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 …

Hemingway’s law of motion says change comes gradually, then suddenly. The other China deal Much attention has been rightly focused on China’s role in closing the deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran to reestablish diplomatic relations. Another deal has gotten less attention, but may be just as telling in serving …

The CIA director met the country’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and reportedly expressed displeasure with Washington being “blindsided” over agreements brokered by China and Russia. CIA Director Bill Burns made an unannounced trip to Saudi Arabia this week where he reportedly aired Washington’s frustrations over Riyadh’s opening to Iran …

After two days of rockets first from Gaza and then from the Lebanese border, tensions seem to have calmed, at least temporary. Israel’s Army Radio reported Friday afternoon that the Israeli military (IDF) cleared residents of the Gaza border area to resume their normal activities after a night of rocket …