The geopolitical landscape of the Middle East in 2026 is defined by systemic fragmentation and compound crises. The overt diplomatic rupture between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), running concurrently with the US-Israeli military intervention in Iran, designated ‘Operation Epic Fury’, has dismantled historical alliances and disrupted global energy markets. For the Republic of India, […]

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s India visit ended with the language of momentum, but the subtext was repair. Officially, Washington and New Delhi framed the trip around the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad, the four-nation grouping of India, the United States, Japan and Australia. The foreign ministers met in New Delhi to advance cooperation on the Indo-Pacific, maritime security, […]

Why the shift from unipolarity did not break the imperial structure—and what still blocks the path to a more peaceful order From the tensions in the Strait of Hormuz to the meetings between Xi and Putin, and Xi and Trump, alongside the overall decline of the US and Europe, the balance of power has shifted from the unipolar moment to […]

The visit of US President Donald Trump to the People’s Republic of China on 13–15 May, together with his talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, constituted a single landmark event in contemporary world politics. Among its various accompanying aspects, the central one was determined by the Taiwan issue. It should once again be reiterated that this issue represents the principal […]

Putin walked away [from his meeting with Xi] with more than 40 agreements, but he did not leave with the prize he has long sought. “When you look at all the ‘agreements,’ they are only memoranda of understanding. In other words, they are merely invitations to talk more.” — Dmitri Alperovitch, chairman of Silverado Policy Accelerator and co-author of World […]

The Taliban’s revenue increased by more than 5 percent in April compared with the previous month, reaching nearly 20 billion afghanis ($304 million), according to a new World Bank report that points to stronger tax collection despite ongoing trade disruptions. The World Bank’s April 2026 Afghanistan Economic Monitor said total domestic revenue reached 19.7 billion afghanis in April, up 5.8 […]

Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid, the Taliban’s defense minister, traveled to Moscow on Tuesday to attend an international security conference hosted by Russia, the Taliban defense ministry said. The ministry said the meeting would bring together security and defense officials from a number of countries in the region and beyond but did not provide further details about Yaqoob’s agenda or planned meetings. […]

Alexander Bortnikov, head of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), said on Tuesday that the ISIS regional affiliate in Afghanistan is actively recruiting citizens of Central Asian countries and labor migrants living in Russia. Speaking at a meeting of security chiefs from the Commonwealth of Independent States in Moscow, Bortnikov said ISIS-K, the group’s Afghanistan-based branch, was drawing recruits from Tajikistan, […]

Le Protocole de paix, dont les États-Unis et l’Iran sont convenus sous la médiation pakistano-chinoise, ne porte ni sur la liberté de circulation dans le détroit d’Ormuz, ni sur le renoncement à la bombe atomique : ces deux problèmes n’existant pas. Il convient de la restitution des avoir iraniens gelés et des indemnités de guerre.Les États-Unis ne reconnaîtront pas leur […]

Beijing open to possibility, unclear what safeguards US would require. In the ongoing US-Iran ceasefire negotiations, Iran may consider transferring its 60% enriched uranium to China. The uranium currently lies beneath the rubble of bombed nuclear facilities, but it has the potential to be quickly weaponized. Multiple media have carried similar reports, and China has not denied them, while a […]