Headlines

Negotiating under naval guns

The latest escalation in US-Iran tensions is not merely another spike in the familiar cycle of provocations and negotiations. Following an agreement in their second round of Geneva talks on February 17 that supposedly gave Iran two weeks to come up with proposals fulfilling

India leads Global South AI power grab

The AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi is signaling something far more consequential than a commitment to India’s “inclusive technology.” It’s signaling scale. The government’s IndiaAI Mission carries an allocation of roughly $1.25 billion to expand domestic AI capacity.

Yoon conviction stirs questions of judicial overreach

Former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to life imprisonment by a Seoul court on Thursday for spearheading an insurrection through his December 3, 2024, martial law decree. Yoon and other defendants, including his former defense minister, who was given 30

Why Japan’s new realism needs a human heart

Fujitsu’s February 12 announcement that it will begin domestic production of “sovereign AI” servers marks a significant milestone in Japan’s quest for digital autonomy. Coming on the heels of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s resounding election victory this month, the move fits

Why Big Oil wants no part of Trump-seized Venezuela

After the US captured Venezuela’s president at the start of 2026, Donald Trump promised to “unleash” the country’s oil supply. He wanted companies to invest US$100 billion to get hold of it. Big Oil though, seems less than keen on that idea, appearing to consider Venezuela too

Mark Carney’s middle-power masterclass

There’s been a lot of talk about middle powers lately. Nothing new there, perhaps, but this time there’s also been some middle-power action. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has single-handedly demonstrated that not only is it possible for leaders of middle powers to think