Iran’s push to collect Strait of Hormuz oil transit tariffs in Chinese yuan signals a real, though gradual, erosion of the US “petrodollar” system at the margins, but it does not yet
Pakistan’s sudden usefulness as a mediator between the United States and Iran maybe real for now, but it is unlikely to harden into a durable strategic partnership with Washington. The reason is
Every spring, a small fruit briefly reveals how globalization really works. Indian mangoes, especially Alphonso and Kesar varieties, arrive in the United States not as ordinary produce but as objects of longing,
In September 1978, amid the wooded seclusion of Camp David, U.S. President Jimmy Carter orchestrated a diplomatic miracle. For 13 tense days, Carter mediated between Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat and Israeli Prime
Last week, the U.S. Department of Defense dropped its annual 182-page tome on China’s military evolution. The China Military Power Report 2024, a tradition since 2000, serves as a Rosetta Stone for
When fences erode, or nobody is at home, neighbours tend to take advantage. A nibble at a patch of land, a fence post pushed a yard away, a wall extended, a fact
The recent re-election of Donald Trump as President of the United States has sent ripples through global capitals, with Beijing particularly attentive to the implications for U.S.-China relations. China’s leadership, while not
As the winter chill sets in across Europe, France finds itself in a political frostbite, leaving not just its own citizens shivering with uncertainty but also casting long shadows over the European
History has an unforgiving way of mocking those who overreach. From Napoleon’s ill-fated campaign in Egypt to America’s disastrous entanglement in Iraq, the Middle East has repeatedly exposed hubris with the sharp
The Syrian conflict has taken a dramatic turn, with developments in Aleppo and Hama reshaping the balance of power in the region. Central to this unfolding drama is Turkey, whose strategic interests
The 2024 US presidential election was profoundly shaped by an escalating crisis in Latin America, where the spread of organized crime and so-called “Mafia states” triggered a wave of migration that reached
In a dramatic turn of events, Michel Barnier’s tenure as France’s prime minister appears to be drawing to a close as his government faces an imminent no-confidence vote. The high-stakes parliamentary showdown,
Haiti is descending deeper into chaos, with relentless gang violence plunging the country into a dire humanitarian crisis. Since January, nearly 5,000 civilians have lost their lives due to gang warfare in