The Coming Age of Border Changes?
Trump’s remarks on annexing territory and recognizing Russian and Israeli territorial gains may align with his geopolitical ambitions, but the disruption to longstanding norms of fixed borders sets a risky…
John P Ruehl
How Corporations Are Fueling Geopolitical Tensions and Global Conflicts in the 21st Century
Multinational corporations with global reach are increasingly getting entangled in conflicts and geopolitical rivalries by supporting multiple sides. As the U.S.-led global order faces challenges, their influence as transnational actors…
Why Russians Still Support the War
Despite some Western expectations of an imminent decline in Russian backing for the conflict in Ukraine, akin to the fading public support observed in recent Western conflicts, Russia’s civilians and…
How Can People Actually Protect Their Privacy in an Era of Total Digital Surveillance?
Governments and private entities have steadily eroded privacy on the internet. The trend toward internet functions centralizing within national borders and fragmenting internationally reinforces the need to safeguard both openness…
Armenia’s Escape From Isolation Lies Through Georgia
Surrounded to its east and west by hostile neighbors and devoid of allies, Armenia’s geopolitical situation faces severe challenges. A growing partnership with Georgia could help the small, landlocked country…
The EU Is Marching Toward an Independent and Integrated Military
The EU’s evolving common defense network is decades in the making, yet remains hindered by its inability to match NATO and apprehension by some member states. At the European Defense…
How Effective Is International Aid and Assistance?
On February 1, 2024, Ukraine secured a €50 billion aid package from the European Union (EU), aimed at bolstering its defense capabilities and facilitating the country’s reconstruction. Dozens of other…
North Korea’s Transformation on Peaceful Reunification Marks Paradigm Shift in Asia
Abandoning peaceful reunification could escalate into a major conflict, or signify that the window for reunification is presently closed, prompting Pyongyang to explore alternative approaches. Late 2023 marked a notable…
An Assassination Scandal Threatens India’s Relations With the Five Eyes
A burgeoning relationship between India and a select group of English-speaking allies has been held back by various disagreements and historical realities. It will be further tested by assassination scandals…
Houthis Emerge as Latest Threat to U.S. Control Over Global Shipping
A powerful symbol of the U.S.-led global security order is increasingly under threat by the Yemeni rebel group. The lack of a robust international response has laid bare vulnerabilities as…
Where Are Russia and the West Still Cooperating?
The once-promising era of Western and Russian cooperation has nearly vanished. The fragile remaining remnants leave lingering questions about the future of global stability. In November 2023, Russia’s withdrawal from…
Myanmar’s Instability Deepens as the World Watches Silently
Militant groups are increasingly threatening Myanmar’s military government. But other non-state actors, as well as China, are playing powerful roles in the divided country. Myanmar’s stability has eroded significantly since…
Does Modern Science Already Allow Us to Manage the Weather?
Weather manipulation is increasingly common around the world, but the dangers of privatization and weaponization abound. As winter settles over New Delhi, cold air sinks, trapping pollution in the city.…
Comparing How the West and China Offer Loans to Developing Countries
Established Western economic institutions are facing a formidable challenge from Chinese newcomers, each side offering distinct and competitive lending strategies with far-reaching consequences for global infrastructure and development. In October…
Why We’re Seeing Shifting Patterns in Global Manufacturing
Amid other crises, China’s economy has reeled from Western decoupling efforts. While several countries stand to gain from this process, it has only partially reduced China’s extensive global influence. The…
Why China’s New Map of Its Borders Has Stirred Regional Tensions
China’s release of its standard map has produced outrage and alarm in several countries, yet Beijing remains steadfast in continuing its historical approach toward its borders. In the waning days…
What if UFOs Have Been a Cover for High-Tech—and Human—Defense Research Programs?
A mix of government, private, adversarial, and unexplained objects are filling up an increasingly congested U.S. airspace. Uncovering what fills it should be of greater public interest. Could the decades-long…
Breaking Europe’s Hold on Football
Initiatives from Saudi Arabia and the United States continue to put pressure on Europe’s traditional stranglehold over FIFA. The 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar brought together nations from around…
How Countries Prepare for Population Growth and Decline
Around the world, diverse initiatives are being introduced to manage population changes. In early 2023, India surpassed China as the most populous country in the world with the latter having…
Private Military Companies Continue To Expand in Africa
The recent coup in Niger threatens to unleash more private military and security companies on a continent where they have become steadily more powerful in recent decades. In the wake…
A Brief Neocolonial History of the Five UN Security Council Permanent Members
Understanding the actions and justifications behind territorial colonial behavior by the UN Security Council since 1945. One of the underlying principles of the UN Charter is the protection of the…
Where Are the World’s Water Stresses?
Around the world, significant issues are negatively impacting water security. While the situation appears dire, cooperation initiatives show some signs of relief. In May 2023, the Arizona Department of Water…
Conflict, Migration, and Demography in Russia and Its Border Regions
For centuries, Russian authorities have modified their approach to managing the country’s large, diverse population, held together by an ethnic Russian core. The war in Ukraine has again altered the…
Taiwan’s Quest to Upgrade Its Battle Readiness Continues to Evolve
Russia’s war in Ukraine and China’s growing strength have accelerated Taiwan’s military overhaul. Taipei is exploring multiple ways to enhance its security, but unorthodox methods risk escalation. In early May 2023,…
The Taliban and the Islamic State Continue to Fight for Afghanistan’s Future
The Taliban’s ability to lead Afghanistan remains questionable and ongoing instability has provided the Islamic State the opportunity for expansion. On April 25, 2023, U.S. officials confirmed that the Taliban had killed…
How the War in Ukraine Is Shaking up the Global Arms Industry
The struggles of Russian weapons manufacturers have added to historic shifts in the global arms market. On March 21, 2023, India’s air force confirmed that a major Russian arms delivery would not…
Why Ukraine Is Increasingly a Nuclear Headache for World Powers
Concern over Russia’s potential use of nuclear weapons has been a constant feature of the Ukraine war. But Moscow has several ways to complicate Washington’s global nuclear outlook. On March…
How Complicit Governments Support the Drug Trade
Several governments or government entities play a double game of enforcing some drug laws while ignoring others. Their reasons vary, and history proves it will be difficult to stop. The…
Why a Small City in Ukraine Is a Focal Point in the War
The small Ukrainian city of Bakhmut has seemingly limited strategic significance. But coupled with its growing psychological value, Russia will continue attempting to take the city, despite high casualties, by…
How Many Ukrainian Refugees Will Return Home?
