All Articles

The war in the Middle East is quietly reshaping the balance of power in Ukraine. Russia didn’t need to plan it, act on it or fire a single shot to make it happen. Since the start of the U.S.–Israeli conflict with Iran, the attention has focused on escalation risks, energy markets, and regional instability, but when we zoom out, and look outside the immediate battlefield, there is an additional story taking place: Russia is emerging as one of the primary beneficiaries of the w

The private and public sectors are increasingly intertwined when it comes to national security. Corporations need to guard themselves against external threats as governments are integrating private technology into their supply chain. This is not a new phenomenon but it is becoming increasingly complex after global market liberalisation and the reduction of trade barriers leading to economic integration. If the last six years have taught us anything, it is that geopolitical st

It has been quite the week since Donald Trump’s social media post issued on Easter morning. Many American conservative commentators that were supportive of his MAGA agenda believe that this pronouncement appears fairly unhinged. Although, in Trump fashion and concerned for the stock market volatility, he followed his usual TACO decision-making process by announcing a ceasefire with the attacks on Iran. It is difficult to understand the full process that he follows to make th

For citizens of western states, it is difficult to imagine what it feels like to live in a failed state. There are almost zero public services, the feeling of insecurity is rampant, and the people in charge can be anyone from proclaimed elected officials or a local drug lord. Failed states run the gamut of how far along statehood has spiralled into chaos. For Haitians, they are on life support as an anaemic failed state. Jean-Germain Gros provides a detailed description of a

This week’s episode covers the arrival of Russian oil tankers to Cuba, the Houthis entering the Middle East conflict and a special guest contributor to discuss the upcoming election in Hungary.

While most of the world is looking at the current crisis in the Strait of Hormuz, northern European nations have been concerned about maritime traffic that flows through the Baltic Sea for several years. After Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, two countries were so alarmed by the escalation that they decided it was time to join NATO. Finland and Sweden, who share a land border with Russia, believe that joining the alliance will help bolster the military alliance. This has been

Introduction: In the 21 st century, the presence of drones, planes, satellites and long-range missiles seems to have ‘shortened’ if not downright eliminated distance as a geopolitical hurdle. Couple this with the introduction of cyberwarfare as a new dimension of modern conflict, and it may be tempting to believe that geography is no longer relevant in modern international affairs. That is not the case. Today’s global economy, while vast and interconnected, depends upon a nu

The Strait of Hormuz blockade is the second time in the last few years where military conflict is impacting energy security. After Russia's invasion of Ukraine, energy trade relationships were shattered leading many governments to question how to securitise their energy dependency and buffer themselves from future shocks. Renewable energy has increased dramatically, especially in Asian countries, which has helped in the current crisis. Many countries can boast that they are s

Engines, luxury, branding and status, these are some of the words that come to mind when Formula 1 comes to conversation. If you know a little about F1 you will associate them directly to the Monaco Gran Prix with it’s street circuit, expensive hotels and yachts in sight, but with a deeper dive in the sport you’ll notice that actually, some of the really high prestige Grand Prix are the ones taking place in Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Unfortunately on March 14t

Moving money across borders is meant to follow compliance rules and regulations that are set by governments and followed by the financial institutions. This was already a difficult process to enforce with shadowy LLCs and offshore banking. If you do not want to pay high taxes or you do not want to devalue your wealth in exchange for other currencies, moving money behind the scenes was your best bet for a long time. The cost would be a new company name, registering that compan

Introduction: Somaliland constitutes one of the most durable and paradoxical cases of de facto state in the contemporary international system. Former British protectorate that became independent in 1960, before unifying a few days later with former Italian Somalia, the territory in the northern region in the Horn of Africa declared its independence in 1991. Taking advantage of the civil war during this period, Somaliland has since been able to administer its territory, reinfo

This week’s podcast episode includes the Afghanistan-Pakistan conflict, Energy security during the Strait of Hormuz blockage, and Serbia’s military acquisition from China.

Following US-Israeli strikes against Iran, Tehran has threatened to attack vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly 20% of global oil and liquefied gas flows in normal times. The threat has pushed oil prices upward and raised concerns about global supply chains. Most of these fossil fuel shipments are bound for Asia, particularly China, India, Japan and South Korea. An Iranian official has suggested that Tehran is considering allowing limited oil t

Most of the current discussions around energy security is centred around the Strait of Hormuz. The conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran has disrupted the Middle East in a way that is incalculable in many sectors but access to black gold has destabilised stock markets and made many countries vulnerable to further economic shocks. A quick result from this conflict is not likely and Wall Street analysts believe that the crude supply will drop to 12 million barrel

Over the course of the war in Ukraine and now with the conflict in Iran and the broader region, news coverage has been filled with discussions about drones, missiles, their range, destructive power, and cost. Yet what is often missing from public discussions is that these weapons not only have a direct outcome on the battlefield, but there are even deeper implications:they define what strategic options a country actually has. A state that is capable of striking its adversarie

Introduction : As the US-Israeli campaign against Iran escalates, Western Europe is finding itself in an increasingly uncomfortable geopolitical position. Governments across the continent have advocated for a de-escalation, but that appears unlikely in the short term. Despite the urge for peace, an increasing number of European naval vessels are making their way to the eastern Mediterranean. This contradiction exposes a strategic dilemma facing Western European allies. While

The motto of Silicon Valley is “Move Fast and Break Things,” but when it comes to Artificial Intelligence, the potential of this technology could lead to some pretty devastating consequences. What the United States has planned for the future of AI in the military is an important topic to understand and what will be its global repercussions. We are already beginning to see those implications in the Middle East as well as the discussions between the US government and AI tech co

Iran’s influence over the Middle East through proxy groups is going through a significant moment. It is difficult to imagine being bombarded by American and Israeli missiles while trying to connect with leaders from Hezbollah, who are in a similar situation being under fire from Israeli bombardments. Since Hezbollah receives monetary and munitions support from Iran, it could not have been unforeseen that the proxy group would retaliate against Israel after the killing of Iran

This week’s podcast episode includes the Afghanistan-Pakistan conflict, Canada-Australia treaty for critical minerals, China's security spending for 2026 and lowest GDP growth. We also included a bonus section that gives updates on the US-Israel-Iran war.

I sat down with the nail artist whom I first visited. Eyes to eyes, hands to hands for at least an hour. It is inevitable to have conversations to break the awkward silence. Having an expat in a foreign country. The kickstarting of the questions is always “Where are you from?” “Hong Kong.” I replied and smiled, and was ready for the bunch of expected questions. “So, what language do you speak?” The nail artist asked. “I speak Cantonese.” She thought about it for a while and