Asia Pacific

Filippo Buffa Every few years, the same obituary is written again. America is finished, we are told. It has lost its nerve, exhausted itself in the Middle East, divided itself at home, and opened the door to a Chinese century. It is a powerful story, and like many …

In the quiet coastal waters of the Taiwan Strait last week, a Japanese destroyer, the JS Ikazuchi, performed a maneuver that was less about navigation and more about necro-politics. For fourteen grueling hours, the vessel lingered in the sensitive waterway, timed precisely to coincide with the anniversary of …

There is something telling about a smile in Washington. Not the ceremonial kind that accompanies routine diplomacy, but the carefully staged image of acceptance—the kind that signals a transaction already agreed upon behind closed doors. Reports of meetings between associates of Ahmed al-Sharaa and members of the United States Congress suggest more …

Thomas Cavanna After 16 years in power, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán suffered a massive defeat in Hungary’s April 12 parliamentary election. Many observers have described the outcome as a stern ideological rebuke of the Trump administration, which lobbied heavily in Orbán’s favor, and have argued that Orbán’s defeat …

Hridoy Sarkar America has engaged in yet another war in the Middle East through Operation Epic Fury, which began with the airstrikes on Iran on February 28 of this year. After the uncomfortable experiences of Iraq and Afghanistan, America tried to extricate itself from the Middle East and …

Mohammad Nosseir A conflict that has lasted nearly eight decades may require an approach different from the recurring cycles of war that all parties have pursued. The war in Gaza following the October 7 attack demonstrated that making life unbearable for Gaza’s civilians will not end this long-standing …

Rafaeil Christiano The world is fixated on oil prices again. Tankers, benchmarks, and barrels dominate the headlines. But this time, the real shock is not only flowing through energy markets—it is quietly seeping into the soil. What is at stake in the Strait of Hormuz is not just …

Dr. Nadya Helmi China’s entry into the tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz in April 2026 was no longer merely cautious diplomacy or statements of condemnation but rather a direct strategic intervention to protect its vital economic interests. This signals the beginning of a larger, but risky, political …

Alexandre Loerke The latest energy crisis stemming from the war in Iran and the ensuing closure of the strait of Hormuz is shining a light on a major challenge to EU strategic autonomy: Europe remains largely dependent on fossil fuel imports for its energy. The full-scale invasion of …