The unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, catapulted conventional military operations to the forefront of Western security thinking, re-kindled serious contemplation of major war in Europe, and galvanized dramatic re-thinking among Western countries about how to secure and protect democratic governance which has become the norm in …

Saudi and Omani delegations held talks with Houthi officials in Yemen’s capital Sanaa on Sunday, Houthi-run media said, as Riyadh seeks a permanent ceasefire to end its military involvement in the country’s long-running war. The visit indicates progress in the Oman-mediated consultations between Riyadh and Sanaa, which run in parallel …

In February 2023, Secretary of State Antony Blinken publicly confirmed that the Biden Administration supports a possible sale of F-16 fighter aircraft to Turkey (Türkiye), and has engaged Congress on the issue. According to January 2023 media reports citing unnamed U.S. officials, the Administration informally notified Congress of its intent …

Introduction The conventional wisdom is that wars end in negotiations. But their end is more often determined at the ballot box – or even in the opinion polls. A lack of public support brought America’s war in Vietnam to an end, the French war in Algeria to its close, and …

Once again the West struggles to enforce a deal of questionable value on unwilling Balkan participants. The old saying that a deal satisfying neither side involved in it must be a good deal does not apply to the text Western diplomacy (finally) published and forced on Serbia’s Aleksandar Vucic and …

The New Geopolitics of Energy It is not hard to understand why people dream of a future defined by clean energy. As greenhouse gas emissions continue to grow and as extreme weather events become more frequent and harmful, the current efforts to move beyond fossil fuels appear woefully inadequate. Adding …

How the Fight for Resources Is Upending Geopolitics As recently as 18 months ago, many policymakers, academics, and pundits in the United States and Europe were waxing lyrical about the geopolitical benefits of the coming transition to cleaner, greener energy. They understood that the move away from a carbon-intensive energy …

The 164 km Rasht-Astara railway route in Iran’s Gilan Province is of great importance in the International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC), because it is the only remaining rail part of this corridor, writes Valdai Club expert Vali Kaleji. In his article, Dr. Vali Kaleji, a Tehran-based expert on Central Asia …

Being the world’s leading reserve currency has allowed the United States to enjoy a massively inflated standard of living: that one is coming to an end. For decades, the US dollar has been the undisputed king of global currencies, but dramatic changes are happening. China, Russia, India, Brazil, Saudi Arabia …

The delegation has reportedly discussed efforts to coordinate action against Israel. As Israel staves off rocket attacks launched from the Gaza Strip and Lebanon’s border in an apparent response to the escalation in Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque — Islam’s third holiest site — a Hamas delegation led by the head of …