Iran has been forging closer ties with Russia and China since the US’s withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which took place in 2018 under Trump’s administration. However, it took noticeable steps in this direction in 2021 when the more conservative president Ebrahim Raisi came to power. Subsequently, the war in Ukraine and now the Israel-Hamas conflict …

In the aftermath of World War II, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was established in 1949. The alliance was formed as part of an effort by the United States and its European allies to dissuade any expansion of the then-Soviet Union (USSR) and to lessen the likelihood of conflict on the continent by supporting deeper political unity among its countries. It has …

South Africa has requested the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to take an interim measure aimed at stopping Israel from committing acts defined as “potential genocide”. The primary action requested is for the court to call for a halt to combat operations. Initially, South Africa’s plea was not met with nearly as much urgency and attention as it is now. …

On January 1st, Ethiopia’s Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed, and Muse Bihi Abdi, the leader of Somaliland, surprised the international community with an announcement. During a joint press conference in Addis Ababa, they disclosed that landlocked Ethiopia would lease a naval port and a 20km stretch of the Red Sea coastline in Somaliland. In return, Somaliland would receive shares in Ethiopian …

The withdrawal of French military from Niger, along with Mali and Burkina Faso, demonstrates how difficult life is for Sahelian countries. The departure occurred when the military assumed control of the region and the locals began to dislike France. The bad blood between France and the Sahel nations, along with more people preferring Russia, altered who had power in the region. …

The recent legislative changes regarding immigration in France and the agreement reached by the European Union to reform the union’s immigration policy announce a change in the landscape of immigration on the continent.  France’s Proposed Immigration Law The immigration and asylum bill was a source of much controversy when it was announced in both the Assemblée Nationale and amongst the …

A first important development to note is that on Wednesday the 20th of December 2023 Hamas’ leader Ismail Haniyeh made his first visit to Egypt in over a month in what is a rare personal involvement in diplomatic efforts. The visit coincided with intensive talks on a potential new ceasefire to facilitate aid delivery to Gaza and the release of additional …

After months of political deliberation, the European Union officially initiated a protracted process on Tuesday to fulfil its commitment to allocate funds derived from frozen Russian central bank assets for the reconstruction of Ukraine. The European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, announced that it had reached an agreement on a proposal outlining a legal framework to utilize the …

With a view to determining the economic fortunes of nations amidst this intricate network that is international trade, perhaps no other organization plays so pivotal a role at present as does the World Trade Organization (WTO). Established in 1995, the main role of the WTO has been to promote free trade, destroy barriers created by states which prevent trade with other …

The increasingly integrated digital platforms, automated logistics and virtual payments have global commerce approaching an inflection point. With hyper-connected seamless trade flows poised to unleash huge efficiency gains both for business and people, this high level of interconnection has never before risked testing the capacity of governance across borders at such a comprehensive scale. More access for enterprising export powers the …