President Trump is now talking tougher on Ukraine, but the White House clearly still holds out hope that negotiating a just peace between Moscow and Kyiv might be possible. To do that, however, the United States will need to fully grasp how Russia is targeting Ukraine’s future. And it will need to make a return of these innocents a core demand of its approach toward the Kremlin.
Yemen's real government keeps up the fight;
Pakistan's problematic curriculum;
Beirut pushes for disarmament;
Counterterrorism cooperation of a different sort
A steadily worsening economy;
Blood diamonds of a different sort;
Russia and China deepen their energy partnership;
Russia drones over Germany;
Moscow green lights torture
Iran is a nation ripe for change. Forty-six years after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, its radical religious regime is riven by contradictions—incapable of providing basic governance and increasingly rejected by its 92.5 million citizens. The June 2025 “Twelve-Day War” with Israel laid bare Iran’s vulnerabilities, but it did not spark mass uprisings or major opposition activity. Instead, the government doubled down: passing emergency legislation, executing alleged collaborators, and fast-tracking succession planning.
Russia banks on its Indian oil trade;
Russia tests "traditional values";
Russia imports Iranian weapons;
Reinforcements from Central Asia