Back in the 1990s, if there was such a thing as the world’s policeman, then it was the US. This was the American moment, not least in the Middle East. The Soviet Union had collapsed, Russia was in crisis and the sleeping dragon of China was only just awakening. The …

Bitcoin, the flagship stateless cryptocurrency, is a double-edged sword that can either strengthen or harm national power. As financial warfare becomes increasingly complex, this decentralized cybercurrency is acting as a versatile strategic instrument of statecraft that can play various roles under confrontational geopolitical circumstances. This under-researched subject matter needs to …

Global economic growth and prosperity in the last two centuries were fuelled largely by fossil fuels (coal, oil and natural gas). Oil, in particular, became fuel for defending national security, promoting economic activity and sustaining global trade after the First World War. Academic narratives such as ‘peak oil’ and ‘energy …