Central Asia

The Real Test of the Abraham Accords: Ceremony vs. Reality

As Washington celebrates a diplomatic photo-op, with the Abraham Accords, middle powers are redefining the Middle East map on their own terms.

West Hunts Russian Crypto Laundering as Networks Shift to Kyrgyzstan

Moscow's crypto networks turn sanctions into mere speed bumps on the road to financial sovereignty.

Suez on Rails: China is Changing the Map

China’s “Suez Canal on Rails” aims to speed Asia-Europe trade via Chongqing, bypassing sea chokepoints and reshaping global logistics.

Tourism in Afghanistan: Between Reality and Taliban Propaganda

Afghanistan tourism rises under Taliban rule, drawing visitors from Europe & Gulf while masking human rights abuses and women’s repression.

EU Looks to the Silk Road: First EU-Central Asia Summit

EU launches new Silk Road at Samarkand Summit, boosting green investment and strategic ties across Central Asia amid U.S. retreat.

Popular

Anti-Bardella Performative Resistance Falls Short

Culinary protests splatter and legal verdicts land; Jordan Bardella rides economic fatigue to dismantle the cordon sanitaire shielding the French presidency.

Meloni in Manama: The Sakhir Declaration and Gulf Security

Missiles over Doha have turned the Sakhir Declaration from standard diplomacy into a survival blueprint, pushing the Gulf toward self-reliance and Europe ties.

The Rome-Moscow Connection: How Italy and Kyrgyzstan are Keeping Russian Trade Alive

While Europe builds a wall of sanctions against Russia, Italy has found a backdoor, shipping goods through the mountains to Kyrgyzstan.

EU-US Trade Talks: Price of Sovereignty on the Factory Floor

Brussels rejects trading digital sovereignty for tariff relief, leaving European steel workers to bear the heavy cost of a deepening transatlantic deadlock.

The Pope’s Turkey Visit: Eastern Mediterranean as Christianity’s Foundation

Pope Leo XIV's first papal journey to Turkey from 27-30 November 2025 placed the eastern Mediterranean once again at the centre of Catholic imagination, inviting Europe to reconsider how geography shaped its tradition.