Geopolitics

Taiwan has sharply rejected China’s latest maritime patrol east of the island, declaring that its sovereignty “cannot be violated” after Beijing concluded a days long coast guard operation in waters that Taipei considers beyond Chinese jurisdiction. The patrol came after Japan and the Philippines announced plans to begin …

M. Faizal Abdul Rahman Contrast the speeches of the U.S. Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, and the Secretary-General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Dr Kao Kim Hourn, at the 23rd IISS Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore on 30 May 2026. It raises the question of whether …

Sarah Wu North Korea’s latest declaration that denuclearization is a “settled issue” should not be dismissed as routine rhetoric. Rather, it represents a blunt acknowledgment of a strategic reality that many policymakers have been reluctant to accept: Pyongyang no longer views its nuclear arsenal as a bargaining chip, …

U. S. and Pakistani leaders are expecting a framework agreement to be signed on Sunday to end the ongoing fighting between the U. S. and Iran. President Donald Trump announced that the deal is set to coincide with his 80th birthday. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif mentioned that …

Dr. Shehab Al-Makahleh The headlines trumpet ceasefires in Gaza, Lebanon, and along Israel’s northern front with Iran’s proxies. Politicians breathe sighs of relief. News anchors speak of de‑escalation. But let us be brutally honest: this is not the end of war. This is the suspension of war. Across …

Khizar Hayat “Rejoice! For by God, they have handed their land over to us.” And then the world saw how the Arab Commander turned a basket of intended humiliation into the very omen that brought the Great Persian Empire crashing down. Sometimes, in arrogance or in folly, we …

Keir Starmer has a new defence minister but is still facing major challenges, including limited finances and political demands. Even if a new prime minister takes charge, these issues will persist. Starmer might soon confront a leadership challenge from figures like Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and former …

Jenny Williams There is a familiar cruelty in the way Lebanon is treated whenever Israel wants to change the regional conversation. A village becomes a message. A suburb becomes a signal. A border town becomes a lever in someone else’s negotiation. Last night’s escalation was not an isolated …

Hadi Elis NATO is getting ready for its 2026 summit. And somehow, the alliance decided to hold it in Turkey. That’s interesting timing. Right after Turkey and Britain cooperated to make Syria’s Al Qaeda offshoot, HTS, the de facto post-Baath Party government in Damascus. On paper, it’s an …