Society

Paula Krugman For much of the past century and a half, oil markets have followed a familiar script. A geopolitical shock erupts, prices rise—often sharply—but the initial reaction tends to understate the depth and duration of the disruption. Only later, as physical constraints bite and expectations adjust, does …

Mohammed Ayoob President Donald Trump’s decision to strike Iran arose from a severe misunderstanding of US interests in the Middle East. President Donald Trump had long been opposed to US military involvement in wars in the Middle East. He had excoriated previous administrations for their military involvement in …

Frank Vogl Just recently, a “bomb” exploded in downtown Frankfurt when it finally became apparent that the Hilton Hotel there is part of the overseas investment network of the Iranian regime. Booking.com has suspended the hotel from its reservation service on news that a major investor in the …

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 …

Stephan Richter The U.S. Constitution has always been risky business for the U.S. political economy domestically insofar as it imposes 18th century values onto the 21st century.  These features include its de facto unamendability, the disproportional weight it assigns to rural populations, its implicit dislike of any elements …

Last week, the Pentagon disclosed that the US-led military manufacturing partnership (PIPIR) is assessing funding for a major new ammunition assembly and production line in the Philippines. Under its ultra-conservative PM Sanae Takaichi, Japan is taking the lead to set up a new program to produce propulsion systems …

Athaniasios Patias Most analyses of recent American actions—from Venezuela to Iran—start from the same premise: that US policy has become erratic, reactive, and overly dependent on the instincts of President Donald Trump. This reading is intuitively appealing and strategically misleading. What appears as fragmentation is, on closer inspection, …

As the war in Iran impacts President Donald Trump’s legacy, Political tensions rise for Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, both seen as potential successors to Trump. They are involved in negotiations to help end the war while the Republican Party considers its future …

The WTO’s Digital Crossroads: Why a Permanent E‑Commerce Moratorium Would Be a Mistake For nearly three decades, a quiet but crucial agreement has underpinned the explosive growth of global digital trade. The WTO’s moratorium on customs duties for electronic transmissions—first struck in 1998 when the internet was still …