A man and a woman walk past a massive billboard showing stars and stripes.

A man and a woman walk past a massive billboard showing stars and stripes.

US military action in Iran risks igniting a regional and global nuclear cascade

Farah N. Jan, University of Pennsylvania

Trump’s Greenland threats reveals no-win dilemma at the heart of European security strategy

Garret Martin, American University School of International Service

A man in a suit stands at a lectern on a stage.

A man in a suit stands at a lectern on a stage.

Trump’s framing of Nigeria insurgency as a war on Christians risks undermining interfaith peacebuilding

Aili Mari Tripp, University of Wisconsin-Madison

A burned out car is seen in front of a building.

A burned out car is seen in front of a building.

A man in a firefighter's uniform stands amid debris and snow.

A man in a firefighter's uniform stands amid debris and snow.

Russia’s drone pipeline: How Iran helps Moscow produce an ever-evolving unmanned fleet

Amy McAuliffe, University of Notre Dame

Illustrated image of a woman wearing a white bandana reading 'madres'

Illustrated image of a woman wearing a white bandana reading 'madres'

How government killings and kidnappings in Argentina drove mothers to resist and revolt − and eventually win

Laura Tedesco, Saint Louis University – Madrid

A bright orange Ram pickup truck at the auto show with other trucks nearby and a banner with trucks overhead.

A bright orange Ram pickup truck at the auto show with other trucks nearby and a banner with trucks overhead.

America is falling behind in the global EV race – that’s going to cost the US auto industry

Hengrui Liu, Tufts University and Kelly Sims Gallagher, Tufts University

America is falling behind in the global EV race – that’s going to cost the US auto industry

Hengrui Liu, Tufts University and Kelly Sims Gallagher, Tufts University

A bright orange Ram pickup truck at the auto show with other trucks nearby and a banner with trucks overhead.

A bright orange Ram pickup truck at the auto show with other trucks nearby and a banner with trucks overhead.

Trump’s framing of Nigeria insurgency as a war on Christians risks undermining interfaith peacebuilding

Aili Mari Tripp, University of Wisconsin-Madison

A burned out car is seen in front of a building.

A burned out car is seen in front of a building.

China’s new condom tax will prove no effective barrier to country’s declining fertility rate

Dudley L. Poston Jr., Texas A&M University

A man looks at a display of condom packages.

A man looks at a display of condom packages.

Trump’s insistence on personal loyalty from ambassadors could crimp US foreign policy

David Lindsey, Baruch College, CUNY

President Trump sits before a row of American flags.

President Trump sits before a row of American flags.

A woman in a lime jacket waves.

A woman in a lime jacket waves.

Chavismo has adapted before – but can Venezuela’s leftist ideology become US friendly and survive?

Paul Webster Hare, Boston University

What triumphalist narratives about Brazil’s high court and Bolsonaro imprisonment leave out

Tassiana Moura de Oliveira, University at Albany, State University of New York

A defendant and his lawyers sit before a tribunal.

A defendant and his lawyers sit before a tribunal.

Saudi-UAE bust-up over Yemen was only a matter of time − and reflects wider rift over vision for the region

Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, Rice University

Rallygoers waves flags during a protest.

Rallygoers waves flags during a protest.

Global power struggles over the ocean’s finite resources call for creative diplomacy

Jonas Gamso, Arizona State University and Hossain Ahmed Taufiq, Arizona State University

A fleet of dozens of fishing boats streams under a bridge.

A fleet of dozens of fishing boats streams under a bridge.

Cuba’s leaders just lost an ally in Maduro − if starved of Venezuelan oil, they may also lose what remains of their public support

Joseph J. Gonzalez, Appalachian State University

Two men in suits walk in front of a red background

Two men in suits walk in front of a red background

Ukraine is under pressure to trade land for peace − if it does, history shows it might not ever get it back

Peter Harris, Colorado State University

A man holding a bucket walks through rubble.

A man holding a bucket walks through rubble.

