Weekly news update on key security related developments from around the world, by Farah Benis
The first full week of 2026 has been defined by a decisive shift from diplomatic posturing to direct kinetic and hybrid action. As the traditional "rules-based" international order continues to fracture, security risk is no longer a matter of theory, but of immediate material impact on statehood and infrastructure.
U.S. Extradition of Nicolás Maduro
On 3 January, U.S. special operations forces conducted a direct military extraction of Nicolás Maduro from Caracas. Currently held in New York pending narco-terrorism charges, his removal has triggered an immediate power vacuum in Venezuela. This operation signals a definitive U.S. pivot towards interventionism within the Western Hemisphere. The geopolitical fallout is significant, with Moscow and Beijing characterising the act as a total abandonment of international legal norms regarding state sovereignty.
Iran: Use of Proxy Militias
The Islamic Republic is facing its most severe internal threat since its inception. By 10 January, reports confirmed that the IRGC has begun deploying Iraqi PMU and Hezbollah fighters to suppress protests in major cities—a move indicating that the regime no longer fully trusts its regular domestic security units. Amidst a near-total internet blackout and reports of bank runs at Bank Melli, the state’s reliance on foreign proxies to maintain internal order marks a critical phase of regime fragility.
Gaza: The Fragility of the "Trump Ceasefire"
Despite the ceasefire brokered in late 2025, Gaza remains a high-intensity conflict zone. On 8 January, Israeli strikes killed at least 13 people, including five children, in what the IDF described as a response to a projectile launched from Gaza City. Since the truce began in October, over 425 Palestinians have been killed, leading many analysts to conclude that the "ceasefire" is largely nominal. With the International Stabilisation Force still not deployed, the territory continues to face systemic destruction, and the risk of a full-scale regional resumption of hostilities remains acute.
West Bank: De Facto Annexation
A UN report released on 7 January describes the administrative reality in the West Bank as a system of institutionalised segregation. With 19 new settlements formally established this week, the "Two-State" framework has effectively been superseded by a policy of de facto annexation. The report highlights that the systemic confiscation of land and the use of military courts to govern civilian life have created a permanent, high-risk security environment that precludes any immediate path to regional stability.
Baltic Sea: Undersea Cable Sabotage
A series of "grey zone" attacks has targeted Europe’s digital backbone. On 5 January, Finnish and Latvian authorities seized a merchant vessel after it was found dragging its anchor across critical telecommunications cables. This is the sixth such incident in a month. Security experts view this not as a series of accidents, but as a coordinated campaign of deniable sabotage intended to test NATO's maritime response and the resilience of European internet and energy networks.
"DarkVeil" Malware
Cybersecurity authorities issued a global alert on 7 January regarding DarkVeil, an exceptionally sophisticated malware strain that has successfully infiltrated government and financial hubs. DarkVeil is not a ransomware tool for profit; rather, it uses polymorphic code to remain persistent within networks for long-term intelligence exfiltration. Analysts suggest this is a state-sponsored "preparation of the digital battlefield," designed to map and potentially disable critical national infrastructure during a future crisis.
China’s "Electrostate" Mandates
As of early 2026, China has formalised its status as the world’s first "Electrostate." By controlling the vast majority of battery mineral processing and implementing strict domestic equipment mandates for chipmakers, Beijing has successfully weaponised the global green energy transition. Effective 1 January, the NDRC implemented a mandatory 50 per cent domestic equipment quota for all new semiconductor fabrication plants, while simultaneous export controls were placed on the specific refining machinery required for high-grade lithium and rare earth production. This shift allows China to use its supply chain dominance as a tool of foreign policy, effectively acting as the gatekeeper for the Western world’s industrial and decarbonisation efforts.
Domestic U.S.: Militarisation of ICE and Enforcement Killings
The first week of January saw a sharp escalation in the militarisation of internal U.S. security. Following the deployment of nearly 2,000 federal agents to Minneapolis for "Operation Twin Shield," the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old mother, by an ICE officer on 7 January has sparked nationwide protests. This incident, alongside additional shootings in Portland and Chicago, brings the total to 16 federal enforcement shootings since July. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has doubled down on the "self-defence" narrative, citing a 3,200% increase in vehicular attacks against agents, while local leaders accuse federal forces of operating with "militia-style" impunity on American streets.
