Archive
Pieces
DECODING: China Pulls Its Platform — the Art of the Tactical Retreat in the South China Sea
In June 2026, the Philippines observed something unusual in the disputed waters around Scarborough Shoal: a Chinese floating platform of roughly 300 square feet,…
NARRATIVE: Lethal Autonomous Drones — Five Countries, a $55 Billion Market Reshaping Global Warfare
They fly at low altitude, identify their targets through artificial intelligence, and strike without a human pilot pressing a button. Lethal autonomous drones are…
COMMENTARY: Rubio "Frankly" — When American Blunt Diplomacy Rattles the Persian Gulf
Marco Rubio arrived in the Persian Gulf on June 24, 2026 with a clear mission, cutting rhetoric, and apparently little patience for the habitual…
DECODING: Rutte and the Ankara Billions — What a Summit-Signed Contract Is Actually Worth
On June 26, 2026, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte launched a thundering promise from the podium of the Atlantic Council in Washington: tens of…
PROFILE: Kim Jong-un Under Fire — On June 25, He Is Not Commemorating, He Is Threatening
Seventy-six years ago, on June 25, 1950, North Korean troops crossed the 38th parallel to launch the Korean War — a conflict that would…
OPINION: 527 Flights Cancelled in Moscow — For Once, Russia Is Experiencing Its Own War
On June 18, 2026, Moscow residents woke up to explosions in the sky and drones being filmed above the boulevards. The four airports of…
COLUMN: The US-Iran Deal — Khamenei Plays for Time, Trump Plays Poker
On June 17, 2026, in the golden light of the Château de Versailles, Donald Trump physically affixed his signature to a 14-point memorandum of…
EDITORIAL: Europe Is Funding Ukraine at €45 Billion — and Should Be Proud, Not Ashamed
On June 22, 2026, at a joint meeting of the European Parliament's committees on international trade, security and defense, and the budget, the representative…
OPEN LETTER: To the Permanent Court of Arbitration — Your 2016 Verdict Is Dead, and Beijing Killed It
On July 12, 2026, it will be the tenth anniversary of your verdict. Ten years since the Permanent Court of Arbitration issued, in the…