Lebanon’s orchards have been burnt, wildlife habitat destroyed by Israeli strikes – raising troubling international law questions

Mireille Rebeiz, Dickinson College and Josiane Yazbeck, Université La Sagesse

Smoke rises over a hilly rural landscape.

Smoke rises over a hilly rural landscape.

A man in a hat stands on a porch

A man in a hat stands on a porch

What a bear attack in a remote valley in Nepal tells us about the problem of aging rural communities

Geoff Childs, Washington University in St. Louis

Women seated on a tatami mat wearing kimonos; one serves Japanese tea while the others wait.

Women seated on a tatami mat wearing kimonos; one serves Japanese tea while the others wait.

How tourism, a booming wellness culture and social media are transforming the age-old Japanese tea ceremony

Małgorzata (Gosia) K. Citko-DuPlantis, University of Tennessee

A man holds a hat while sitting on a bomb.

A man holds a hat while sitting on a bomb.

Rebirth of the madman theory? Unpredictability isn’t what it was when it comes to foreign policy

Andrew Latham, Macalester College

Sudan’s civil war: A visual guide to the brutal conflict

Christopher Tounsel, University of Washington

A composite of Sudanese generals Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo and some of their respective soldiers

A composite of Sudanese generals Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo and some of their respective soldiers

Hope and hardship have driven Syrian refugee returns – but many head back to destroyed homes, land disputes

Sandra Joireman, University of Richmond

Mena and women crowd onto a convoy of vehicles.

Mena and women crowd onto a convoy of vehicles.

Foreign policy 101

Regime change means different things to different people. Either way, it hasn’t happened in Venezuela … yet

Andrew Latham, Macalester College

Newspapers depict a man in a blindfold with headlines saying 'captured'

Newspapers depict a man in a blindfold with headlines saying 'captured'

From evil to upheaval and beyond: How the ‘axis’ metaphor shaped modern geopolitics

Andrew Latham, Macalester College

A globe sits atop a desk.

A globe sits atop a desk.

US leaders view China as a ‘pacing threat’ − has Washington enough stamina to last the race?

Andrew Latham, Macalester College

Two sprinters compete on a track.

Two sprinters compete on a track.

Gunboat diplomacy: How classic naval coercion has evolved into hybrid warfare on the water

Andrew Latham, Macalester College

A large ship is at sea.

A large ship is at sea.

Men in suits sit and stand behind a desk

Men in suits sit and stand behind a desk

The Dayton Peace Accords at 30: An ugly peace that has prevented a return to war over Bosnia

Gerard Toal, Virginia Tech and Adis Maksić, International Burch University

Why can’t every country get along with each other? It comes down to resources, inequality and perception

Kaleb Demerew, West Texas A&M University; Institute for Humane Studies

Acrylic painting of a grenade and a peace symbol against a colorful backdrop

Acrylic painting of a grenade and a peace symbol against a colorful backdrop

Can a pro-federation win in Northern Cyprus revive the island’s stalled reunification?

Spyros A. Sofos, Simon Fraser University

A smiling man wearing glasses with short grey hair holds a microphone and waves.

A smiling man wearing glasses with short grey hair holds a microphone and waves.

Lasting peace in Ukraine may hinge on independent monitors – yet Trump’s 28-point plan barely mentions them

Peter J. Quaranto, University of Notre Dame; Josefina Echavarria Alvarez, University of Notre Dame; Pavlo Smytsnyuk, New York University, and Tyler Jess Thompson, University of California, Berkeley

Men in suits sit at a table.

Men in suits sit at a table.

Guinea-Bissau’s military takeover highlights the nation’s sorry history of coups and a deepening crisis across the region

John Joseph Chin, Carnegie Mellon University

Men in an army jeep patrol a street.

Men in an army jeep patrol a street.

A soldier looks out a window at a trash-strewn street.

A soldier looks out a window at a trash-strewn street.

The UN is reinventing peacekeeping – Haiti is the testing ground

Bulbul Ahmed, University of Iowa; Bangladesh University of Professionals

A woman sits on a pile of sacks

A woman sits on a pile of sacks

‘I have to talk about it so that the world can know what happened to women and girls in Sudan’ – rape and terror sparks mass migration

Sabine Lee, University of Birmingham; Heather Tasker, Dalhousie University, and Susan Bartels, Queen's University, Ontario

A new world order isn’t coming, it’s already here − and this is what it looks like

John Rennie Short, University of Maryland, Baltimore County

A group of men and women look at a big screen with men walking on it.

