The opening of a sizable U.S. consulate in Erbil represents a strategic shift in Trump's approach to Iraq, one that places a higher priority on long-term diplomatic influence concentrated in more stable geographic regions than on direct military engagement
In an initiative that goes beyond conventional diplomacy, the United States opened a sizeable consulate building in Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, on Wednesday, December 3. This opening has significant political and security ramifications...
In South Asia’s naval realm, new U.S.-India framework risks disturbing that balance by having advanced technology flows and blue water operational dependencies
The announcement on October 31, 2025, of a new ten-year
Defense Framework
between the United States and India at Kuala Lumpur marks a decisive turning point in the Indian Ocean strategic landscape. This Pact comes as a culmination of earlier
foundational agreements
namely, the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA, 2016), Communications...
The nuclear factor has once again begun to play a significant role in international relations
Autumn is usually a busy season in the nuclear sphere, and 2025 was no exception. In October, NATO held its Steadfast Noon nuclear exercises, followed by the U.S. Global Thunder drills and Russia’s strategic nuclear forces exercises. Developments did not end there: against the backdrop of these exercises, Russia
announced
tests of the
Burevestnik
nuclear-powered cruise missile and the
Poseidon
nuclear-powered...
... in the region—even as a potential competitor—and subordinated the politically empowered security apparatus, led by Saleh’s close relatives, to the oversight of US counterparts.
In 2004, President Saleh declared war on the Houthis after their refusal to cease chanting the slogan “Death to America! Death to Israel! Curse the Jews! Victory to Islam!”— a phrase that had become both a symbol of the movement and the quintessential expression of the political ideology of Houthism.
[1]
The bloody ...
... intrigues and power struggles, with never-ending conflicts between monarchies, families, religions, states, and great powers. For thousands of years, wars have been occurring continuously and without interruption. The formation of a unified Europe has changed ... ... century during the Cold War, another rare example in European history. It has also indirectly had an important positive impact on international security. The two World Wars of the twentieth century were caused by the external spillover of internal wars in ...
The deal may pause Syria-Israel tensions, but core issues like Golan, sovereignty and trust are still missing
As attention in the Middle East continues to gravitate toward unfolding crises in Gaza and the broader Arab-Israeli landscape, a less visible yet potentially consequential development may be quietly emerging between Syria and Israel. Whispers of a limited, U.S.-mediated security agreement between Damascus and Tel Aviv have begun circulating among diplomats and analysts, suggesting the possibility...
The End of U.S. Guarantees? How Recent Attacks Are Redrawing the Persian Gulf’s Power Map
A geostrategic frontier between the Global North and South, the East and West, and the Persian Gulf has always existed. It is situated where vital energy supplies, marine trade, and ideological conflict converge. The Persian Gulf has become a focal point of international interest and attention since the
Arab Spring
uprisings broke out in 2011.
Recent events suggest that tides are changing. Attacks against...
... strikes following conventional escalation. The former scenario proves politically less sustainable, risking Russia's designation as aggressor and consequent international isolation. The latter, while slightly reducing political costs, still permits accusations that Moscow violated the nuclear taboo first. However, apart from politics, other things are equally important. Both scenarios preserve NATO's capacity to deliver nuclear or conventional counterstrikes. Any Russian nuclear deployment risks devastating ...
... nevertheless part of academic discourse.
The Western Doctrine of International Law Reaction
Zakhra Khodabin:
Short Wars, Long Lessons
The western doctrine of international law reacted to what has transpired by posts of M. Milanovic (UK), M. Schmitt (USA), A.A. Haque (USA) and K. J. Keller (Netherlands).
M. Milanovic, in particular, notes that the classical understanding of self-defense as allowing only post-factum actions is outdated: states have the right to prevent imminent attacks. They are not,...
... United States and Israel. Asserting that “Iran must not be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon, as it would be a threat to international security.” Kaja Kallas, the head of European Union foreign policy,
repeated
this position on the X media platform,... ... Iranian nuclear negotiations in April, from which the Europeans were
left out
of, despite their active involvement in the
Lausanne nuclear deal
in 2015, during the Barack Obama administration. As a result, the United States appears to hold most of the ...
