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T is for tariffs

If the quick freeze and attempted shut down of American foreign assistance through USAID was not enough, on February 10 U.S. President Donald Trump...

EU officially implements landmark AI law

The EU officially implemented its new landmark AI law on February 2, aiming to ensure safety and ethical use of Artificial Intelligence. The European...

Trump administration unleashes first sanctions on Iranian shadow fleet

On February 6, the Department of the Treasury unleashed the first wave of the new Trump administration’s economic sanctions using the tried-and-true U.S. Government/Treasury...

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...

Tokayev: Kazakhstan strengthens foreign policy, economic potential

Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said his primary goal is to strengthen the economic potential, sovereignty, and international standing of his Central Asian country. Since...

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...

Transforming Central Asia from a frontier market to a stable investment

Central Asia is considered a frontier market. However, at least two of the five countries that constitute this region, namely Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, are...

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...

EU searches for alternatives before Russian gas to Europe via Ukraine stops

The Ukrainian government has repeatedly stated that it will not extend a transit agreement, which has provided political, commercial, technical and legal grounds for...

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...

Bulgaria and Romania become full Schengen area countries

As from January 1, 2025, travel will become possible without land border controls to and between Bulgaria and Romania. This follows a unanimous decision...

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...

A Christmas Carol for the new European Commission

In the novel “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens it is noted that “there is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter...

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...

Georgia’s political confrontation continues at low boil

It is difficult to find anyone other than current government officials from the “Georgian Dream” party that will claim the country’s October 26 Parliamentary...

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...

Azerbaijan’s space shot: Satellites tracking climate change clues

The Space Agency of Azerbaijan sees the UN’s annual climate conference (COP29) currently taking place in Baku as an opportunity to extend global collaboration...

The Key Issue for a new Government

After 14 years in the political wilderness, the new UK Labour government could be excused for being somewhat rusty when it comes to running...

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...

Maia Sandu’s slim win: Moldova struggles between Europe and tradition

The results of Moldova’s recent presidential elections and referendum are final. President Maia Sandu won a re-election bid, while a referendum to cement the...

Addressing Caspian Sea shrinkage requires a collective response

Protecting the Caspian Sea is critical.  As the UN’s annual climate conference (COP29) approaches, the gradual drop of the Caspian Sea's water level is...

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...

Georgia’s democratic election dream becomes a screamer

Georgia’s October 26 Parliamentary elections did not hold up as “free and fair” even under the lightest of scrutiny. Despite the presence of a...

Kazakhstan’s bold leap towards establishing an academic hub

The ConnectED 2024 conference, held in Astana on October 17-18, marked a significant milestone in Kazakhstan’s ambition to become a leading academic and research...

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...

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...

Kazakhstan opts for nuclear power following national referendum

Following an October 6 national referendum on the construction of a nuclear power plant in Kazakhstan, an overwhelming majority of voters, totaling 5,561,937 people...

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...

In energy-rich Azerbaijan, COP29 preview targets a greener future

Ahead of the UN’s annual climate conference, COP29, key stakeholders from policy, private sector, finance, trade and investment, civil society, cities, regions, science and...

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...

A Source of Growth?

The most overused word at the moment has to be “growth.” From the politically naïve (or stupid) and thankfully short UK premiership of Liz...

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...

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