In war-torn Iran, air pollution from burning oil depots and bombed buildings unleashes invisible health threatsArmin Sorooshian, University of Arizona
Kurdish gains in Syria could disappear without international support − just as they did in Iraq decades agoLily Hindy, University of California, Los Angeles
Going nuclear? Why a growing number of Washington’s allies are eyeing an alternative to US umbrellaAmy McAuliffe, University of Notre Dame
China’s muted response over war in Iran reflects Beijing’s delicate calculus as a concerned onlookerJohn Calabrese, American University
Atrocities take place in democratic nations as well as autocratic ones – our database has logged them allDavid Cingranelli, Binghamton University, State University of New York and Skip Mark, University of Rhode Island
Far from random, China’s global port network is clustering near the world’s riskiest trade routesDylan Spencer, Georgia Southern University; Gohar Petrossian, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and Stephen Pires, Florida International University
Arming a Kurdish insurgency would be a risky endeavor – for both the US and Iran’s minority KurdsJohn Calabrese, American University
Hezbollah − degraded, weakened but not yet disarmed − destabilizes Lebanon once againMireille Rebeiz, Dickinson College
The rise of ‘Merzoni’: How an alliance between Germany’s and Italy’s leaders is reshaping EuropeJulia Khrebtan-Hörhager, Colorado State University
Cuba’s speedboat shootout recalls long history of exile groups engaged in covert ops aimed at regime changeWilliam M. LeoGrande, American University School of Public Affairs
As war in Ukraine enters a 5th year, will the ‘Putin consensus’ among Russians hold?Peter Rutland, Wesleyan University and Elizaveta Gaufman, University of Groningen
Will a ‘Trump slump’ continue to hit US tourism in 2026 − and even keep World Cup fans away?Frédéric Dimanche, Toronto Metropolitan University and Kelley A. McClinchey, Wilfrid Laurier University
Japan’s rock star leader now has the political backing to push a bold agenda. Will she deliver?Adam Simpson, Adelaide University
The rise of Reza Pahlavi: Iranian opposition leader or opportunist?Eric Lob, Florida International University
Russia’s drone pipeline: How Iran helps Moscow produce an ever-evolving unmanned fleetAmy McAuliffe, University of Notre Dame
How government killings and kidnappings in Argentina drove mothers to resist and revolt − and eventually winLaura Tedesco, Saint Louis University – Madrid
Trump’s Greenland threats reveals no-win dilemma at the heart of European security strategyGarret Martin, American University School of International Service
Trump’s framing of Nigeria insurgency as a war on Christians risks undermining interfaith peacebuildingAili Mari Tripp, University of Wisconsin-Madison
US military action in Iran risks igniting a regional and global nuclear cascadeFarah N. Jan, University of Pennsylvania
What a bear attack in a remote valley in Nepal tells us about the problem of aging rural communitiesGeoff Childs, Washington University in St. Louis
How tourism, a booming wellness culture and social media are transforming the age-old Japanese tea ceremonyMałgorzata (Gosia) K. Citko-DuPlantis, University of Tennessee
Rebirth of the madman theory? Unpredictability isn’t what it was when it comes to foreign policyAndrew Latham, Macalester College
Saudi-UAE bust-up over Yemen was only a matter of time − and reflects wider rift over vision for the regionKristian Coates Ulrichsen, Rice University
Chavismo has adapted before – but can Venezuela’s leftist ideology become US friendly and survive?Paul Webster Hare, Boston University
Welcome to the ‘gray zone’ − home to nefarious international acts that fall short of outright conflictAndrew Latham, Macalester College
Regime change means different things to different people. Either way, it hasn’t happened in Venezuela … yetAndrew Latham, Macalester College
From evil to upheaval and beyond: How the ‘axis’ metaphor shaped modern geopoliticsAndrew Latham, Macalester College
US leaders view China as a ‘pacing threat’ − has Washington enough stamina to last the race?Andrew Latham, Macalester College
Hope and hardship have driven Syrian refugee returns – but many head back to destroyed homes, land disputesSandra Joireman, University of Richmond
Cuba’s leaders just lost an ally in Maduro − if starved of Venezuelan oil, they may also lose what remains of their public supportJoseph J. Gonzalez, Appalachian State University