Millions of Ukrainians have fled the country since Russia’s invasion in February 2022. The longer the war continues, the less likely they are to return, with dire consequences for Ukraine.…
Moscow’s Leverage in the Balkans
Since September, Kosovo’s fragile stability that has endured since 1999, following intervention by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), has grown progressively precarious. Clashes between ethnic Serbians and Kosovo security forces saw Serbia’s military placed…
How Organized Crime Plays a Key Role in the Ukrainian Conflict
On November 1, the deputy director of Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation downplayed remarks made on October 30 by an agency official, who warned of Western weapons bound for Ukraine being smuggled…
Sanctions Batter Russia as the Kremlin Attempts to Overcome Them
Western economic punishments on Russia continue to severely limit its economic prospects. But they also risk hastening the development of sanctions evasion techniques and rival economic mechanisms outside the control…
Chinese Geopolitical Inroads Into Central Asia Are Coming at Russia’s Expense
The Ukraine war has revitalized the silent competition between China and Russia in Central Asia. Despite the steady shift in China’s favor since the Soviet collapse, Russia’s entrenched influence and…
Why Support for Ukraine Could Dwindle in the Final Months of 2022
With the U.S. midterm elections looming and Europe’s economic situation deteriorating, the threat of reduced international support for Ukraine could limit Kyiv’s options heading into the new year. Since February…
How Europe Has Navigated Its Energy Crises
A multifaceted response from Europe has so far prevented its energy woes from creating widespread social and economic destabilization. But with winter approaching, the crisis is far from over and…
Iranian and Turkish Moves to Join Shanghai Cooperation Organization Raise Its Profile
While far from an alliance, the SCO is increasingly utilized for managing Eurasian affairs without traditional Western mechanisms and organizations. Held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, from September 15 to 16, the 2022…
Understanding Libya’s Relentless Destabilization
Libya’s competing domestic actors are being exploited by foreign powers seeking to downplay their role in the fragile country. After leading a military coup in 1969, Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi cemented his…
France’s Influence in Africa Faces Strains From Locals and Foreign Competitors
The recent visit by French President Emmanuel Macron to Algeria is an attempt by Paris to hold on to the economic and cultural control it once had over its former…
Where Does Russia Receive Its Aid From?
While Ukraine has received enormous aid from around the world since the Russian invasion began in February, open support for Russia should not be dismissed. On August 24, Ukraine’s independence…
Did Nancy Pelosi Accelerate Chinese-Russian Military Cooperation With Her Taiwan Visit?
China had warned of “serious consequences” in the lead-up to the visit but has avoided any significant military escalation so far. Following the chaotic U.S. departure from Afghanistan in August…
Russia and the European Union Continue Transition to Wartime Economies
Russia and the West have signaled their intent to commit to a long-term confrontation over Ukraine. While Russia has clearly felt the effect of sanctions, the EU remains vulnerable to…
The Kremlin Seeks to Exploit Growing Wariness Over Refugees in Europe
Instability and rising living costs have caused significant growth in refugee and other migrant numbers globally. The opportunity to exploit the crisis will not be missed by other countries, most…
The Ukraine War Is Accelerating the New Space Race
The suspension of collaborative projects between Russian and Western space agencies will enhance their traditional rivalries. But the new space race is also being driven by other countries—as well as…
Why Biden Can’t Woo the Middle East
For decades, U.S. policy in the Middle East has relied on coordination with the Saudi-led Gulf states, Israel, Egypt and Turkey. Since the Obama administration, however, relations between Washington and its core…
What Would a Potential CSTO Intervention in Ukraine Look Like?
While Russia’s original and shifting objectives in Ukraine remain unclear, the Kremlin is increasingly wary of a publicized, drawn-out conflict. A potential intervention by its military alliance, the Collective Security…
The War in Ukraine Is Sending Russia-China Relations in New Directions
While the Ukraine crisis may put some strain on the Chinese-Russian relationship, it has also spurred deeper collaboration between them. Based on a shared desire to undermine the United States’…
Why Is China Fanning the Flames of Ethnic Politics in the Balkans?
The fragile geopolitical nature of the Balkans has allowed Russia to consistently undermine Western integration attempts in the region. While foreign interference is nothing new in Europe’s underbelly, it has…
Why It’s Time to Take the Russian-Led Military Alliance Seriously
The intervention by the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in Kazakhstan marks a change for multinational security both regionally and around the world. The Russian-led military alliance, the Collective Security…
Why Xinjiang Has Been a Touchy Subject in China for Centuries
China’s increasing security measures in Xinjiang reflect its historical territorial vulnerability and concerns over internal stability. Balancing these with its international ambitions and foreign relations will be no easy feat.…
Historical Differences Will Not Erode an Advantageous 21st-Century Chinese-Russian Partnership
Cautious cooperation, lingering distrust, and outright conflict have characterized the Sino-Russian relationship for hundreds of years. But alongside natural reasons to collaborate, a shared animosity toward the United States ensures…
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