Taiwan

The multipolar world has closely watched the importance of SCO’s 26th meeting of the Council of Heads of State, as it marked the “25 Years of the SCO: Together for Sustainable Peace, Development and Prosperity.” Introduction From 31 August to...

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It has not been much of a secret, but I am back in Russia with Judge Napolitano and a couple of other podcast luminaries, to participate in a series of academic seminars dedicated to finding a way for Russia and...

The Red Sea no longer separates the Middle East from Africa. It increasingly connects their security problems. Across the Horn of Africa, ports, trade routes, military partnerships and local conflicts are attracting greater attention from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Egypt...

Authors: Ahmad Ibrahim and Amna Hashmi* In George Orwell’s Animal Farm, the ruling commandment “all animals are equal” survives the revolution word for word. Only a footnote is added later: some are more equal than others. According to Orwell’s argument,...

For years, Washington hoped it could reach one big deal with Saudi Arabia. The United States would strengthen rits security relationship with Riyadh and help the kingdom build a civilian nuclear program. In return, Saudi Arabia would recognize Israel. If...

For decades, geography gave Russia an enormous advantage in Central Asia. Much of the region’s trade with Europe travelled north through Russian territory, while pipelines, railways and Soviet-era infrastructure kept the five former Soviet republics closely connected to Moscow. Today,...

Japan’s simultaneous pursuit of hard Taiwan deterrence and quiet parliamentary diplomacy with Beijing is not policy confusion — it is a deliberate, low-cost dual-track model, and it is already the template South Korea, Australia and the Philippines are using, ad...

Oil prices are about to book yet another weekly gain as the war in the Middle East remains hot, with a pessimistic outlook. Oil exporters from the region are rushing to diversify their export channels, and importers are rushing to...

For centuries, the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans were separated not only by distance but also by geography. Before the construction of the Panama Canal, ships travelling between the two oceans had to make the long journey around Cape Horn, following...

Northeast Asia is experiencing a rapid nuclear energy revival as Japan and South Korea move to prioritize the baseload clean energy source into their energy security strategies. Not only are the two major economies ramping up nuclear energy expansion, they...

This is a meditation on my writing life and routine. It follows. It’s also a prayer. I don’t believe I belong to anything. To any man or woman or to my contemporaries. I dive into Hallmark movies that are so...

Talking to an adult survivor of child abuse is very challenging. That is, if they are still alive. The child abuse survivor is at risk of displaying mood swing, temper tantrums, suicide risk and suicide ideation. In their homes, if...

Islam Times - At least 10 people were killed and 59 injured after a powerful explosion struck an army barracks in Viacha, Bolivia, on Friday, according to local authorities. The blast occurred at a military facility where pyrotechnic materials were...

Sarah Khalifa, 39, charged with forming organised criminal gang to manufacture and traffic drugs An Egyptian court sentenced a well-known television presenter and 11 others to death for manufacturing and trafficking narcotics in a sprawling drug case, official media reported on...

A new project is seeking to turn cattle manure into a source of sustainable natural gas for energy production and shipping fuel. The initiative just broke ground in Broken Bow, Nebraska, where eight anaerobic digesters will process waste from the...

LUXEMBOURG /PNN/ Luxembourg is considering taking unilateral measures against Israel after divisions within the European Union prevented member states from agreeing on broader sanctions against members of the Israeli government, Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel said. Speaking to RTL, Bettel said his government...

Joining me for this week’s American Heirloom Project is Becky K. Blackburn, a friend of mine and an incredible potter. She’s made an amazing mug for me to give to my wife for Christmas, and while gift-giving isn’t a competition,...

Surviving a coup attempt is not a near-miss for Sahel juntas — it is the mechanism of entrenchment itself: each failed attempt hands the ruler grounds to purge rivals and deepen his personal dependence on Russia’s Africa Corps, a cycle...

Green bonds account for a tiny proportion of the global bond market but have significant growth potential as consumers become increasingly concerned about environmental issues, such as climate change. The issuance of green bonds could also support governments worldwide in...

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s historic visit to Egypt (in early September 2026) is closely linked to the modernization and expansion of the Egyptian Armed Forces’ arsenal. The visit represents the highest level of political and diplomatic cover for an unprecedented...

Good things are happening! A progressive insurgent enters the global chat, Flock blockers join forces, payday predators get punished, and a closed-door corporate deal goes up in smoke. You Love To See It is a benefit of a Lever paid subscription....

According to new data quietly added to the Pentagon's casualty base , there were 36 new injuries in the last two weeks , mostly Army, as fighting renewed between the United States and Iran in the Persian Gulf. This brings...

RAMALLAH / PNN/ U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee said his visit to the Palestinian village of Turmus Ayya in the occupied West Bank aimed to “understand the situation on the ground,” noting that there are issues in the area that...

Data have long clearly shown that China’s current sluggish consumption has become a crucial issue facing the country. One commonly recognized cause is that heavy household debt burdens have eroded purchasing power and affected consumption. However, another potential reason may...

On the margins of the 2026 SCO Summit in Bishkek, Armenia’s government once again demonstrated its foreign-policy indecisiveness and propensity to evade responsibility for making up its mind in favour of either the EU or the EAEU, whilst forgoing a...

Karl Miller is out with another report on the state of the oil production infrastructure in the Persian Gulf and, as always, it is a must read. Unfortunately, it is behind a firewall but he has given me permission to...

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) marked its 25th anniversary in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, with all the trappings a diplomatic milestone demands. There were 21 heads of state and government present for a ceremonial “family photo” and a two-page...

The Iran War has exposed the limits of US military power and weakened its credibility as a global security provider, accelerating the erosion of US-led unipolarity while reinforcing the emergence of a more competitive and multipolar international order. The US...

Afghanistan is estimated to hold more than US$1 trillion in mineral resources. Rich stores of copper, lithium, gold, iron ore, rare earth elements, coal and precious stones lie beneath one of the world’s poorest and war-torn nations. Five years after...

Europe’s rearmament is being financed out of the welfare state, not economic growth, and different governments are settling that bill in different currencies: Germany is paying openly in domestic political capital, through legislated pension and health-insurance cuts that have helped...

Relations between London and Moscow reached another peak of tension in August over the UK’s support for Ukraine. The success of Ukraine’s long-range strikes against targets deep inside Russia, with the help of UK-made drones, and the UK’s commitment to...

Stripe Press was kind enough to send me several books it had published, and one of these was J. Storrs Hall’s “Where Is My Flying Car?”. I had been meaning to read this book for a while, especially after Tyler Cowen recommended...

Every few months, someone — a general, a think tank, a cable news panel — declares that the world is edging toward a third world war. It happened after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. It happens again whenever Chinese warships...

The Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) has been described as a successful solid platform since its creation. It increasingly attracts guests from widely different countries, especially leaders of China, India, Malaysia, Mongolia, and Myanmar. The leaders of Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Laos, and...

The world is undergoing a transformation driven by the exponential growth of artificial intelligence (AI)—a pace of change unprecedented in human history. Consequently, many people fear massive unemployment, along with other implications that could affect their livelihoods and quality of...

The Bureau of Land Management wants to cut the permitting time for some oil and gas projects in Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve to as little as 60 days, according to a Friday press release. The proposed rule would replace separate...