Diplomacy
Georgia’s Government Has Suspended Its EU Bid. The Protests Show That Foreign Policy Can Become a Question of National Identity.
Georgia has returned to the centre of the struggle over Europe’s political boundaries. On 28 November, Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced that his government would suspend efforts to begin European Union accession negotiations until 2028,…
Rich Countries Have Agreed to Provide $300 Billion a Year for Developing Countries. The Argument Is Whether That Number Is Large or Almost Meaningless.
The COP29 climate summit in Baku ended this weekend with developed countries agreeing to take the lead in mobilising at least $300 billion per year for developing countries by 2035, replacing the old $100 billion…
BRICS Is Getting Bigger. The More Important Question Is Whether More Members Actually Means More Power.
The BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, concluded this week with leaders from an expanded group attempting to present something increasingly visible in international politics: the institutions created after the Second World War no longer reflect…
BRICS Is Getting Bigger. The More Important Question Is Whether More Members Actually Means More Power.
The BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, concluded this week with leaders from an expanded group attempting to present something increasingly visible in international politics: the institutions created after the Second World War no longer reflect…
Iran Has Fired Ballistic Missiles at Israel Again. The Problem With “Restoring Deterrence” Is That Both Sides Are Trying to Do It at the Same Time.
Iran launched roughly 180 ballistic missiles at Israel on 1 October, its second direct attack on the country this year and a major escalation from the shadow war that defined their relationship for decades. Iran…
Israel Has Killed Hassan Nasrallah. Hezbollah Has Lost Its Leader of 32 Years. The Harder Question Is What Comes After Decapitation.
Israel has killed Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s secretary-general since 1992 and one of the most influential political and military figures in the Middle East, in a massive air strike on Hezbollah’s underground headquarters in southern Beirut.
Modi Went to Moscow in July and Kyiv in August. That Is Not Neutrality. It Is India Trying to Maximise Diplomatic Freedom.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Kyiv on 23 August, becoming the first Indian prime minister to visit Ukraine since diplomatic relations were established between the two countries in 1992. The symbolism was unusually strong…
France Has Blocked the Far Right From Power. That Does Not Mean the Political Problem Producing the Far Right Has Been Solved.
France’s snap parliamentary election has produced one of the strangest outcomes in recent European politics. After the National Rally finished first in the opening round and appeared capable of winning a parliamentary majority, the second…
France’s Election Has Become a Test of Whether Blocking the Far Right Is Enough to Keep the Political Centre Alive.
France voted today in the first round of a snap parliamentary election that President Emmanuel Macron called after Marine Le Pen’s National Rally (RN) decisively defeated his coalition in the European Parliament elections earlier this…
The G7 Is Lending Ukraine $50 Billion Against Profits From Frozen Russian Assets. That Sounds Technical. It Is Actually a Major Change in How Economic Power Is Used in War.
The G7 agreed this week to provide Ukraine with roughly $50 billion in new financing, using the future profits generated by frozen Russian sovereign assets as the economic foundation for repayment. Most of Russia’s immobilised…
Narendra Modi Won a Third Term. Indian Voters Also Took Away His Party’s Majority. Both Facts Matter.
Narendra Modi was sworn in today for a third consecutive term as prime minister of India, but he begins that term under a political structure very different from the one that governed India for the…
Iran Just Attacked Israel Directly for the First Time. The Most Dangerous Part Is That Both Sides May Believe They Can Control What Happens Next.
Iran launched more than 300 drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles towards Israel overnight on 13–14 April, marking an extraordinary escalation from the decades-long shadow conflict between the two states into direct military confrontation. Israel…
