Russia-CIS

The Iran War has tightened global gas markets, but Russia no longer has the flexibility, routes, or market power to turn turmoil into strategic gain. When the Iran War disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and tightened global gas balances, a familiar assumption quickly resurfaced: Russia, possessing the largest proven natural gas …

Italy has refused permission for U.S. military aircraft to use a key air base in Sicily for operations linked to the Middle East, according to a source familiar with the matter. The decision concerns the Naval Air Station Sigonella, a strategic hub frequently used for NATO and U.S. …

Hosein Mortada The United States doesn’t just export goods, services, or technology. Its most powerful export—the one that underpins everything else—is the United States dollar. That export is now facing a slow, strategic challenge. This is not a crisis that will unfold overnight, nor one defined by dramatic …

Nikolas K. Gvosdev The “world war” of the 18th century, with its shifting coalitions and proxy fronts, is more akin to the 21st century’s wars than the 20th century’s. At the close of the classic 1990 episode of The Simpsons, “Bart the General,” Bart Simpson solemnly intones that …

Peter Suciu Chinese research vessels have spent years studying the world’s seafloor for ostensibly civilian purposes—but have specifically done so in locations with high military significance. In October 2021, the United States Navy’s Seawolf-class fast-attack submarine USS Connecticut (SSN-22) collided with an uncharted seamount in the South China …

Justin Mitchell Both Moscow and Beijing stand to benefit from a prolonged war between the United States and Iran. Iran is isolated, fighting a war for its survival. Yet China and Russia, Iran’s supposed partners, are conspicuously absent. Both countries condemned the attacks on Iran and called for …

Dr. Shehab Al-Makahleh There are moments in history when the stage is stripped bare, when the actors—once draped in grandeur—are revealed as mere performers reciting borrowed lines. The current war orbiting Iran, the United States, and Israel is one such moment: a geopolitical drama that would make Niccolò Machiavelli nod …

Lama Al-Rakad Russia’s recent strategic moves in the Eastern Mediterranean, particularly in coastal areas, highlight a recurring pattern in geopolitics: powers that neglect to empower local populations often achieve only temporary gains. Using George Friedman’s analytical framework, this article examines how Russia’s reliance on direct military and economic …

Laurence Norman The prospects of a diplomatic deal ending the war between the U.S. and Iran look dim right now. But Middle East veterans say there is a pathway for an agreement if the two sides want to engage. Mediators from Turkey, Egypt and Pakistan are pushing for …