Headlines

Iran conflict hardens North Korea’s nuclear posture

North Korea’s list of close partners keeps shrinking. After the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria in December 2024, Iran became North Korea’s sole ally in the Middle East. Now, after the US-Israel strikes on Iran and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s death, it appears that

Asia in the crosshairs as oil barrels toward $120

Oil surged to over US$119 a barrel on Monday, levels not seen since 2022, before falling back to around $100 in a whipsaw trading session driven by uncertainties around the escalating US-Israeli war with Iran. The possibility of prolonged shipping disruptions and cut supplies

Why China won’t hit back over Indonesia’s US trade deal

When Beijing’s foreign ministry issued its now-familiar line that the recent Indonesia‑US trade agreement “should not harm any third party,” some analysts urgently warned of possible economic retaliation. Yet a closer look at the geopolitical economics suggests this framing

Russia wanted a new world order – just not this one

Four years ago, Vladimir Putin escalated his war against Ukraine to an all-out assault. The plan was for a quick and lively campaign and a speedy takeover of a country the Russian president thought shouldn’t exist. Victory would reassert Russia’s status and hasten a shift from

US-Israel bombing aims to depopulate Iran’s capital

Residents of the Iranian capital of Tehran awoke on Sunday to an apocalyptic scene after the United States and Israel bombed the city’s oil storage facilities. A towering pillar of fire emerged in the aftermath, toxic smoke clouded out the sun and blackened rain fell on this

Attack on Iran a defining moment for the global order

At certain moments in history, the true significance of events lies not in the events themselves but in the rules that emerge afterward. The military attack by the United States and Israel on Iran, accompanied by the assassination of the country’s highest political authority,