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 …

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. …

The recent legislative changes regarding immigration in France and the agreement reached by the European Union to reform the union’s immigration policy announce a change in the landscape of immigration on the continent.  France’s Proposed Immigration Law The immigration and asylum bill was a source of much controversy when it was announced in both the Assemblée Nationale and amongst the …

A first important development to note is that on Wednesday the 20th of December 2023 Hamas’ leader Ismail Haniyeh made his first visit to Egypt in over a month in what is a rare personal involvement in diplomatic efforts. The visit coincided with intensive talks on a potential new ceasefire to facilitate aid delivery to Gaza and the release of additional …

After months of political deliberation, the European Union officially initiated a protracted process on Tuesday to fulfil its commitment to allocate funds derived from frozen Russian central bank assets for the reconstruction of Ukraine. The European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, announced that it had reached an agreement on a proposal outlining a legal framework to utilize the …

With a view to determining the economic fortunes of nations amidst this intricate network that is international trade, perhaps no other organization plays so pivotal a role at present as does the World Trade Organization (WTO). Established in 1995, the main role of the WTO has been to promote free trade, destroy barriers created by states which prevent trade with other …

The increasingly integrated digital platforms, automated logistics and virtual payments have global commerce approaching an inflection point. With hyper-connected seamless trade flows poised to unleash huge efficiency gains both for business and people, this high level of interconnection has never before risked testing the capacity of governance across borders at such a comprehensive scale. More access for enterprising export powers the …

Launched in 2013, the Belt & Road initiative is a massive infrastructure and investment project aimed at facilitating trade by inter alia increasing railway connection and port connections across several continents. Inspired by the ancient Silk Road, the project is an expression of Chinese economic power and influence, particularly in regard to the developing world. It has been ten years …

            Over the past few months, we have been observing a number of horrific humanitarian conflicts that have stopped the world, both due to its advancement and the failed attempts to stop them. Throughout the many disputes, many attempts were made to promote a ceasefire, establish sanctions, and overall put human rights as a priority of protection for the international community. …

Following a brief truce negotiated between Israel and Hamas for the release of some hostages, the bombarding of Gaza has re-started. Israel’s intent remains the same: to eradicate Hamas. Hamas’ intent also remains the same: to eradicate Israel. Arguably, neither of them is succeeding in their efforts to do just that. Hamas’ attacks on the 7th of October 2023 only reignited …