A group of men and women look at a big screen with men walking on it.

China’s new 5-year plan: A high-stakes bet on self-reliance that won’t fix an unbalanced economy

Shaoyu Yuan, New York University; Rutgers University

The shadow of a person obscures some Chinese writing and a hammer and sickle emblem.

The shadow of a person obscures some Chinese writing and a hammer and sickle emblem.

Peace in Sudan? 3 reasons why mediation hasn’t worked so far

Samir Ramzy, Helwan University

Women and children in the foreground sitting on the ground, with a man walking in the background with a sack on his head.

Women and children in the foreground sitting on the ground, with a man walking in the background with a sack on his head.

Starvation as a weapon of war: how Ethiopia created a famine in Tigray

Teklehaymanot G. Weldemichel, University of Manchester and Birhan Mezgbo, Tufts University

A woman carrying a baby walking on a dusty path between makeshift tents, with children in the background standing outside their tents.

A woman carrying a baby walking on a dusty path between makeshift tents, with children in the background standing outside their tents.

Frontal view of the moai of peace

Frontal view of the moai of peace

A billion-dollar drug was found in Easter Island soil – what scientists and companies owe the Indigenous people they studied

Ted Powers, University of California, Davis

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Every Tuesday and Friday

A world map showing the extent of the British Empire in 1886.

A world map showing the extent of the British Empire in 1886.

The rise and fall of globalisation: the battle to be top dog

Steve Schifferes, City St George's, University of London

A picture of a map.

A picture of a map.

The lost history of Latin America’s role in averting catastrophe during the Cuban missile crisis

Renata Keller, University of Nevada, Reno

Israel-Gaza latest

Gaza’s once-growing economy is nearing total collapse

Dalia Alazzeh, University of the West of Scotland and Shahzad Uddin, University of Essex

Palestinians near the ruins of Gaza's international airport.

Palestinians near the ruins of Gaza's international airport.

What charges does Benjamin Netanyahu face, and what’s at stake if he is granted a pardon?

Michelle Burgis-Kasthala, La Trobe University

Why are the ICJ and ICC cases on Israel and Gaza taking so long?

Melanie O'Brien, The University of Western Australia

A Palestinian man takes cover following an Israeli air strike during a military operation in Gaza City in September 2025.

A Palestinian man takes cover following an Israeli air strike during a military operation in Gaza City in September 2025.

Israeli doctors reveal their conflicted stories of treating Palestinian prisoners held in notorious ‘black site’ Sde Teiman

Merav Amir, Queen's University Belfast and Hagar Kotef, SOAS, University of London

Israeli military personnel outside the secretive Sde Teiman detention centre

Israeli military personnel outside the secretive Sde Teiman detention centre

Read more on the war in Gaza

Ukraine-Russia conflict

A man lights a candle next to a statue and engraving.

A man lights a candle next to a statue and engraving.

Beware the Anglo-Saxons! Why Russia likes to invoke a medieval tribe when talking about the West

Peter Rutland, Wesleyan University and Elizaveta Gaufman, University of Groningen

A man sits at a desk talking to several other people. A map is behind him.

A man sits at a desk talking to several other people. A map is behind him.

When it comes to Ukraine peace negotiations, it’s all over the map

Gerard Toal, Virginia Tech

More on the Ukraine-Russia War

Trump and the world

Donald Trump gestures as he addresses the media at the White House.

Donald Trump gestures as he addresses the media at the White House.

US force has been used against drug traffickers before – but Trump’s plan is a dangerous escalation

Luca Trenta, Swansea University

US presidents have always used transactional foreign policy – but Trump does it differently

Patrick E. Shea, University of Glasgow

Ilham Aliyev and Donald Trump sat at a table as they speak to the media.

