Geostrategic Media Political Commentary, Analysis, Security, Defense
This November, Iraqis will once again head to the polls for parliamentary elections. Yet the outcome will be shaped less by formal parties than by the entrenched networks of militias that dominate Iraq’s political and security landscape. Since the last elections in October 2021—and the subsequent mass protests …
August, 2025
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28 August
India’s Russian Oil Gains Wiped Out by U.S. Tariffs, Threatening Trade and Jobs
Sana Khan The U.S. imposed punitive tariffs of up to 50% on Indian imports, effective Wednesday, targeting India’s trade and potentially undoing the gains from Russian oil purchases. BackgroundAccording to an analysis by Reuters, India benefited financially from increased imports of discounted Russian oil after the outbreak of …
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28 August
Justice Deferred, Faith Under Fire: The Perilous Plight of Christians in Pakistan
Dimitra Staikou As the ancient Greek historian Thucydides observed, “The strong reach as far as their strength allows, and the weak reach as far as their weakness permits.” In Pakistan, the weak—its tiny Christian minority—are struggling under the weight of relentless persecution and legal vulnerability. Comprising just 1.6% …
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25 August
Geopolitics vs. Development: G20-Africa Pushes a New Vision for the Global South
In an interview with Modern Diplomacy in mid-August 2025, Ms. Tandiwe Thelma Mgxwati, Minister Plenipotentiary and Charge d’Affaires a.i. at the South African Embassy, discussed South Africa’s presidency of the G20 and its influence on Africa in the context of geopolitical changes. Tandiwe Mgxwati further underlined the African …
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25 August
From Isolation to Integration
Noureen Akhtar It was no normal day in Kabul on the 20th of August 2025. The city, once ravaged by war and suspicion, welcomed an event that could redraw the region’s map, the sixth Pakistan-Afghanistan-China trilateral meeting. For decades, Afghanistan has been considered a theater of disorder, characterized …
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25 August
The End of New START: Is a New US-Russia Arms Race on the Horizon?
Bushra Ikram The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), the only remaining bilateral arms control agreement between the United States (US) and Russia, is set to expire on February 5, 2026. The New START, which accounted for 90 percent of the world’s nuclear weapons, was signed in …
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25 August
Ukraine: The War Nobody Knows How to End
ATHANASIOS G. PLATIAS Wars Are Easy to Start—and harder to End Starting a war is simple; ending one is far harder. The problem of war termination has long been neglected in both international relations theory and diplomatic practice. The assumption has always been that battlefield victory would automatically …
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20 August
Commercial Diplomacy Needs Good Governance
Good governance is imperative for successful private sector operations. Stable, predictable, and efficient business operations relyon a strong enabling environment with predictable rules and practices. How to ensure that such conducive conditions continue was the subject of a pair of roundtables hosted in July at the Center for …
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20 August
What Would Security Guarantees in Ukraine Look Like?
In the August 18 meeting between European leaders, Ukraine, and the United States, multiple officials stressed the importance of security guarantees for Ukraine that were Article V–like. These guarantees, especially in the absence of a ceasefire to support negotiations, would need to include foreign troops and monitors on …
