Strategy

Oil and Troubled Waters: Moscow’s Luck Holds

Volodymyr Zelensky called Russia's oil windfall 'money for the war' after JD Vance named cutting Ukraine aid his proudest government achievement.

From Chagos to the Gulf: the New Island Rush

As Chagos and other islands become pawns for global powers, international rules are fading and a new era of raw control over the world’s vital sea lanes is beginning.

Three Forgotten Islands Could Decide the Strait of Hormuz

Iran warned this week that any attack on its Hormuz islands would turn the Gulf bloody, as the UAE signalled it now sees a chance to reclaim them.

American Strategy Grants Chevron Privileged Global Access

While blockades turn away rival tankers in the Caribbean, Chevron vessels sail with immunity, anchored by a century of presence and unique American leverage.

An Imperial Dichotomy: Europe to Choose U.S. or India

Trump’s tariffs trap Europe and India with historic penalties, forcing Brussels to choose between U.S. obedience or strategic autonomy.

Popular

LVMH, War and the Luxury of Trees

As war dents luxury sales and Europe's tree cover grows more unequal, an old truth is returning: comfort is becoming easier to buy than to share.

UAE Quits OPEC to Define New Energy Order

After missile strikes on Gulf ports and thousands of flight cancellations, the UAE's exit from OPEC shatters the old oil order, exposing a ruthless energy future.

After the Correspondents’ Dinner Shooting, Trump Changes Tone

After gunfire erupted at the White House Correspondents' Dinner this weekend, Donald Trump responded with less fury than after earlier political attacks, and that change matters.

West Overlooks Russian Grain and Borders in Ukraine

As stolen grain enters Israeli docks and Berlin hints at regional trade-offs, a quiet consensus forms around the permanence of Russia's seized Ukrainian areas.

Deraa First Trial Puts Syrian Justice on the Stand

This week's public trial of Atef Najib returned Deraa to the centre of Syrian politics, with the first courtroom reckoning for the crackdown that helped ignite the uprising.