Diplomacy
Yemen’s Houthis are bringing their war to Saudi Arabia – and reframing the narrative of being an Iranian proxy
A deadly bombing at Riyadh’s international airport is the latest in a tit-for-tat retaliation campaign the Houthis have ramped up for weeks.
Missing ambassadors, inexperienced appointees – is Washington dropping the diplomatic ball?
Almost half of US ambassador jobs remain vacant. Meanwhile, political appointees are outnumbering career diplomats being put forward.
The Mecca alliance meets the Red Sea – Saudi Arabia’s new defense pact faces its first major test
The pact with Turkey and Pakistan has evolved quickly from a vague political commitment. Riyadh hopes it will help it navigate a thorny Middle East crisis.
21 years after disaster helped bring peace to Aceh – has botched Indonesian response to floods reignited calls for independence?
A decades-long insurgency in the Indonesian province ended after 2004’s devastating tsunami. But pro-independence talk is on the rise again.
Lula’s UN address points to two starkly different visions of Brazilian nationalism ahead of crucial election
The race between the incumbent president and Flávio Bolsonaro is a part of a decades-long right-left split in the country over the meaning of the nation.
Middle East is the latest arena of political recalibration for Italy’s right‑wing but pragmatic Meloni
The Italian leader has positioned Italy as a geopolitical hinge between competing power centers. The Middle East has just given that strategy a new environment.
The race for a new UN chief comes at a historically fraught time – the choice will be vital and significant, just don’t expect a savior
The UN Security Council calls the shots when it comes to appointing the body’s chief – which means 5 permanent members have an outsized say on the matter.
A new Houthi front and expanded Iranian attacks risk sinking Gulf nations’ choke‑point workaround and widening shipping risks
The ongoing war in Iran has created an expanding zone of risk for shipping, including for Saudi Arabia’s strategy of redirecting oil exports away from Hormuz.
After Ceuta, Europe is once again mired in migration chaos of its own making
Anti-immigration critics seized on the Ceuta migrant situation as evidence of the failure of soft policies, but in reality the bloc has become far more restrictionist in the past decade.
Iraq is emerging as the Middle East’s strategic connector – but can it turn foreign competition into advantage?
Iraq has pursued friendly relations with many countries who are themselves at odds. The strategy has lots of upside for war-torn Iraq – but holds key risks as well.