Russia

BRICS+ meets in Rio amid global shifts and internal fractures

As leaders of the group gather for a summit, the absence of China’s Xi and Russia’s Putin shifts the spotlight to India’s Modi and Brazil’s Lula

Broken promises, rising risks: The collapse of US–Iran nuclear talks

The US must treat Iran’s nuclear programme separately from its regional activities and Iran must pair its calls for sovereignty with genuine transparency and restraint

Rearm Europe: More of a political move than a military one

Europe’s Rearm Europe initiative faces hurdles in achieving its military goals but signals a clear political message to the US and Russia

Anti-System Extremisms

An Unnatural Convergence: Hard Right and Radical Left in Their Anti-Westernism and Fascination with Russia


The Division of the West: A Collective Suicide?

Eroded trust has exposed economic divides. Divergent US-Europe threat perceptions now drive policy splits on defense and sanctions

Russia’s Return to Maximalism

Pseudo-moralistic harangues claim Minsk agreements were deceptive exercises to arm Ukraine, manipulating history and ignoring deterrence’s role in preventing global conflict

America first? USAID budget cuts could hit Ethiopia hard

Trump’s USAID budget cuts could reshape global aid, threatening Ethiopia’s stability and opening doors for Chinese and Russian influence

Trump signals a trans-Atlantic shift

The Oval Office meltdown indicates a hardening of stance by the Trump team, which has outed Zelenskyy and given short shrift to the Europeans

Oval Office meltdown could mean curtains for a liberal global order

Deepening transatlantic discord could leave space for authoritarian powers to reshape international norms in their favour

A SHAMEFUL SPECTACLE WITH FAR-REACHING REPERCUSSIONS

Politics in this century astonishes with declining leadership, powerful nations embracing strength over law, and oppressive states gaining global legitimacy