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Global Affairs

Tariff Trouble in Trump Town

President Trump has had many a cartoon about him as a child throwing toys and anything to hand out of the playpen. Now, of...

Global reaction to Trump tariffs only reinforces his use of this tired and risky strategy

True to form, U.S. President Donald Trump disrupted global markets with a three-day surge of tariff announcements, border security negotiations and ultimately a 30-day...

The New Face of an Old Enemy: The renewed dangers of ISIS and al-Qaeda

A dangerous cocktail of indifference and complacency enabled al-Qaeda to evolve from a shadowy fringe network in the early 1990s into one of the...

Donald Trump is inaugurated amidst promises of security, stability and prosperity

After storming a frigid Washington D.C. during his extended inauguration festivities on January 20, Donald J Trump, America’s 47th and 45th President, launched a...

The heat is on Trump’s fossil fuel push, climate change pushback

2024 has officially been confirmed as the warmest year on record, with global temperatures surpassing the 1.5°C threshold mentioned in the Paris Agreement, Alberto...

The Biden administration’s parting gift to Russia: Still more sanctions

Clearly working overtime to underscore the Biden administration’s desire to inflict maximum economic pain on Moscow and its coterie of Ukraine invasion supporters outside...

Undeclared “open season” on energy infrastructure in Europe

Russia is claiming it has shot down nine Ukrainian drones that tried to attack the TurkStream pipeline, which carries Russian gas to Europe through...

Righteous indignation over Maduro’s inauguration unlikely to change Venezuela’s dark reality

President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela was sworn in on January 10 for his third six-year term. Promising that his third term would be one...

Stringent new energy sector sanctions on Russia announced

On January 10, the U.S. Government released a massive new listing of over 200 entities and individuals involved in Russia’s energy sector for Ukraine-related...

Interview: The spirit of democracy is still alive in the minds of the Korean people

During the Stratcom Summit '24 in Istanbul (mid-December), South Korean Professor Giwoong Jung, based at Seoul's Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, discussed his perspectives...

Stock Market or Not Market

So, what is a market? Obviously, it is somewhere where you can buy and sell “stuff.” In a successful economy having a market to...

NATO and EU strengthen Baltic Sea infrastructure protection after Estlink2 undersea power cable damaged

The damage of an undersea power cable off the coast of Finland in the Baltic Sea is the latest in a series of suspected...

After Baku, Belem COP to strengthen Paris Agreement

After the controversial agreement at COP29 in Baku, NE Global sat down with Professor Gregg Walker, a COP veteran, for a close analysis of...

Is there any hope for a democratic and peaceful Syria?

Most observers will argue that a democratic and peaceful Syria is just a pipedream, but at least in the first weeks since Bashar-al-Assad’s rushed...

United States-Japan-Philippines inaugural maritime dialogue focuses on Chinese provocations

The United States, Philippines, and Japan raised “serious concerns” over China’s repeated blocking and continuing harassment of Philippine vessels in the West Philippine Sea...

OPEC+ postpones plans to increase production over supply unease

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allies including Russia, known collectively as OPEC+, decided on December 5 to delay its planned...

Democrats and Republicans agree, the Athens embassy posting has become a sinecure

The Trump administration has just confirmed what some had suspected for several years now -- that the posting to Athens as U.S. Ambassador has...

Resources for the Common Good: New Taxation in Times of Crisis

Do you wonder whether the world is crumbling before your eyes? If so, you are not alone. The global human rights map is alarming:...

Biden administration takes final steps to counter global corruption and human rights abuses

Announcing a global grab-bag of new sanctions, possibly some of its last, the Biden administration took major steps on December 9 by authorizing new...

Facing mounting challenges, new EU Commission takes office

Amidst global geopolitical turmoil, the European Commission of Ursula von der Leyen officially took office on December 1 with the President pledging that over...

Starvation in Sudan

Aid workers have warned that one of the worst famines in decades could be under way in Sudan, a country in the middle of...

COP29: Multilateral diplomatic stalemate circumvented

COP29 in Baku ended in the early hours of November 24, reaching a compromise deal on finance that will advance the global climate agenda...

Lula’s G20 Rio Summit: Forgettable but not inconsequential

Seen from the perspective of a week after the November 19-20 Rio de Janeiro Summit, but before the event has completely receded into the...

U.S. sanctions Russian banks, finance officials and securities registrars

The U.S. announced on November 21 new sanctions targeting Russia’s largest remaining non-designated bank (Gazprombank), as well as dozens of other financial institutions and...

Washington targets Syrian conglomerate funding Iran and Houthis

On November 14 the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned 26 companies, individuals, and vessels associated with the...

