Hundreds of Chinese maritime militia vessels are operating in contested areas of the South China Sea on a consistent basis, according to a new U.S. think tank report that says this poses a significant challenge to “maritime order rooted in international law.” The Washington, D.C.,-based Center for Strategic and International …

America’s allies and partners in the Middle East and elsewhere share deep concerns about the Iranian government’s destabilizing actions — including its support for terrorism, its dangerous proxies and its nuclear program, Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III said. The secretary delivered a major policy speech on the Middle …

The global clout of OPEC, never one of the world’s most admired institutions, reached a nadir in April when a dispute between Saudi Arabia and Russia triggered a price war just as global oil demand was collapsing due to the coronavirus pandemic. Three months later, the cartel has re-emerged as …

Developments in the Eastern Mediterranean region are unfolding at a breakneck pace. Blink an eye and one is bound to miss a new multilateral initiative, an impressive military exercise or even the creation of an international organization. Greece is very much in the middle of this diplomatic and military frenzy, …

The Biden administration was concerned and reportedly cautioned the Emirati leadership that a Chinese military presence in the country could jeopardise bilateral relations. The alleged construction was reportedly suspended after a series of talks and visits by US officials. US intelligence agencies found out this spring that China was secretly …

French President Emmanuel Macron has clearly decided to up the ante in a standoff with Turkey in the Eastern Mediterranean, where France is backing Greece and Cyprus in their dispute with Ankara over natural gas reserves and maritime boundaries. First, Macron ordered a temporary reinforcement of French aerial and naval …

Natural gas started flowing from Russia to China for the first time on Dec. 2 when Russian President Vladimir Putin and China’s leader, Xi Jinping, officially launched the initial phase of a huge new pipeline known as the Power of Siberia. Gazprom, Russia’s state-owned energy giant, claims it is expected …

Despite growing signs of a dramatic and global economic downturn stemming from the coronavirus pandemic, the small South American country of Guyana appears poised for a period of spectacular economic growth. In its recent semiannual report on Latin America and the Caribbean, the World Bank forecasts a 4.6 percent contraction …

The Kremlin has gone on a verbal offensive amid Western concerns over its military buildup near Ukraine, while stressing the importance of an unconfirmed Russian-U.S. presidential summit Moscow says is in the works. The Kremlin responded harshly on November 21 to U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken saying a day …

In early November, Oman’s government announced plans to institute an income tax on high earners by 2022. The policy will break precedent in the oil-rich Gulf, where states tend to pay their citizens, rather than requiring citizens to pay the state. The question now is whether this decision will fundamentally …