The mood music between Poland and the European Commission might have changed amid Russia’s war in Ukraine, but there’s still no deal on tens of billions of euros of frozen recovery funds. In mid-March, with his country at the forefront of a more-or-less united Western response to Russia’s invasion of …

There has been the intensification of the wave of layoffs in Chinese internet companies, where JD.com is becoming the center of attention. According to a document that has been circulating online, JD.com’s layoffs cover a wide range of business lines. The e-commerce company’s subsidiaries such as Jingxi, JD Worldwide, JD …

US–China geostrategic competition is intensifying in the Pacific as both governments commit more resources to battle for influence. The US government released its Indo-Pacific Strategy in February 2022, which fleshes out its policy priorities in the region. This document is based on the ‘Free and Open Indo-Pacific’ concept announced by …

“When I left Nantes in 1984, it was tranquility itself, even in the traditionally more working-class neighborhoods… Today Nantes has become Lebanonized. And its history is that of France…” — Ivan Rioufol, journalist, Le Figaro, April 7, 2018. One might even be forgiven for thinking that Qatar’s ultimate goal was …

The meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, in the Chinese eastern city of Huangshan on March 30, is likely to go down in history as a decisive meeting in the relations between the two Asian giants. The meeting was not only important due …

Insanity has often been defined as trying the same thing over and over and getting the same result. Case in point, Ukraine was seeking NATO membership to bolster its security. This membership would have come at the expense of Russian security, as Russian president Vladimir Putin made clear. To thwart …

Early indications of a massacre in Moura, Mali have been denied by the Malian government, and it is thus far hindering any independent onsite investigation by international bodies. There are reports that Russian mercenaries, from the notorious Wagner Group, may have been involved in or had knowledge of the Moura …

Iran and the militias to which it provides backing and support have escalated attacks in an effort to influence the formation of a new national government in Iraq. Iraq’s Kurdish leaders are at odds over which faction will control Iraq’s presidency. Iraqi factions aligned with Iran have blocked efforts by …

A ceasefire and a restructuring of the Yemen government suggest that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman (MBS) is looking for an off-ramp for the conflict. Houthi missile attacks on the Kingdom and the UAE, coupled with strains in U.S. relations with the two Gulf states, may have shifted MBS’ …

In the wake of Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, Western countries have expelled hundreds of Russian diplomats to hinder Russian intelligence efforts. Most countries use some diplomatic postings for intelligence purposes, though the scale of Russia’s efforts is massive, and there will be significant consequences to having its personnel evicted …