Ethiopia has come under unprecedented pressure from the U.S. ever since it commenced a military operation in its northern Tigray Region last November. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed ordered the armed forces to respond to the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), which used to be the most powerful faction of the former ruling party, after it attacked a…

The Iranian army recently held massive military exercises near its border with Azerbaijan. These drills come against the backdrop of escalating disputes between the two neighbors after Baku imposed tariffs on Iranian trucks crossing the border and heading to Karabakh.Source: dailysabah.com However, Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev considers the…

With the fall of the Berlin Wall, the world order changed profoundly in 1989. The Soviet Union was dissolved, and it became a “unipolar” world with the United States claiming to be a global hegemon. That was a simple world, at least on the surface. However, beneath the surface, the world was never simple. Fractal – a Complex World Order Image:…

Russia is in the process of updating its Foreign Policy Concept. The most recent one was published in 2016, but so much has changed across the world since then, especially with the New Cold War between China and the U.S., as well as the COVID-19 pandemic. At present, Moscow doesn’t have an official Indo-Pacific policy, even though this region is fast…

In February 2020, the World Bank Group released a report entitled “FinTech in Europe and Central Asia: Maximizing Benefits and Managing Risks” highlighting the opportunities associated with the development of FinTech in countries torn between a desire for more regulation and a growing need to catch up in this sector, currently dominated by Nigeria…

The Ummah Pivot Russia’s 21st-century grand strategy can be described as its leadership’s aspiration to make their country the supreme balancing force in Eurasia. To this end, it aims to have equally excellent relations with all the supercontinent’s many parties through a creative combination of outreaches, with a priority focus being on…

Dr. Salam Al Rabadi 1. Introduction The challenges associated with demographic developments and migration flows are among the most important trends that will determine Europe's future. This will have repercussions that will result in an integrated system of radical changes in the level of identity of European societies and the stability of European…

The soft power of the European Union (EU) has been the first to be impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, as recent developments have compromised the free movement of citizens by disrupting the Schengen area for more than a year and a half already. This comes at a critical time for the Union, as other events have lately undermined the unity of the…

COVID-19 pandemic continues to have an impact on the entire spectrum of life. India and Pakistan are both affected by the coronavirus but will recover eventually. When the pandemic subdues, the strategic issues of contention between India and Pakistan are unlikely to be altered. The contemporary strategic environment in South Asia will not inspire…

Indian Prime Minister Modi will soon be traveling to the United States where he’ll meet with U.S. President Joe Biden as well as his fellow Quad leaders from Australia and Japan during their first-ever in-person summit. He will then address the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). His trip takes place against the background of the ever more…

This article is based upon a paper given on 27 August 2021 at the NIICE International Studies Convention, hosted in Katmandu by the Nepal Institute for International Cooperation and Engagement (NIICE). This paper briefly discusses Russian Orthodoxy and its contemporary use as a tool of soft power. The Russian state appears to position itself as a…

Political pressure and anxiety over a fourth wave of the Coronavirus is now replacing clinical data and science. President Joe Biden’s overused talking point in stating ‘science will dictate the vaccines’ seems to be going by the wayside with the White House pressuring the Food and Drug Administration following a pre-emptive announcement to…