Terrorism & Extremism

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. Shehab Al-Makahleh There comes a moment in every geopolitical crisis when diplomacy ceases to be a pathway to resolution and becomes, instead, an instrument of entrapment. That moment has arrived. What we are witnessing is not the breakdown of negotiations—it is their transformation into a mechanism of …

Dr. John Calabrese Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has just concluded a two-day visit (April 9–10) to North Korea, in his first trip to Pyongyang in more than six years. The visit emphasized strengthening high-level exchanges and expanding practical cooperation. With U.S. President Donald Trump set to arrive …

Lama Al-Rakad In a world that is supposed to be governed by clear international rules, the nuclear file in the Middle East stands as one of the clearest examples of distorted standards. While one actor is effectively allowed to possess the highest level of deterrent capability without meaningful …

Julian Borger Shah Meer Baloch Andrew Roth The US and Iran have been in indirect talks aimed at extending the two-week ceasefire beyond its expiry on 22 April, as Pakistan’s army chief arrived in Tehran to continue mediation efforts. Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, denied on …

On February 28th, nearly 900 strikes in 12 hours by the United States and Israel hit Iran. By morning, the Supreme Leader was dead. Within days, the Strait of Hormuz was closed, oil surged past $120 a barrel, and Gulf skies filled with interceptors chasing drones that refused …

Dr. Shehab Al-Makahleh Behind the sealed doors of Islamabad, the negotiations between the United States and Iran were never about drafting a mere “agreement.” What unfolded was something far more intricate—an extension of conflict itself, reconfigured into the language of diplomacy. Public imagination, ever hungry for binary conclusions, …

President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that the U. S. Navy would begin a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz following unsuccessful talks with Iran, endangering a fragile two-week ceasefire. Trump stated that the Navy would take action against vessels in international waters that had paid Iran a …

The war in the Middle East is driving major disruptions in global energy markets and risks worsening food insecurity, particularly in low-income, import-dependent countries, the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank Group (WBG), and the World Food Program (WFP) warned Wednesday. In a joint statement, the institutions …