Europe
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Can Specialised Infrastructure Become a Geopolitical Vulnerability?
As strategic commodities have become central to contemporary geopolitical competition, governments are racing to secure the supply resilience of strategic resources such as rare earths and speciality gases. However, industrial strategies concentrate on mining and processing, with less attention given to the important nub that production alone does not ensure…
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The West’s Strategic Blind Spot: Why Has Democratic Cohesion Become a Geopolitical Asset?
For much of modern history, geopolitics was mainly understood through the language of power. The relative strength of states rested on military capability, industrial capacity and technological innovation, as well as economic performance and diplomatic influence. While that logic remains an indispensable analytical framework, it is no longer sufficient on its own. Today, a…
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Has Russia’s War Created a More Nuclear, Independent Pyongyang?
When Xi Jinping arrived in Pyongyang on 8 June 2026—his first overseas trip of the year—Kim Yo Jong had already demolished the diplomatic ground beneath him. Two days earlier she declared North Korea’s nuclear status an “irreversible and final conclusion,” dismissing denuclearisation as an “anachronistic dream.” Five days prior, Kim…
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Can Russia’s Economy Sustain Its Wartime Resilience?
For three years after February 2022, Russia’s wartime economy seemed to defy every Western expectation. GDP contracted a modest 1.4 per cent in 2022 — against the IMF’s initial projection of 8.5 per cent — and then surged: 4.1 per cent in 2023, 4.3 per cent in 2024 . Moscow…
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Is Russia Preparing for War with Europe?
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned in December 2025 that Russia could attack a NATO country within the next five years, and that Western countries must prepare for “the scale of war our grandparents or great-grandparents endured”. While Moscow has denounced the comments as “hysteria” and claims that Russia has…
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Should Europe Form Its Own Alliance?
EU Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius has suggested the idea of forming a “Standing military force” of 100,000 troops to defend Europe’s borders from external threats. While he did not delve into the logistical details of his proposal, the message was clear – Europe can no longer rely on the US…
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Are the Balkans Becoming China’s Gateway to the EU?
Over the past decade, Chinese investment and trade in the Balkan region of Europe has sharply increased, facilitating the construction of over a hundred major projects totalling tens of billions of Euros. This investment is part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, which seeks to expand China’s economic and strategic…
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Can Cyprus be the key to ending Europe’s reliance on Russian gas?
As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine rages on, much of Europe still relies on Russian gas imports to meet demand, totalling around 13% of gas imports to EU countries. While the EU commits to finding alternatives to Russian gas, discoveries of sizeable natural gas reserves in Cyprus in recent years could…
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How long can Russia sustain its war in Ukraine?
Since the invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, Russia has sustained enormous battlefield casualties, equipment losses, and economic damage. Despite this, the Kremlin has shown no sign of abandoning the war, and continues to send thousands of troops to the frontlines. The Russian government has taken a hard line in…