Iran has been forging closer ties with Russia and China since the US’s withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which took place in 2018 under Trump’s administration. However, it took noticeable steps in this direction in 2021 when the more conservative president Ebrahim Raisi came to power. Subsequently, the war in Ukraine and now the Israel-Hamas conflict …

In the aftermath of World War II, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was established in 1949. The alliance was formed as part of an effort by the United States and its European allies to dissuade any expansion of the then-Soviet Union (USSR) and to lessen the likelihood of conflict on the continent by supporting deeper political unity among its countries. It has …

South Africa has requested the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to take an interim measure aimed at stopping Israel from committing acts defined as “potential genocide”. The primary action requested is for the court to call for a halt to combat operations. Initially, South Africa’s plea was not met with nearly as much urgency and attention as it is now. …

On January 1st, Ethiopia’s Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, and Muse Bihi Abdi, the leader of Somaliland, surprised the international community with an announcement. During a joint press conference in Addis Ababa, they disclosed that landlocked Ethiopia would lease a naval port and a 20km stretch of the Red Sea coastline in Somaliland. In return, Somaliland would receive shares in Ethiopian …

Background The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is an organisation which aims to achieve unity and cooperation amongst petroleum exporting countries, particularly in regards to their exporting policies. The organisation thus operates to achieve a certain stability in the market. In order to join, a state has to have a substantial net export of crude petroleum. An advantage of …

Public diplomacy refers to any of the different government-sponsored operations aimed at directly connecting with foreign publics. Public diplomacy encompasses all official efforts to persuade certain segments of foreign opinion to support or tolerate a government’s strategic goals. In our contemporary world, when economies all around are working together, embassies conduct more than simply diplomatic duties. Embassies not only assist with …

After having been subjected to Pinochet’s military dictatorship from 1974 to 1990, Chileans have strived to transform their country in a modern democracy. The impetus towards a new, more progressive, country culminated in the protests started in 2019. The focus of such public revolt was to replace the constitution Pinochet’s regime had impose. The text was, in fact, anachronistic with …

The serious consequences of a funding gap become more apparent as the obscure scepticism rests over Western support for Ukraine. The White House’s latest warning that Ukraine’s aid money may run out by the end of the year raises serious concerns regarding the country’s battle against Russian attacks. The United States was proving Ukraine with air defence, artillery, small arms ammunition, …

After years of threatening predictions of a comeback of the far-right, we are now witnessing its rise to power. Arguably, Italy, with its previously understated new PM Giorgia Meloni, paved the way to what seems to be a now-inevitable shift in politics. Interestingly, countries that were not initially on the radar have been swiped by a wave of extreme nationalism. …

The withdrawal of French military from Niger, along with Mali and Burkina Faso, demonstrates how difficult life is for Sahelian countries. The departure occurred when the military assumed control of the region and the locals began to dislike France. The bad blood between France and the Sahel nations, along with more people preferring Russia, altered who had power in the region. …