Russia-CIS

Rafaeil Christiano The world is fixated on oil prices again. Tankers, benchmarks, and barrels dominate the headlines. But this time, the real shock is not only flowing through energy markets—it is quietly seeping into the soil. What is at stake in the Strait of Hormuz is not just …

Dr. Nadya Helmi China’s entry into the tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz in April 2026 was no longer merely cautious diplomacy or statements of condemnation but rather a direct strategic intervention to protect its vital economic interests. This signals the beginning of a larger, but risky, political …

Alexandre Loerke The latest energy crisis stemming from the war in Iran and the ensuing closure of the strait of Hormuz is shining a light on a major challenge to EU strategic autonomy: Europe remains largely dependent on fossil fuel imports for its energy. The full-scale invasion of …

Dr. Shehab Al-Makahleh There comes a moment in every geopolitical crisis when diplomacy ceases to be a pathway to resolution and becomes, instead, an instrument of entrapment. That moment has arrived. What we are witnessing is not the breakdown of negotiations—it is their transformation into a mechanism of …

Carla Davies Sudan’s self-appointed leader Abdel Fattah al-Burhan is finding that his co-dependent relationship with the country’s Islamist-Muslim Brotherhood elite is beginning to run interference on his relations with the Gulf States and his ability to restock his arsenal. He is, as Africa Intelligence recently reported, struggling to …

Digital ad spend worldwide is estimated to hit $836 billion in 2026. However, a big chunk of this ad spend will not be seen by a human eye. In fact, according to a study done by Juniper Research, ad fraud in digital advertising worldwide will hit over $100 …

Peter Rodgers In U.S.–Iran relations, there has been no shortage of “critical moments.” Yet what is unfolding today is of a different nature. Not simply because a 40-day war has taken place between the two sides but because, for the first time, military instruments and a diplomatic opening …

Dr. Shehab Al-Makahleh Diplomacy, in the Middle East, rarely arrives as a gesture of peace. More often, it emerges as an extension of war by other means—language replacing artillery, but not intent. The recent U.S.-brokered meeting in Washington on April 14, 2026—bringing together representatives of Lebanon and Israel …

Lawrence J. Haas Iran’s economy is already crippled, but still resilient. The US economy is less threatened, but its political system is less tolerant of short-term economic pain. With its blockade of the Strait of Hormuz now in place, Washington faces the twin challenge of maintaining it in …