NEWS

Abdul Haq In a historic decision that reflected worries about a more unstable world, leaders of NATO decided to increase defense spending commitments to 5% of GDP by 2035 at the June 2025 summit. In a time of ‘global competition,’ NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte emphasized that ‘Europe and …

Dr. Shehab Al-Makahleh As tensions escalate across the Caspian region and the specter of nuclear confrontation looms ominously, Kazakhstan’s unwavering dedication to nonproliferation and its astute foreign policy position it as a potential arbiter in the Iranian crisis. By harnessing its diplomatic acumen and strategic location, Kazakhstan could …

Leon Hadar The longtime pro-Israel bipartisan consensus in American politics is fading—precisely at the moment Israel needs it most. It has become a worn trope among anti-Semitic political commentators that the United States regularly sends its soldiers to “die for Israel.” Yet while Israel has relied on generous …

Brandon J. Weichert For Jerusalem, the existing ceasefire would leave Iran’s nuclear program in place, and could never be allowed to hold. “I suggest the toothless snake-head in Tehran understand and beware: Operation Rising Lion was just the trailer for new Israeli policy—after October 7th, immunity is over.” …

Desmond Lachman Despite falling interest rates and rising tariffs, US bond yields, a weakening dollar, and soaring gold signal foreign investors’ unease with Trump’s budget, risking inflation and financial instability. As Congress attempts to get President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act to his desk by July 4, …

Dayon Lee South Korea’s new president, Lee Jae-myung, has prioritized de-escalation with North Korea, creating a diplomatic window for renewed Trump-Kim talks amid global instability and stalled US efforts elsewhere. During his inaugural ball on January 20, 2025, President Trump was on a video call with US troops …

Christians remained the world’s biggest religious group. However, Christians (of all denominations) did not keep pace with global population growth from 2010 to 2020. 2 The number of Christians rose by 122 million — reaching 2.3 billion. Yet, as a share of the world’s population, Christians fell by …

Nourinne Akhtar The idea of democracy has been more than a political system over centuries; from Plato’s Republic to the rise of twenty-first-century populism, it has been a moral aspiration, a promise of collective self-rule based on justice, equality, and human dignity. And today, that moral core seems …

Pham Quang In the international relations structures in Southeast Asia, “strategic trust” acts as a glue between countries that are diverse in terms of institutions, histories, and national interests. Strategic trust can be understood as the extent to which one country believes that another country will not harm …