The future of UK-Russia relations
Foreign Minister Liz Truss said on Tuesday that the UK government is determined to impose additional sanctions on Russia and will do so until Moscow fully withdraws from Ukraine. Russia was referred to as the “most acute threat” to UK security in the UK’s Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy, which was […]
Interpol’s emirati head has still not resigned
In November 2021, Ahmed Nasser al-Raisi was elected president of Interpol for a four-year term. Human rights groups have accused him of participating in torture and arbitrary detentions in the UAE. The UAE has refuted the allegations leveled against al-Raisi. Prosecutors in France’s anti-terrorism court have opened a preliminary investigation into allegations of torture and […]
The fall of Mariupol
Mariupol has fallen after nearly three months of relentless assault. More than 200 Ukrainian fighters who had been holding out have now been taken to territory controlled by the Russians. The southern port city has been a key target of Russian attack and now gives Russia control of most of Ukraine’s coastline on the Black […]
NATO and Columbia
In March this year, US President Joe Biden announced his intention to designate Colombia as a major non-NATO ally. Under U.S. law, the designation of major non-NATO ally provides that foreign partner with certain benefits in the areas of defense, trade and security cooperation, according to the State Department, and is a symbol of the […]
NATO and the Baltic states
The United States and its allies’ credibility is in jeopardy nowhere more than in the Baltic Sea region. Article 5 of NATO’s charter commits the alliance to defend its members. The Russian attack on Eastern Europe is not limited to Ukraine but is causing a rift in Poland, Moldova the Baltic states and Scandinavia. If […]
Northern Iraq’s Oil
Iraq’s oil ministry has taken all necessary steps to implement a federal court ruling granting it authority to manage oil and gas fields in northern Iraq, in collaboration with regional Kurdish authorities. Iraq produced 4.3 million barrels of oil per day in 2020, making it the world’s sixth-largest producer. It has the world’s third-largest proven […]
Turkey’s role as an international mediator
Turkey is working to create effective dispute resolution tools for a variety of issues. The country is squarely in the middle of all of the neighboring regions’ political disputes, and it is impacted directly or indirectly, historically and culturally, by the crises that are occurring across the region. In addition to the worldwide pandemic crisis, […]
The long-term implications of military aid to Ukraine
The military aid provided to Ukraine by Western nations signals the desire to back a fellow democracy whilst concurrently avoiding a catastrophic escalation with a nuclear armed Russia. Whilst this support is certainly having a direct impact on the conflict, the long-term implications of releasing vast amounts of weapons into an unstable region are less […]
Canada’s Arctic foreign policy
Canada‘s national identity, prosperity, security, values and interests are all centered on the Arctic. The Canadian Arctic encompasses 40% of Canada’s land area and is home to over 200,000 people, more than half of whom are Indigenous. The Arctic is central to Canada’s sense of self. Many Canadians, including indigenous peoples, live in the Yukon, […]
Will Sweden and Finland join NATO?
Putin’s ruthless drive to keep Ukraine out of NATO has, inadvertently, increased the military alliance’s popularity among other potential members. According to up-to-date opinion polls, Finland and Sweden are reconsidering their long-held neutrality, with a majority of voters now preferring membership in the 30-member alliance. The conflict in Ukraine has fundamentally reshuffled the deck. In terms […]