Sonia Sarkar
India sits precariously in this US-Israel-led war against its old regional partner Iran. This, says Sonia Sarkar, is because of Hindu supremacist Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s proximity to Israel's leader Benjamin Netanyahu Read more
John Karlsrud
How do small and medium-sized states safeguard their sovereignty and national interests amid intensifying great-power rivalry and a fragmented international order? To answer this question, John Karlsrud, Maryna Rabinovych, and Marianne Riddervold introduce the concept of diplomatic resilience Read more
Serena Fraiese
Penelope, wife of Odysseus in Homer’s Odyssey, who spent twenty years weaving and unweaving a shroud to delay remarriage and preserve her household, has come to symbolise fidelity, cunning, and endurance. Serena Fraiese argues that her story reveals characteristics that have become central to diplomacy in an age of uncertainty Read more
Stefan Messingschlager
Western governments have armies of Mandarin speakers and AI translators, yet they keep misreading Beijing. What’s missing, as Stefan Messingschlager argues, is independent, context-rich expertise – people able to decode China’s history-laden signals and puncture bureaucratic groupthink. This kind of knowledge is strategic insurance every democracy needs before the next crisis hits Read more
Nadeem Ahmed Moonakal
The security situation in the Middle East reflects the hard realities of power struggle and the implications of the quest for regional hegemony. Nadeem Ahmed Moonakal shows how Israel is exploiting instability to entrench dominance, while Iran’s projected restraint masks deep vulnerabilities. With the US’ ambiguous approach adding to tensions, the space for long-term stability is shrinking Read more
Meray Maddah
World leaders' first foreign trips reveal more than diplomatic protocol. They are carefully crafted political stories. Meray Maddah and Max Heermann analyse inaugural diplomatic journeys to uncover stability and change in global networks from Europe’s deep political integration to Trump’s break from traditional allies and Netanyahu’s pivot to Jordan Read more
Michael Walsh
The Biden administration and 118th Congress failed to adequately reform and modernise the organisation of US diplomatic posts. Michael Walsh argues that Trump should urgently reassess the US Foreign Affairs Manual's conceptual model for organising such positions Read more
Aagya Gupta
Three Communiqués, born from Nixon's 1972 historic visit to China, continue to shape Sino-American relations and influence Taiwan's status. Aagya Gupta explains how diplomatic powerplays and agreements have sustained their relevance and shapes modern geopolitics Read more
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