Ilham Aliyev and Donald Trump sat at a table as they speak to the media.

Trump’s Middle East pivot aims to counter China’s rising influence

Maria Papageorgiou, Newcastle University

Mohammed bin Salman faces Donald Trump with his hands in the prayer position.

Mohammed bin Salman faces Donald Trump with his hands in the prayer position.

Sanctioning ghosts: Why US plans to hit Russia with fresh economic penalties will have little effect

Keith A. Preble, East Carolina University and Charmaine N. Willis, Old Dominion University

A woman takes a picture of another woman next to a display with a hammer and sickle design

A woman takes a picture of another woman next to a display with a hammer and sickle design

Will Trump’s deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan lead to lasting peace?

Brian Brivati, Kingston University

Ilham Aliyev, Donald Trump and Nikol Pashinyan join hands at the White House.

Ilham Aliyev, Donald Trump and Nikol Pashinyan join hands at the White House.

Around the globe

A bridge extending from a barge in the water.

A bridge extending from a barge in the water.

Chinese barges and Taiwan Strait drills are about global power projection − not just a potential invasion

Colin Flint, Utah State University

Ethiopia’s 2026 elections: without reforms, the vote may not be free or fair

Bizuneh Yimenu, Queen's University Belfast

Two men and a woman looking at a pile of folded up papers on a table in front of them

Two men and a woman looking at a pile of folded up papers on a table in front of them

Digital imperialism: How US social media firms are using American law to challenge global tech regulation

Yasmin Curzi de Mendonça, University of Virginia and Camille Grenier, Sciences Po

An assembled crowd stands during a ceremony.

An assembled crowd stands during a ceremony.

China’s dwindling marriage rate is fuelling demand for brides trafficked from abroad

Ming Gao, Lund University

A Chinese couple on their wedding day.

A Chinese couple on their wedding day.

Colombia wants to ban Pablo Escobar and other narco-themed merchandise – here’s why

Ross Bennett-Cook, Leeds Beckett University

A mural dedicated to Pablo Escobar in a neighbourhood in Medellín.

A mural dedicated to Pablo Escobar in a neighbourhood in Medellín.

Iran and US to enter high-stakes nuclear negotiations – hampered by a lack of trust

Ali Bilgic, Loughborough University

A woman walks outside the former US embassy in Tehran which is decorated with murals showing US and Iran in negotiations.

A woman walks outside the former US embassy in Tehran which is decorated with murals showing US and Iran in negotiations.

China’s new underwater tool cuts deep, exposing vulnerability of vital network of subsea cables

John Calabrese, American University

A man in a fluorescent vest works on a beach.

A man in a fluorescent vest works on a beach.

DeepSeek is now a global force. But it’s just one player in China’s booming AI industry

Mimi Zou, UNSW Sydney

Red flag with one large yellow star and four smaller yellow stars in top right corner.

Red flag with one large yellow star and four smaller yellow stars in top right corner.

African Union’s new chair has a long list of tough tasks – what it will take to get them done

Ulf Engel, University of Leipzig

Man wearing grey suit, seating in front of two flags

Man wearing grey suit, seating in front of two flags

Scam Factories: An investigation from The Conversation

Scam Factories: the inside story of Southeast Asia’s brutal fraud compounds

Gemma Ware, The Conversation; Justin Bergman, The Conversation, and Matt Garrow, The Conversation

‘It seemed like a good job at first’: how people are trafficked, trapped and forced to scam in Southeast Asia – Scam Factories podcast, Ep 1

Gemma Ware, The Conversation

Buildings under construction in Sihanoukville.

Buildings under construction in Sihanoukville.

‘Your life becomes a nightmare’: how scam operations exploit those trapped inside – Scam Factories podcast, Ep 2

Gemma Ware, The Conversation

A man who was trafficked to a compound praying.

A man who was trafficked to a compound praying.

‘I thought about escaping every day’: how survivors get out of Southeast Asia’s cybercrime compounds – Scam Factories podcast, Ep 3

Gemma Ware, The Conversation

A man who was trafficked to a scam compound.

A man who was trafficked to a scam compound.