Europe began 2026 with a surge in gas-fired electricity production, raising hopes among liquefied natural gas exporters that the region was regaining its previous appetite for natural gas. Utilities in the largest European markets increased generation to multi-year highs during the early months of the year. Despite this …
Read More »Russia Is Not Watching Iran — It Is Exploiting It
Ivan Turulin The bombing of Iran by the United States and Israel did not produce an instant collapse of the ayatollah regime and has created the risk of a prolonged escalation in the Middle East, with no clear U.S. exit strategy from this conflict. Russia, for which Iran …
Read More »Alone Under Fire: Iran’s Partners Step Back as War Intensifies
As the war between Iran and the U.S.–Israeli alliance intensifies, Tehran finds itself increasingly isolated on the global stage. The killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, and a sustained bombing campaign by the United States and Israel have placed Iran under immense military pressure. In response, Tehran …
Read More »How Materials, Infrastructure, and Geopolitics Redefine the 2030 Energy Transition
And while grid physics remains the starting point, the innovations shaping the 2030 landscape extend far beyond conductors and transmission lines. The energy transition of the early 2020s was framed as a moral and political imperative. But from 2026 onward, the debate shifts decisively. The center of gravity …
Read More »The Factors Buffering Emerging Markets from Middle East Shocks
Emerging markets have faced significant challenges due to a rush of cash out of risk assets, particularly after the escalation of conflict in the Middle East. The U. S. and Israel’s military actions against Iran have led to steep declines in emerging market currencies and stocks, resulting in …
Read More »Minerals, Manufacturing, and the Myth of Decoupling: America’s Dangerous Shortcut to Economic Security
The United States is racing to secure dominance over critical minerals—the raw materials that underpin everything from electric vehicles and wind turbines to semiconductors and missile systems. Framed as a national-security imperative, Washington’s push reflects a growing fear of dependence on China, which controls large parts of the …
Read More »Al-Makahleh: The Crown Without a Head: Power, Pretext, and the Arithmetic of Ruin
Dr. Shehab Al-Makahleh Power abhors ambiguity, but it feeds on vacuum. The moment the rumor mill dares to imagine a Middle East without Ali Khamenei, the calculus of force shifts from deterrence to temptation. Whether dead, dying, or diminished, the symbol matters more than the body. Crowns are …
Read More »From McCarthyism to Trumpism: The Recasting of the Russian “Other” in American Politics
Alon Ben-Meir Back in the 1950s, the United States, even a whisper of sympathy for Russia or the Soviet Union was unthinkable and seen as almost traitorous. The eventual rise of McCarthyism was all about rooting out what were presumed to be “un-American activities”, i.e., anything that could …
Read More »Diplomacy Under the Shadow of War: The High-Stakes U.S.–Iran Talks in Geneva
Robert Boston In Geneva this week, the United States and Iran returned to a familiar table—though not to familiar ground. Indirect nuclear negotiations began Tuesday under Omani mediation, bringing together U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi. President Donald Trump signaled he …
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