Russia and US ignoring big new trouble in the Caucasus

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While the world is watching the destruction in Ukraine, in another corner of the former Soviet Union hostilities smolder. Armenia and Azerbaijan accused each other on April 11, 2023, of starting a firefight close to the contested Nagorno-Karabakh region in which seven soldiers were killed. That skirmishes in the region turned deadly is no real […]Continue Reading

Bakhmut quagmire working to Russia’s advantage

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The Battle for Bakhmut raging in eastern Ukraine has captured the attention of the outside world. Despite facing overwhelming odds, Ukrainian forces have held out and inflicted severe casualties on Russian armed forces. Their resilience has also given them time to reorganize their forces and prepare for an expected spring offensive. The problem for Ukraine, […]Continue Reading

Pentagon leaks paint picture of a war that can’t be won

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Classified Pentagon documents leaked last week paint a grim picture of the trajectory of the war in Ukraine. While it may well be the most significant national security breach since the Snowden leaks of US National Security Agency material a decade ago, the fact that the leak occurred is almost certainly more significant than what […]Continue Reading

Why so many democracies prefer Russia to Ukraine

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After over a year of the Ukraine war, efforts at building a global consensus against Russia seem to have stalled, with many countries opting for neutrality. The number of countries condemning Russia has declined, according to some sources. Botswana has edged towards Russia from its original pro-Ukraine stance, South Africa is moving from neutral to […]Continue Reading

US still a giant leap ahead of China in space

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Headlines proclaiming the rise of a new “space race” between the US and China have become common in news coverage following many of the exciting launches in recent years. Experts have pointed to China’s rapid advancements in space as evidence of an emerging landscape where China is directly competing with the US for supremacy. This […]Continue Reading

The war in Ukraine shaking up the global arms industry

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On March 21, India’s air force confirmed that a major Russian arms delivery would not occur, citing Russia’s logistical challenges stemming from its war in Ukraine. This has served as the latest example of Russia’s inability to complete weapons deals with India since the conflict began in February 2022. India is the world’s largest arms importer, and as the […]Continue Reading

Iran can make a nuclear bomb in a matter of months

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The on-again, off-again talks between Iran and Western powers over Tehran’s nuclear program have stalled yet again due to disagreements between the two sides. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has blamed Iran for “killing an opportunity” to come back to the negotiating table and maintained the talks were no longer a priority for the […]Continue Reading

Can an all-out Middle East war be averted?

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Violence has again erupted in the Middle East during one of the holiest times of year for both Jews and Muslims. In recent days, militants in southern Lebanon have fired a large number of rockets at Israel in response to an Israeli police raid on the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem. Israel blamed the Hamas […]Continue Reading

A new femininity is starting to emerge in China

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Over the course of the last century, Western beauty ideals – thinness, light skin, large breasts, large eyes, a small nose and high cheekbones – have seeped into countries and cultures around the world. But cracks are starting to emerge in these hegemonic beauty standards. In my work as a social media scholar, I started […]Continue Reading