Diplomacy & International Relations

U.S. oil giants tell Trump they’re noncommittal on Venezuela (AXIOS)

U.S. oil giants signaled interest in Venezuela on Friday but stopped well short of committing to massive and rapid new investments there during a...

Zelenskyy’s reshuffle aims to neutralize political rivals, restore trust – and account for Trump’s unpredictability (Jaroslava Barbieri – Chatham House)

On 2 January Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appointed General Kyrylo Budanov, the head of the country’s military intelligence agency, as his new chief of...

The lines between India’s foreign policy, domestic politics and economy will become increasingly blurred in 2026 (Chietigj Bajpaee – Chatham House)

2025 was arguably India’s most challenging foreign policy year. The four-day conflict with Pakistan in May was followed by a downturn in India–US relations....

Iran Update, January 9, 2026 (Institute for the Study of War)

Internet Shutdown in Iran: The Iranian regime has sustained its nationwide internet shutdown, likely to disrupt protest coordination and obscure the scale of its...

Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, January 9, 2026 (Institute for the Study of War)

Ukrainian and Russian officials confirmed that Russian forces conducted an Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) strike against Lviv Oblast on the night of January...

China & Taiwan Update, January 9, 2026 (Institute for the Study of War)

PRC Anti-US Rhetoric: The PRC is using the capture of Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro to portray the US negatively and present itself as a...

UN News (9 January 2026)

(UN Affairs - US) The United States’ intention to withdraw from a host of UN bodies announced this week targets programmes and initiatives focusing...

Iran is rewriting its rules of war—and raising the stakes for everyone (Roohola Ramezani – ASPI The Strategist)

Iran’s long-standing era of strategic patience appears to be ending. A newly articulated doctrine of preemption—dangerously vague and publicly declared—suggests a regime that sees...

Facing China’s threat, Australia–Japan alignment is indispensable (Carlyle Thayer – ASPI The Strategist)

The deteriorating strategic environment in the Indo-Pacific makes an Australia-Japan defence alignment central to maintaining a free and open Indo-Pacific by deterring China in...

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