Geopolitical Hotspot


West Bengal is home to around 100 million people – more than the population of Germany.

West Bengal enters the Hindutva era

As the BJP takes power in West Bengal for the first time, Muslims in one of India’s most politically important border states fear that the language of law and order is becoming a tool of exclusion
HAJJAH, YEMEN – March 12, 2021: Violent battles between government forces and Houthi rebels in the north of Hajjah Governorate, bordering Saudi Arabia

The missing piece in conflict resolution

Peace talks often focus on power and borders, but Yemen shows how environmental pressures can both fuel conflict and help build peace, argues Michael Keating
The Great Rift Valley runs through Ethiopia

Country profile: Ethiopia

ByStuart ButlerMay 18, 2026
From the churches of Lalibela to the battlefields of Tigray and Amhara, Ethiopia’s ancient myths, faith and political fractures are colliding in a crisis that is testing whether one of Africa’s oldest states can hold together
Two individuals walking in Moscow, Russia

Why Russia’s demographic decline could threaten its future power

Russia still projects military force abroad, but beneath the surface it faces a deepening demographic crisis that is shrinking its…

Journalism concept

Hungary after Orbán: can democracy really be rebuilt? 

ByDoug SpechtApr 23, 2026
Doug Specht on how dismantling the political, legal and media machinery of illiberalism will be far harder than winning a vote
A peace keeping troop in Naqoura

Naqoura: a town the world keeps erasing

ByDoug SpechtApr 17, 2026
As entire neighbourhoods are flattened in southern Lebanon, the border town of Naqoura becomes the latest place where history, geography and war collide
No Kings protest in Ohio

Eight million people marched. Did anyone notice?

ByDoug SpechtApr 7, 2026
Doug Specht considers how a millions-strong protest in the US can remain relatively unnoticed by mainstream media
Earth from space

What are the biggest risks the world faces in 2026?

ByVictoria HeathMar 11, 2026
From the spread of misinformation to geo-economic confrontations, discover the major risks the world faces in 2026
Concept art of toy soilders standing around Ukraine and surrounding area on world map

The world’s geopolitical fault lines, from Ukraine to the Arctic

ByVictoria HeathFeb 16, 2026
Unpack the geography of global instability – from contested borders to forced displacement in nations around the world
China and India

Falling into the wrong Thucydides’s trap

Rather than China versus USA, the more consequential contest may be between a slowing China and an ascendant India
WHO

Three ways leaving the WHO could affect the US

ByVictoria HeathFeb 3, 2026
From issues with future flu vaccine roll-outs to a loss of soft power, discover how the US's withdrawal from the WHO will impact the nation
Costa Rica flag

Costa Rica’s democratic gamble

ByDoug SpechtFeb 3, 2026
Doug Specht unpacks Costa Rica's latest election and how it could unravel Latin America's oldest democracy
Load More