Denis MacShane An old political saying “First count the votes” is even more relevant today. And yet, the wannabe leaders of France and Britain, Jordan Bardella and Nigel Farage, seem to have forgotten it. That is perhaps the best explanation why the far-right in Paris and London is …

Daniah Orkoubi   From Adam Smith, the pioneer of the classical school, and his concept of the invisible hand that regulates markets, to Milton Friedman, the theorist of the neo-capitalist school, the state’s role has traditionally been limited to that of an economic regulator. Governments’ job was to …

Lisdey Espinoza Pedraza Long before Nicolás Maduro was captured on January 3, 2026, the United States had been laying the rhetorical and strategic groundwork for escalation. Under Donald Trump’s second presidency, Venezuela was increasingly framed as a security threat rather than a diplomatic challenge. Public warnings intensified, sanctions …

For years, the United Arab Emirates was portrayed as the region’s master of “quiet diplomacy”—a state that preferred economic leverage, discreet mediation, and influence exercised behind closed doors. That image no longer holds. The open military confrontation with Saudi Arabia in Yemen marks a decisive rupture with the …

The quiet meeting in Islamabad between the air force chiefs of Pakistan and Bangladesh may prove to be anything but routine. Beneath the formal language of defence cooperation and aircraft sales lies a potentially significant realignment in South Asia’s military and political landscape. At the center of the …

Hiba Malik Across Asia, governments are pouring billions into artificial intelligence, viewing technological advancement as a path to strategic autonomy and economic resilience. Yet, with massive AI and chip investments, Asia is becoming less, not more, secure in the technology politics. Despite colossal investments by Asia, the most …

Scott Caldwell Gijs Tuinman, the Netherlands’ State Secretary of Defence, recently challenged industry leaders to propose a domestic deep precision strike (DPS) cruise missile with a range of over 1,000 km to rival the American Tomahawk, arguing, ‘Long-range deterrence can no longer be outsourced.’ This move is unexpected …

Hosein Mortada Amid the relentless wars and upheavals shaking the Middle East, a pressing question resurfaces: are today’s conflicts—particularly in Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, and Yemen—the product of isolated local struggles, or are they fragments of a broader landscape shaped by complex international calculations? In this context, Michael Brant’s …

Dr. Ju Hyung Kim For much of the post-Cold War era, defense procurement in the Middle East followed a relatively familiar pattern. The US offered advanced weapon systems and security guarantees, while European countries supplied niche capabilities, and Russia and China filled the vacuum when Western sales were …