What triumphalist narratives about Brazil’s high court and Bolsonaro imprisonment leave outTassiana Moura de Oliveira, University at Albany, State University of New York
America is falling behind in the global EV race – that’s going to cost the US auto industryHengrui Liu, Tufts University and Kelly Sims Gallagher, Tufts University
China’s new condom tax will prove no effective barrier to country’s declining fertility rateDudley L. Poston Jr., Texas A&M University
The UN is reinventing peacekeeping – Haiti is the testing groundBulbul Ahmed, University of Iowa; Bangladesh University of Professionals
Why can’t every country get along with each other? It comes down to resources, inequality and perceptionKaleb Demerew, West Texas A&M University; Institute for Humane Studies
Sudan’s civil war: A visual guide to the brutal conflictChristopher Tounsel, University of Washington
Global power struggles over the ocean’s finite resources call for creative diplomacyJonas Gamso, Arizona State University and Hossain Ahmed Taufiq, Arizona State University
Can a pro-federation win in Northern Cyprus revive the island’s stalled reunification?Spyros A. Sofos, Simon Fraser University
Guinea-Bissau’s military takeover highlights the nation’s sorry history of coups and a deepening crisis across the regionJohn Joseph Chin, Carnegie Mellon University
A new world order isn’t coming, it’s already here − and this is what it looks likeJohn Rennie Short, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
A billion-dollar drug was found in Easter Island soil – what scientists and companies owe the Indigenous people they studiedTed Powers, University of California, Davis
The rise and fall of globalisation: the battle to be top dogSteve Schifferes, City St George's, University of London
Lebanon’s orchards have been burnt, wildlife habitat destroyed by Israeli strikes – raising troubling international law questionsMireille Rebeiz, Dickinson College and Josiane Yazbeck, Université La Sagesse
Gaza’s once-growing economy is nearing total collapseDalia Alazzeh, University of the West of Scotland and Shahzad Uddin, University of Essex
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
Ukraine is under pressure to trade land for peace − if it does, history shows it might not ever get it backPeter Harris, Colorado State University
Lasting peace in Ukraine may hinge on independent monitors – yet Trump’s 28-point plan barely mentions themPeter 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
Trump’s framing of Nigeria insurgency as a war on Christians risks undermining interfaith peacebuildingAili Mari Tripp, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Trump’s insistence on personal loyalty from ambassadors could crimp US foreign policyDavid Lindsey, Baruch College, CUNY
US force has been used against drug traffickers before – but Trump’s plan is a dangerous escalationLuca Trenta, Swansea University
US presidents have always used transactional foreign policy – but Trump does it differentlyPatrick E. Shea, University of Glasgow
Trump’s Middle East pivot aims to counter China’s rising influenceMaria Papageorgiou, Newcastle University
China’s new 5-year plan: A high-stakes bet on self-reliance that won’t fix an unbalanced economyShaoyu Yuan, New York University; Rutgers University
The Dayton Peace Accords at 30: An ugly peace that has prevented a return to war over BosniaGerard Toal, Virginia Tech and Adis Maksić, International Burch University
Ethiopia’s 2026 elections: without reforms, the vote may not be free or fairBizuneh Yimenu, Queen's University Belfast
‘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 migrationSabine Lee, University of Birmingham; Heather Tasker, Dalhousie University, and Susan Bartels, Queen's University, Ontario
China’s dwindling marriage rate is fuelling demand for brides trafficked from abroadMing Gao, Lund University
Chinese barges and Taiwan Strait drills are about global power projection − not just a potential invasionColin Flint, Utah State University
Digital imperialism: How US social media firms are using American law to challenge global tech regulationYasmin Curzi de Mendonça, University of Virginia and Camille Grenier, Sciences Po
China’s new underwater tool cuts deep, exposing vulnerability of vital network of subsea cablesJohn Calabrese, American University
DeepSeek is now a global force. But it’s just one player in China’s booming AI industryMimi Zou, UNSW Sydney
