In May, Xi Jinping received a rare and undoubtedly pleasant opportunity to be at the center of world politics. One by one, it was visited by the leaders of the United States and Russia. Such summits always attract attention, especially when they practically merge together. On May 14, Trump arrived in Beijing first accompanied by a ent for billionaires and […]

Toplines The PRC has not blocked Taiwanese government officials, including Minister Without Portfolio Yang Jen-ni, from participating in Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meetings in the PRC, despite its general policy against Taiwanese officials participating in international forums. Taiwan sent Yang, who is also the head of the Taiwan Office of Trade Negotiations, to Suzhou to attend an APEC ministerial meeting […]

Ayatollah Waezzada Behsudi, a prominent and senior Shia emulation and cleric, says Taliban pressure on followers of the Ja’fari school has steadily increased over the past five years, adding that people approach religious scholars in tears to complain about mounting restrictions. Speaking during Eid al-Adha prayers, Behsudi said that despite the Taliban’s claims of religious commitment and adherence to Islamic […]

The geopolitical landscape of the Middle East in 2026 is defined by systemic fragmentation and compound crises. The overt diplomatic rupture between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), running concurrently with the US-Israeli military intervention in Iran, designated ‘Operation Epic Fury’, has dismantled historical alliances and disrupted global energy markets. For the Republic of India, […]

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s India visit ended with the language of momentum, but the subtext was repair. Officially, Washington and New Delhi framed the trip around the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, or Quad, the four-nation grouping of India, the United States, Japan and Australia. The foreign ministers met in New Delhi to advance cooperation on the Indo-Pacific, maritime security, […]

Why the shift from unipolarity did not break the imperial structure—and what still blocks the path to a more peaceful order From the tensions in the Strait of Hormuz to the meetings between Xi and Putin, and Xi and Trump, alongside the overall decline of the US and Europe, the balance of power has shifted from the unipolar moment to […]

The visit of US President Donald Trump to the People’s Republic of China on 13–15 May, together with his talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, constituted a single landmark event in contemporary world politics. Among its various accompanying aspects, the central one was determined by the Taiwan issue. It should once again be reiterated that this issue represents the principal […]

Putin walked away [from his meeting with Xi] with more than 40 agreements, but he did not leave with the prize he has long sought. “When you look at all the ‘agreements,’ they are only memoranda of understanding. In other words, they are merely invitations to talk more.” — Dmitri Alperovitch, chairman of Silverado Policy Accelerator and co-author of World […]

The Taliban’s revenue increased by more than 5 percent in April compared with the previous month, reaching nearly 20 billion afghanis ($304 million), according to a new World Bank report that points to stronger tax collection despite ongoing trade disruptions. The World Bank’s April 2026 Afghanistan Economic Monitor said total domestic revenue reached 19.7 billion afghanis in April, up 5.8 […]

Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid, the Taliban’s defense minister, traveled to Moscow on Tuesday to attend an international security conference hosted by Russia, the Taliban defense ministry said. The ministry said the meeting would bring together security and defense officials from a number of countries in the region and beyond but did not provide further details about Yaqoob’s agenda or planned meetings. […]