Beijing is ahead in the race for establishing a global digital currency standard (FPRI) — At the Beijing Olympics—in addition to showcasing a 60-foot snowman and an ambitious (if controversial) environmental initiative—China is debuting its newly minted central bank digital currency, or CBDC. The country had hoped to make a …

The United States assumed that Russia would be scared of the risks to go into Syria. That is a mistake that should not be made when it comes to Ukraine. Senior U.S. national security officials, diplomats, and military officers are all sounding similar warnings. “If Russia intervenes, they face a …

NATO and the European Union have reached their limits. Here’s what should come next. The Western attempt to expel Russia from Europe has failed. That there was such an attempt was always implicit in the strategy of seeking to admit every European country but Russia into NATO and the European …

U.S. President Joe Biden assured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Sunday of Washington’s commitment to “Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity” even as the United States says the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine looms as a “distinct possibility” in the coming days. Biden conferred by phone with the Ukrainian …

Far from Brussels, Ukraine is where an often-silent battle for the future of Europe has been waging amidst the cacophony of other European crises. The difference lies in the fact that Ukraine’s battle is not about crafting the terms of its engagement with Europe, but about getting to Europe and …

The US-sponsored virtual summit for democracy on December 9 and 10 was an unprecedented event; a show of American innocence and righteousness. The conference, which selectively and unjustifiably invited the leaders of 100 countries, supposedly was to focus on fighting corruption, defending human rights, and confronting authoritarian regimes. But the …

Following Russia’s troop build-up along Ukraine’s borders portending imminent invasion, Houthi rebels in Yemen backed by Iran, which is Russia’s most dependable regional ally in the decade-long Syrian conflict, have significantly escalated missile strikes on the oil-rich Gulf States with a nod of approval from the Kremlin in order to …

Time Magazine was enthrawled with Adolf Hitler in the 30’s, and endorses similar results from Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) divesting objectives. As Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) divesting in fossil fuels progresses, by many of the masters of the financial universe, the short memories of petrochemicals’ golden goose contributions …

The four missile and drone attacks against the UAE in the space of less than three weeks are a cruel reminder of the fragility of peace moves in West Asia. Responsibility for the first three attacks that took place on 17, 24, and 31 January was claimed by the Houthis …

In response to the mounting tension with Russia, Sweden has been boosting its military preparedness and has sent soldiers and heavy military equipment to its largest island, Gotland, strategically located in the Baltic Sea, just 330 kilometers from Kaliningrad, the headquarters of Russia’s Baltic Fleet… Sweden has been observing a …