Dear Democrats, about that Harris coronation last summer….

Back in July, we took exception to the decisions by the leadership of the Democratic Party to anoint Kamala Harris to take over President...

Allies condemn the DPRK’s deployment of troops to Russia

The G7 countries, the EU as well as Australia, South Korea, and New Zealand on November 6 expressed "grave concern" over the deployment of...

How French Neocolonialism converges with Iranian terrorism

France raised one billion euros "for the people of Lebanon," with a declared goal “to provide humanitarian aid." French President Emmanuel Macron even made...

IMF pronounces victory over inflation while sounding debt and tariff warnings

The 2024 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank Group (WBG) took place in Washington D.C. from October 21...

EU-GCC to expand cooperation on green energy, minerals, and bringing peace to Ukraine

The EU heads of state and government and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) held their first summit on October 16 in Brussels under the...

Drone producers in China and Russia face new U.S. sanctions

In recent months, the Biden administration’s sanctions taskmasters at the State and Treasury Departments have clearly gone into overdrive, designating new targets/entities at least...

The complex politics of Caspian gas

For the countries bordering the Caspian Sea, gas has always been a major economic resource and, in most cases, one of the biggest contributors...

U.S. expands sanctions on Iranian petroleum sector, targeting “ghost fleet”

In the aftermath of Iran’s unprecedented October 1 ballistic missile attack against Israel, Washington made it clear that Iran would face consequences for its...

Washington orders new sanctions against Hamas’ sham fundraising network

Going after key elements of the Hamas European fundraising network on the anniversary of the Gaza war, on October 7 the U.S. Treasury Department’s...

Strategic Partnership or Strategic Risk? France’s Deepening Ties with Qatar

It has recently marked the half-year anniversary since France and Qatar announced a strategic partnership that will see the emirate invest €10 billion into...

Development of the Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions: an integrative future vision

When the issue at hand is as significant as the integration between world religions in terms of shared values and collective thinking, it is...

Supplying Russia and Iran, Armenia emerges as a new sanctions black hole

For the past two years, Armenia has been attempting to demonstrate its shift towards the West, all the while maintaining its geopolitical role as...

UNGA 2024 overshadowed by Middle East turmoil

At the end of September, as usual, most of the world’s leaders converge on New York for the annual UN General Assembly (UNGA) session...

Georgian officials sanctioned for anti-democratic actions and human rights abuses

In the continuing wave of new sanctions announcements this month against actors who are seen as undermining democracy and abusing human rights, the Biden...

Interview: Afghanistan military mission veteran lays out Hungarian EU Presidency goals

In 2008-2009, one of Hungary's most successful military missions took place in Bhaglan Province, Afghanistan. That mission was led by Zsolt Sándor, Hungary's current...

G7 Foreign Ministers condemn Tehran’s export and Russia’s procurement of Iranian ballistic missiles

The foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) industrialized powers condemned on September 14 "in the strongest terms" Iran's sales and Russia's purchases...

Venezuela’s democratic opposition leader driven out, despite probable victory

The departure on September 7 former Venezuelan opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez for exile in Spain likely marks the end of the latest opportunity...

Washington hits back at Russia’s covert influence activities aimed at 2024 U.S. elections

In a wide series of actions on September 4, the Biden administration froze Kremlin-run websites and charged two Russian state media employees in its...

The European Legion’s Activities in Libya

NATO seems to be seeking to intervene in Libya’s internal affairs and impose its control over the Libyan people’s oil and gas capabilities using...

China’s “dangerous and escalatory” activities against the Philippines in the South China Sea sparks condemnation from Washington

On August 31, the U.S. Department of State issued a strongly worded statement condemning the latest in a series of dangerous and escalatory actions...

Global mobilization for mpox emergency begins to take shape

Days after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared this summer’s mpox (formerly called monkeypox when discovered in 1958) outbreaks in Africa a global emergency...

EU must strengthen financial protections for Hong Kong activists

Imagine leaving your homeland to escape tyranny, only to find the oppressive regime you fled can still reach you, manipulating your financial lifelines. This...

UN forced to admit Hamas operatives infiltrated UNRWA staff

The United Nations acknowledged on August 5 that nine staff members of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNWRA) may...

Unified western response to Venezuela’s fraudulent election stymied

Street protests expanded on July 31 in Caracas, as thousands took action to demand that President Nicolas Maduro accept defeat in Venezuela’s July 28...

Living on the Fulcrum Point

In the summer of 2024, we are on a fulcrum point, namely, the key balancing point of a vital situation, and if we were...

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