Asia Pacific

Growing geopolitical tensions and repeated export controls by Beijing have pushed rare earths and other critical minerals to the centre of global economic and security debates. China’s dominance across the mining, refining, and processing stages of these minerals has long been a strategic vulnerability for advanced economies, but …

Japan has begun a rare and technologically ambitious effort to secure its own supply of rare earth minerals, as concerns mount over China’s tightening control of exports. A Japanese mining vessel set sail on Monday to explore rare-earth-rich seabed mud near Minamitori Island, a remote coral atoll about …

Yannis Bassias and Evangelos Flitris* Europe finds itself at a moment where industrial competitiveness, energy security, and climate ambition must be reconciled. The slow rollout of CO₂ storage capacity, especially when compared with the United States, has become a defining strategic concern. Through the Net Zero Industry Act …

Sana Khan Canada and China are moving toward a new strategic partnership that could deliver what Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney described as “historic” gains by leveraging complementary economic strengths. Speaking during a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Carney emphasized cooperation in agriculture, energy, finance, and agri-food …

Dr. Andrew Wolf The US is attempting to create a US-led, resource-driven new world order based on energy dominance, territorial leverage, and Europe’s strategic impotence. When US President Donald Trump returned this week to his obsession of acquiring Greenland—one that seemed largely forgotten only a month ago—the idea …

Dr. Shehab Al-Makahleh What is unfolding today in the Middle East is not a prelude to war. It is war — conducted in the electromagnetic spectrum rather than the airspace. The forward deployment of Eurofighter Typhoon EK/IK electronic-warfare variants from Germany, France, and the United Kingdom into some Arab states and …

The failure of leading Western European governments to stand up against Trump’s outrages poses exceptional dangers. The failure of leading Western European governments to stand up against Trump’s outrages poses exceptional dangers. Unless checked, the world is heading into a period of increasing authoritarianism. This means more kleptocracy, …

Calls by some Chinese social media users for a lightning, “Venezuela‑style” seizure of Taiwan’s leadership have gained traction online. Yet analysts, scholars, and security officials caution that such scenarios are vastly more complex—and far more dangerous—than online commentary suggests. Unlike Venezuela, Taiwan has spent decades preparing specifically for …

The battle for Venezuela’s oil is no longer a narrow tug‑of‑war among competing commercial interests. It has become a central theatre of strategic competition between Washington and Beijing — one that could reshape global energy markets and the geopolitical balance of the 21st century. At the heart of …