Seth J. Frantzman The IDF’s exhaustion and Hamas’ dogged survival points to the likelihood of a Gaza ceasefire in the next two months. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) continue to expand operations in Gaza. On July 20, the IDF told Gazans to evacuate an area near the coastal …

Sinan Ciddi The recent sectarian violence shows that the Syrian government and its Turkish backers share a dangerous vision of a Sunni-dominant state. Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024, Turkey has pursued a singular objective: the “Sunnification” of Syria. Behind his rhetoric, President Recep …

Greg Priddy Sanctions targeting oil are often ineffective at changing governmental policy and often impose additional costs on companies and consumers. Amid the current media firestorm around L’Affaire Epstein, few people other than Chevron shareholders noticed the headline last Friday about the Trump administration loosening sanctions on Venezuela …

Lithuania may remove Russian as a second foreign language in schools by 2026, citing changing student preferences and rising geopolitical concerns, a minister said. Vice Education, Science and Sport Minister Jonas Petkevicius said Wednesday that consultations will begin with the Seimas Education and Science Committee, as well as …

Staikou Dimitra  India’s recent refusal to sign the draft declaration at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) meeting marks more than just a diplomatic rebuke—it is a strategic warning. It calls out the growing hypocrisy surrounding terrorism within the SCO, and, more specifically, exposes China’s increasingly blatant manipulation of …

Hadi Elis While much of the world remains fixated on conflict zones elsewhere, an enduring and consequential battle persists between the Turkish state and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)—a battle that, at least from one side, has repeatedly seen overtures for peace met with silence or military escalation. …

Gabriel Honrada Defense contractors cranking out low-cost missiles as worries mount US is ill-prepared for protracted fight with China Conceptual image of a Red Wolf missile. Source: L3Harris Technologies The US is betting on a new wave of cheap cruise missiles to win a high-tech war of attrition …

Francesco Sisci Rumors swirl Xi Jinping is losing his almighty grip but new bodies may refine rather than check his power China’s politics are suddenly in a state of flux. Image: Appia Institute In 2012, the year Xi Jinping took power, it was the 63rd anniversary of the …

Iran held talks with Russia and China on its nuclear program and Western sanctions ahead of scheduled negotiations with European countries in Istanbul, Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency reported Tuesday. Senior diplomats from the three countries met in Tehran to discuss the status of nuclear negotiations involving Iran, …