When President Donald Trump lost the 2020 US presidential election to democratic candidate Joe Biden, many leaders in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) saw an ominous warning that democracy may again take center stage in US foreign policy, with autocrats trying to consolidate power in their hands. However, …

On February 24, 2022, Russia invaded the Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of “treacherously” and “self-destructively” attacking the Ukraine, comparing the maneuvers to those of “Nazi Germany” during WWII. In his address to the nation, Putin stated that the goal of the invasion was to take preemptive action …

In a chilling act of aggression, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a military assault on Ukraine in the early hours of 24 February. That Western leaders had warned of this possibility for weeks did little to cushion the shock. President Putin announced what he characterised as a “special military operation” …