War in Ukraine Stretches to East Asia

The announcement of deploying approximately 12,000 North Korean troops alongside long-range missiles to Russia changes the entire calculus of the Ukrainian war. It brings the prospect of a global conflict closer. Reports suggest about 1,500 men are already in Vladivostok for advanced training, with an additional 10,500 set to follow. Among them, 1,500 are special […]

UNIFIL’s Fig Leaf on Diverging Worldviews

The crisis between Israel and UNIFIL highlights the collapse of a unified UN perspective and differing agendas between Washington and Beijing. It is difficult to patch up the situation or dismantle the organization entirely. After World War I, the victorious powers created the League of Nations to avoid the mistakes and misunderstandings that led to […]

Global Cracks from the U.S. Political Divide

A few thousand votes in perhaps a dozen counties scattered across three or four states will determine the election of the next president of the United States. This choice holds significant implications for the destiny of 8 billion people worldwide due to the anticipated policy shifts between the two candidates. One, Kamala Harris, aims to […]

Putin’s firing of the Middle East

A year after the October 7 massacre, Israel is stronger than ever, and its enemies are weaker than ever. Yet, as the shadows of wars cloud half of the world, politics lags behind weapons—except for Putin. A year after the brutal October 7 pogrom, the political situation surrounding Israel, the victim of the attack, is […]

Force and Reason: Advice from a Mongol Khan to Pope Francis

The “force of reason” and the “reason of force” have been central to the relationship between ideology/religion and political/military power in Europe and the Mediterranean—and later the world—for millennia. The combined strength of the Aristotelian argument and the Macedonian phalanx enabled not only the rapid conquests of Alexander the Great in the 4th century BC […]

A Way for the Pope with Israel?

The Pope’s decision to declare October 7th a day of fasting is a farsighted warning on a historical level. The fast shows the world public opinion of three important facts: The terrorist violence of Hamas and Hezbollah as well as the recent missile attacks by Iran against Israel have distanced the prospect of a Palestinian […]

Does China need a Grand Strategy?

China might need a new Grand Strategy for the first time since the 3rd century BC unification, but it is quite elusive. Italy has parallel issues, and there could be lessons to be learned there. “Here begins our tale. The Empire, long divided, must unite; long united, must divide. Thus it has ever been. In […]