Israel Recognises Somaliland
In a bold tactical move on 5 January, Israel became the first nation to formally recognise the independence of Somaliland. This recognition is a pragmatic attempt to secure a Red Sea outpost and counter Houthi maritime influence near the Bab al-Mandab Strait. However, it has triggered a severe diplomatic crisis with the Somali government in Mogadishu and opened a new front of geopolitical tension in an already volatile maritime chokepoint.
Entry into the "Third Nuclear Era"
With the expiration of the final U.S.-Russia nuclear treaties (New START), the world has officially entered the Third Nuclear Era. This week’s Russian test of the Oreshnik ballistic missile against targets in Lviv serves as a stark reminder of the absence of strategic restraint. For the first time in over fifty years, the major nuclear powers are operating without legally binding caps on their stockpiles, leading to an unmonitored and unpredictable arms race.
X and Grok: UK Considers Platform Ban
A global backlash erupted this week over X’s AI tool, Grok, being used to generate non-consensual "nudified" images of women and children. In response, the UK government and Ofcom have threatened a de facto ban on the platform under the Online Safety Act. While X has since moved image generation behind a paywall, No. 10 has called the move "insulting," insisting that "all options are on the table" to protect UK citizens from systemic digital abuse.
AI Agent "Poisoning"
The final security development this week is the emergence of AI "Tool Poisoning" as a major corporate risk. Attackers are now injecting malicious instructions into the live data streams that autonomous AI agents use to make decisions. This allows adversaries to corrupt the logic of automated financial and HR systems from the inside, without ever "breaking in." In 2026, the primary vulnerability for an organisation is no longer just its software, but the integrity of the data that drives its automation.
Editor’s Comment: The End of the Waiting Game
For years, we’ve spoken about the "erosion" of the international order as if it were a slow-moving tide. This first week of 2026 has proved that the tide is out, and we are left with the jagged rocks of a world governed by direct, material action. If there is a single theme to be found in the noise of the last seven days, it is the total collapse of deterrence.
Diplomacy has been relegated to a spectator sport. The players on the pitch are no longer interested in the "rules-based order"… a phrase that now carries as much weight in 2026 as a League of Nations resolution did in 1939.
The extraction of a head of state in Venezuela is the ultimate signal. By treating a national leader as a high-value target for extradition rather than a diplomatic counterpart, the U.S. has effectively formalised the "Narco-Security" doctrine. Sovereignty, it seems, is now a luxury afforded only to those who aren’t in Washington’s crosshairs. For global firms, the lesson is clear: political risk is no longer a gradual slide into new taxes or regulations; it is a sudden, violent regime decapitation.
While we watch the skies for missiles, the real war is being fought on the seabed and in the refineries. The systematic cutting of Baltic cables is "grey zone" warfare in its purest form - crippling a nation’s digital nervous system while maintaining enough deniability to stay below the threshold of formal war.
Meanwhile, China has quietly completed its pivot to Electrostate status. By mandating domestic equipment for its chipmakers and enclosure of its mineral processing, Beijing has moved from being the world’s factory to being its gatekeeper. If the 20th century was defined by the petrostates who owned the oil, 2026 is being defined by the one that owns the electricity.
In Gaza and the West Bank, we see the failure of the "controlled" conflict. The persistence of violence despite formal ceasefires is not an anomaly; it is the new standard of permanent attrition. When deterrence fails to provide stability, it provides a vacuum - one that is currently being filled by military governance and the systematic dismantling of administrative autonomy.
Perhaps most telling is the shift in domestic U.S. posture. The deployment of 2,000-strong federal "surge" forces in cities like Minneapolis - resulting in the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good - marks a transition where the tactics of the border are being applied to the interior. It isn't just a change in immigration policy; it is the militarisation of civil enforcement. When federal agencies begin to operate with militia-style impunity in major metropolitan hubs, the distinction between "foreign" and "domestic" security risk evaporates.
Finally, the row over X and Grok highlights a new front in internal security. When a platform’s AI is used to systematically "nudify" and degrade women, it moves beyond a free speech debate into a public safety crisis. The UK’s consideration of a total ban on X isn't just about content moderation; it’s a test of whether a state can still enforce its laws against a borderless, billionaire-owned digital enclave.
The bottom line… the world order isn't just a "shit storm"; it’s a system that has run out of road.
We’ve done the reading so you don’t have to, but please note that in a rapidly changing environment, facts on the ground can shift after publication. This roundup reflects the status of international security as of COB 10 January 2026. This content is for informational purposes and does not constitute professional advice. The Security Edit remains a neutral aggregator of developments based on their material impact; inclusion does not imply endorsement.
