The Yemen crisis is again showing the world that wars do not end just because the fighting stops. They end when the political deals that caused them are fixed, or when those deals completely fail. In late 2025 and early 2026, Saudi airstrikes, land gains by the United Arab Emirates-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC), and worse Saudi-UAE ties have brought back some of the biggest problems in Yemen’s war. This is happening at a time when global shipping routes, energy markets, and regional security are already weak. Yemen is again a local war with worldwide effects.
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How Criminal Law Became a Tool of U.S. Foreign Policy in Trump’s Maduro Operation
In the early hours of January 3, 2026, more than 150 U.S. military aircraft launched from bases across the Western Hemisphere, converging on Caracas. By dawn, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro was aboard the USS Iwo Jima, bound for New York to face narcoterrorism charges. The operation, codenamed “Absolute Resolve,” represented the most audacious military action against a foreign head of state since the 1989 Panama invasion. But unlike traditional warfare, this operation unfolded under a different legal banner entirely: law enforcement.
The Caracas Raid, State Criminalisation, and America’s Domestic Calculus
In the early hours of January 3, 2026, U.S. Special Forces carried out a daring raid in Caracas, capturing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife. This significant military operation involved over 150 aircraft neutralising Venezuelan air defences to extract the couple. It marked a major shift in U.S. foreign policy. The raid was not spontaneous; it was the result of a long-term effort by the U.S. to oust Maduro, an authoritarian leader accused of serious corruption and drug-related crimes. President Donald Trump defended the action by labelling Maduro a criminal instead of a statesman, stating that the U.S. would manage Venezuela to help with a government transition.
Economic Collapse and Political Revolt: Iran on the Edge
Since the last week of December 2025, Iran has seen its largest uprising in years. The immediate cause was the collapse of the national currency, the rial. Shopkeepers in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar shut their stores in protest, sparking a nationwide demand for political change. What started as an economic complaint quickly escalated into a direct challenge to the theocracy. The unrest spread to at least 78 cities and over 200 locations by early January 2026. This movement, met with harsh repression, has tested the regime’s stability.
BRICS 2026: Can India Reclaim Multilateralism?
India’s acceptance of the BRICS presidency in 2026 occurs during a period characterised by substantial transformation in global politics. The global economy persists in a state of instability as a consequence of resurgent protectionism, nationalist trade policies, and increasing geopolitical tensions. The tariffs, threats, and unilateral actions undertaken by President Donald Trump have contributed to heightened instability in global market systems. Concurrently, developing economies within the Global South, grappling with debt-related pressures, energy market volatility, and disparities resulting from the post-pandemic context, are advocating for a more equitable global order.
Yemen is No Longer About the Houthis
The Yemen war, which has lasted for over a decade, has shifted from a coalition effort against the Houthis to a conflict highlighting a growing divide between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). What started as a coordinated effort has turned into a struggle for influence, territory, and strategic gain, with Yemen as the primary battleground.
The Sokoto Strike: A New Front in the United States’ War on Terror
In the early hours of December 25, 2025, a series of Tomahawk cruise missiles launched from an American warship in the Gulf of Guinea flew north over West Africa. Their target was not a typical base for jihadism in the Middle East but camps in the remote Bauni forest of Nigeria’s northwestern Sokoto State, near the Niger border. This unprecedented U.S. military strike, approved by President Donald Trump and conducted with Nigeria’s consent, aimed at militants connected to the Islamic State (ISIS). It marked a dramatic start to a new and complex front in the global fight against terrorism, highlighting the troubling shift of jihadist violence into sub-Saharan Africa.
The Israel-Greece-Cyprus Military Pact and Regional Power Shifts
The Eastern Mediterranean has become the centre of a significant geopolitical shift. This change is marked by the recent formalisation of a military cooperation plan between Israel, Greece, and Cyprus. Signed on December 28, 2025, this agreement for 2026 establishes a framework for joint exercises, training, strategic discussions, and crisis response among the three countries, which share strategic interests and regional goals. This pact comes amid ongoing conflict in Gaza and rising tensions with Iran. It signals a clear effort to strengthen a strategic partnership that could affect security and energy dynamics in a volatile region.
Why are Thailand and Cambodia Fighting at the Border?
Thailand and Cambodia’s border clashes in December 2025 represent a serious increase in their long-standing territorial dispute. This flare-up was ignited by mutual accusations of ceasefire violations and led to airstrikes, ground assaults, and severe civilian suffering. The conflict has its roots in unclear colonial maps concerning the Preah Vihear temple. The fighting resumed after a fragile U.S.-brokered truce from July fell apart amid landmine incidents and ongoing skirmishes. As of December 19, the fighting continued without resolution, displacing thousands and drawing international condemnation.
Can Asia’s Greatest Rivalry Step Back from War?
In the icy waters southeast of Okinawa, a Japanese F-15 pilot’s cockpit alarm issues a serious warning. A Chinese J-15 fighter jet has locked its fire-control radar onto the aircraft, a modern equivalent of pointing a loaded gun. In Tokyo, officials urgently summon the Chinese ambassador. In Beijing, state media threatens “severe consequences.” This incident on December 7, 2025, was not an isolated near-miss. It marked the latest and most concerning trigger in a diplomatic crisis that has pushed Asia’s two biggest powers to the brink of conflict, a situation both deny wanting but seem unable to escape.