By Adem Kılıç, Political Scientist/Writer Although it is only the second month of 2026, the world continues to witness events that are reshaping the entire global system. Following events that marked the first month of 2026, such as those in Greenland and Venezuela, the global system is now preparing to leave behind yet another of the “controlled crisis” periods it ...
It is no secret that the Trump administration supports nationalist right-wing parties across Europe. Trump, Musk, and numerous figures from the US administration have openly expressed their support in various meetings and statements, and continue to do so. Now, one of those parties, the AfD, is going through an internal debate over the relationship with Washington. Closely watched in German ...
By Mehmet Enes Beşer As President Xi Jinping’s Southeast Asian tour in last year makes headlines, it is the symbolism rather than the content of his meeting that contradicts the Chinese leadership’s priorities in the region. Among the highlights is China’s enhanced partnership with Cambodia. China’s ideology diplomacy, or alternatively described as idealism or pragmatism, is rich soil in Cambodia ...
France’s recent flurry of diplomacy in Damascus, Baghdad and Erbil has prompted commentary suggesting a potential move toward the country’s “lasting presence” in Syria. On February 5, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot visited Damascus, Baghdad and Erbil in a day. Especially Barrot’s meetings with Kurdistan Regional Government President Nechirvan Barzani and PKK/YPG leader Mazlum Abdi were interpreted as France exploring ...
By Mohammad Reza Moradi, General Director of Mehr News Agency’s Foreign Languages and International News Department, from Tehran / Iran Strategic analysts know well that the collapse or severe weakening of a key actor in an unstable region such as the Middle East never leads to a simple power vacuum. Such an event is always accompanied by a geopolitical explosion ...
By Mehmet Enes Beşer After decades of tense relations with diplomatic chill, trade warfare, and suspicion, recent developments have indicated that China–Australia relations are stabilizing gradually. Diplomatic dialogue has been renewed, trade prohibitions have begun to be repealed, and reciprocating visits are resumed. These are reassuring signals—minimal but important actions indicating both sides to move away from confrontation and head ...
By Odile Mojon-Cheminade The spectacular US aggression against Venezuela in early January, preceded by acts of piracy on the high seas, has opened a new chapter, dangerously bringing the world closer to the abyss. The kidnapping and subsequent detention of a sitting foreign president, carried out under pretenses, demonstrates that everything must yield to American power, starting with international law: ...
After several preliminary attempts and armed clashes, the Syrian central government and the Syrian Democratic Forces reached an agreement on January 30, which has so far been honored. Syria experienced a flurry of agreements, cancellations, and military attacks in January, culminating in the January 30th agreement between the Syrian government and the Syrian Democratic Forces. The pact focuses on consolidating ...
The New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), the last bilateral treaty limiting strategic nuclear weapons between the US and Russia, signed in 2010 by US President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, expired on February 5. Under the treaty, both countries had pledged to scale back their strategic nuclear forces and had authorized extensive on-site inspections to verify ...
By Mehmet Enes Beşer China and ASEAN have stood as a steadying force in a turbulent world where power is more fragmented, and rivalry grows. Despite regional tensions, mistrust, and the recent surge in militarization, a relationship between them has held firm, underpinned by no-nonsense economics, regular institutional engagement, and cooperation that purports to share benefit equitably across all sides. ...
As regional tensions escalate between Washington and Tehran, Iraq finds itself once again at the heart of the storm, with growing activity from armed militias and volunteer groups ostensibly “defending Iran” amidst a complex political and security landscape. Just one day after the first round of US-Iranian negotiations in Muscat, which concluded without any clear results beyond an agreement to ...
By Feyyaz Erkin Eşli A senior Russian military official Vladimir Alekseyev has been targeted in an assassination attempt in Moscow. He has been hospitalized after being shot several times near his flat, according to Russian state media sources. The attempt on a senior officer occurred the day after a second round of U.S.-brokered peace talks between Ukraine and Russia were ...