Earlier this month, tensions between Iran and Azerbaijan grew following Tehran’s large-scale military exercise near the Azeri border. This was aimed to show Iranian military capabilities to a neighbour accused, among others, of links with the West and especially with Tehran’s historic rival Israel (Motamedi, 2021). According to Iranian state media, the military drills started near Poldasht and Jolfa border …

It is commonly believed that in recent years North Korea has adopted a unique strategy and position in the field of international relations, acting irrationally and demonstrating an unreliable profile to the international community. The fact that North Korea possesses at least 30 warheads in its nuclear arsenal, along with its behaviour, causes disturbing thoughts regarding the expected decisions and …

China has once more risen its degree of control over Hong Kong confirming that it does not intend to lower its grip on the autonomous regions thereby cutting the hopes that the latter will ever become an independent fully-fledged democratic state. This week nine pro-democracy activists who took part in last year’s banned Commemoration of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre …

The 54-year Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territory, namely, Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem is a sign of the international community’s lack of accountability in front of grave and repeated breaches of international law, including serious human rights violations.  Since the occupation began in 1967, Israel has gradually developed a dual legal regime that favors Israelis and their …

The peace process in Tibet ceased to be an internal affair of China from the moment when the Dalai Lama, the highest Tibetan authority, had to go into exile in 1959. Since 1959, China and Tibet have competed internationally to legitimize their own interpretation of history. The Chinese Government argues that Tibet lived under the extreme abuse of a feudal …

Holding advantageous and geostrategic location, Turkey is the land bridge from Europe to the Middle East, South Asia and even Africa. It is a powerful regional power in the Black Sea area, the Eastern Mediterranean, the Balkans, the Caucasus and the Middle East. During the times of Ottomans, the above-mentioned territories were under the control of Ottoman Empire what is …

After eight years of complex negotiations, in November 2020, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) signed what constitutes the world’s most important trade agreement: the Comprehensive Regional Economic Partnership (the RCEP), which includes China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and the ten ASEAN economies (Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam). The RCEP covers …

In January of this year, the three foreign ministers of Pakistan, Turkey and Azerbaijan issued a joint declaration in Islamabad with a comprehensive agenda for deepened future cooperation. The main message was to combat together ‘Islamophobia’, discrimination and persecution of Muslim minorities worldwide in regional and international formats. Also, the ministers agreed to exchange information, research, expertise and best practices, …

In order to appreciate the tensions in the seas encircling China’s east coast and the fundamental importance of Taiwan it is imperative to understand the geographical conditions and the resulting geopolitical consequences. The South China Sea stretches over an area of more than 3.6 million km2 with a mean depth of 1,212 m. The Chinese southern provinces of Guangxi and …

China’s campaign to incorporate Taiwan under its leadership has been a focus of tensions in the region for decades. Japan has been drawn into this wider conflict, as it is a littoral state of the East China Sea which borders Taiwan and China. Not only out of a historical rivalry between Beijing and Tokyo, the economic rise of the People’s …