Sixty-eight years ago, the Soviet Union shocked the world by launching Sputnik 1 and igniting the space race. Today, new Sputnik moments loom on the horizon, and the stakes are far higher. The country that emerges as a preeminent space power will guarantee its own economic and national security, and shape the “rules of the road” that govern the international community for decades to come. Who will that be?
Islamists target Nigeria's Christians;
An ISIS resurgence in the Sahel;
Iran and the Palestinian arena;
After the ceasefire, a struggle for control
The plan relies on a future international force to dislodge the terror group, a scenario deemed highly unlikely. By failing to remove Hamas, the ceasefire merely sets the stage for the next inevitable war.
Nepal forms interim cabinet, sets elections;
Beijing considers research lab at Scarborough Shoal;
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia follow diplomacy with dollars;
Japan picks Takaichi as LDP leader, set to become first female PM;
North Korea's new weapon
After two years, the war in Gaza appears to be over. Following the Trump administration's active mediation last week, a tenuous ceasefire deal was struck over the weekend, and Israel's hostages have returned home. Of course, only time will tell whether this agreement will truly hold. Even so, it's not too early to draw some preliminary lessons from the conflict that just ended.