For twenty years, Iran’s nuclear program has been a key point of contention in U.S.–Iran relations. After the U.S. exited the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), Tehran gradually increased its enrichment levels beyond the established limits. Diplomatic attempts in 2025 led to indirect talks facilitated by Oman and Italy, but these efforts fell apart due to escalating tensions, particularly following a 12-day conflict involving U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iranian nuclear and military facilities in June 2025.
Category: Analysis
War without an End: Disability and the Politics of Survival
The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities described disabled people as rights-holders even during war, not as charity recipients. Article 11 of the Convention acknowledges that armed conflict and humanitarian emergencies exacerbate vulnerabilities, rather than just creating new ones. The framework considers disability as a pre-existing social reality, making neglect during war as a failure of state responsibility. Despite this, implementation during prolonged wars remains weak, exposing the gap between legal recognition and lived reality.
India’s Voice from the Global South in a Fragmenting World Order
In the grand mosaic of global affairs, where threads of power once tightly woven by a few dominant hands now fray under the strains of multipolarity, a new pattern is emerging. Great-power rivalries, prolonged conflicts, climate crises, and institutional inertia expose the limitations of the post-World War II order. Yet, amid this turbulence, the Global South is no longer a passive observer but an active artisan, reshaping the fabric toward greater equity and inclusion. The rise of multipolarity—marked by the expansion of platforms like BRICS, South-South cooperation, and calls for fairer representation in global governance—offers a profound opportunity
Trump’s Greenland Obsession: More of National Security Vulnerability and Less Minerals
President Donald Trump said on January 9 that his administration will take action on Greenland “whether they like it or not,” and this time it seems serious as he pushes to acquire the Danish territory for the United States. After January 3, when Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro was ousted from Caracas, the American President is adamant about seizing control of the 836,330-square-mile island of Greenland, which is bigger than Alaska.
Strategic Arctic Competition: When National Security Trumps Sovereignty
On Wednesday, January 14, 2026, high-level talks between the Trump administration and Danish-Greenlandic officials ended precisely where they began: in deadlock. Following a White House meeting with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen emerged to confirm a “fundamental disagreement” remained over Greenland, despite establishing a working group to explore compromise. Hours earlier, President Trump had doubled down from the Oval Office, declaring “we need Greenland for national security” while questioning whether “Denmark can do about it if Russia or China wants to occupy Greenland.”
Sudan and South Sudan: Two Civil Wars, Two Failures of the State
Sudan and South Sudan are close to a dangerous regional crisis. However, their conflicts are not combining into one big regional civil war because their internal issues are very different and do not easily connect. Sudan’s war, which has lasted over 1,000 days since April 2023, involves the Sudanese Armed Forces, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, fighting against the Rapid Support Forces, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti). This is a harsh battle for control of the country, driven by personal goals, money from gold mines in Darfur, and support from other countries.
Yemen’s Fractured War and the Fragile Politics that Keep it Alive
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.
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.