Military & Security

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 …

Since the U. S. seized Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, interim President Delcy Rodriguez has focused on consolidating her power. She has appointed loyalists to critical positions to protect herself from internal threats while complying with U. S. demands to increase oil production. Rodriguez, who previously served as vice …

Governments expressed caution in response to U. S. President Donald Trump’s invitation to join his “Board of Peace” initiative aimed at resolving global conflicts. Only Hungary, whose leader is close to Trump, openly accepted the invitation, while others refrained from public comments due to concerns about how the …

Mohammed Ayoob Multiple, intersecting Middle East crises combined with an unpredictable United States augur a tumultuous 2026 for the region. The current protests in Iran and the Donald Trump administration’s threat to take military action against the Iranian regime, if it continues to suppress dissent violently, demonstrate how …

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey have prepared a draft trilateral defense agreement after nearly a year of talks, according to Pakistan’s defense production minister, signaling a move to create a new regional security bloc independent of Western alliances. While Turkish officials confirmed talks but said no deal has …

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 …

Athanasios Platias Waves of mass protest in Iran tend to erupt when least expected, though this should hardly surprise us. They typically represent the release of pressures accumulated over years. The current cycle follows this familiar pattern. Its immediate trigger was a sharp currency collapse that pushed the …

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 …

Frank Vogl and Stephan Richter It is by now widely understood just how disdainful the current U.S. leadership is of Europe. The White House’s new “National Security Strategy” (NSS) states that Europe’s economy is in decline and adds that it is “eclipsed by the real and more stark …