Opinion

Why China treats poverty like a map, not a number

A drainage ditch is rarely the beginning of an economic story. In Nanshan Village, on the outskirts of Beijing, it became exactly that.

Fire, policy and exposed Children: Why African boarding schools remain dangerously unprotected

The deadly fire at Utumishi Girls Academy has exposed a hard truth: despite decades of warnings, many African boarding schools still leave children vulnerable to preventable disasters.

Hungary after Orbán: Europe, Eurasia and the politics of balance

The end of Viktor Orbán's sixteen-year dominance of Hungarian politics has triggered a familiar reaction across much of Europe.

The new geopolitics of energy: Power will belong not to those who own resources, but to those who control the flows

The new great game is about resources, not ideology

The world is entering a new era of geopolitical confrontation, driven less by ideology and more by control over energy, strategic resources, industrial technologies and global supply chains.

The EU's new protectionism: A wall that may trap its builders

For decades, the European Union positioned itself as one of the world’s most vocal champions of open markets and rules-based trade. Brussels urged governments across the developing world to liberalise, limit industrial subsidies and respect the commitments of the World Trade Organization.

Putin in Beijing: Russia’s classical power politics, China’s pragmatic rise

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s latest visit to Beijing appeared to be more than a routine state meeting between two strategic partners. 

U.S. businesses remain reliant on China despite decoupling efforts

In an era of intensifying strategic competition, many U.S. companies remain heavily dependent on China for both revenue and manufacturing, underscoring the limits of rapid economic decoupling.

Why Europe turned to Azerbaijan for energy

The European Union entered 2026 under conditions of exceptioal tensions in the energy markets. Due to the upheaval from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, unrest in the Middle East with the closure of Strait of Hormuz, and fierce competetion for LNG , the whole new geopolitical landscape has reshaped. 

Spain-U.S.: The Power of Saying No

In a war shaped by missiles, blockades, threats and Donald Trump’s unpredictable announcements, one of Europe’s most consequential decisions has been a refusal. Spain rejected the use of the Rota and Morón bases for attacks on Iran and later closed its airspace to aircraft involved in the campaign.

Ecocide should be treated as an international crime, like genocide

For decades humanity has debated war crimes, genocide, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. Rightly so. Systematic destruction directed at human life has scarred not only nations, but the conscience of civilisation itself.

Global health security: Why U.S.-China cooperation remains essential

The recent hantavirus cluster aboard the Dutch-flagged expedition cruise ship MV Hondius in the South Atlantic serves as a sobering reminder that infectious disease threats continue to emerge in our interconnected world. 

Azerbaijan enters a new era of regional geopolitical transformation

The geopolitical order that shaped the South Caucasus for more than two decades has collapsed, pushing Azerbaijan into a new era defined by regional instability, strategic transformation, and intensifying competition among neighbouring powers.

Why Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia must work together for food, water and energy security

For decades, global geopolitics revolved around oil, natural gas, military alliances and strategic waterways. That era is not over - but it is no longer sufficient to explain the emerging world order. Or perhaps more accurately, the emerging world disorder.

How Trump helped save Putin’s Victory Day parade

A storm in a teacup. Despite Ukrainian threats to attack the Victory Day parade in Moscow on 9 May, and Russia’s warning that it would bomb downtown Kyiv in retaliation, in the end nothing happened. But why?