From the Civil War and World War I to the ongoing conflict in Iran, America’s and other nations’ expectations of war have repeatedly been challenged by the realities that emerge once fighting begins. U.S. Marines in their gas masks during a gas mask drill, France, WWI, 1917 By John P. Ruehl A nominal ceasefire reached in April 2026 has done little to halt the escalation in the Persian Gulf. After Iran’s “attempted surprise attack” against US forces on July 28, the US retaliat

At the JEF Summit in Helsinki, 26.03.2026 -- Stenbocki maja, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Biljana Vankovska The history of warfare shows that conflicts end either with a clear victory by one side or through negotiations when both face the exhaustion of resources and the will to continue sacrificing lives. There is also a third way: a silent ending of hostilities, the establishment of a ‘cold peace,’ and the freezing of the conflict without an explicit acknowledgment of

Humanitarian organizations invest in education to promote safety, resilience, and social cohesion, but researchers continue to debate its long-term impact on conflict and human well-being. By Chloe Bruce Humanitarian education refers to educational initiatives developed or supported by humanitarian organizations to reduce suffering, protect vulnerable populations, and help communities recover from conflict and disaster. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees define

Once one of the world’s most militarized frontiers, the Russia-China border along the Amur River Basin shows how a long-running territorial dispute can evolve from confrontation to integration. No. 41 Boundary Marker at China–Russia Border -- Ncysea, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By John P. Ruehl Since the early 1990s, the Russian city of Blagoveshchensk, located on the Amur River, has steadily reemerged as one of Russia’s most important “border trade hubs.” Sitting dir

Russia’s challenge to prevailing IP and copyright norms is central to its pursuit of technological sovereignty. Global fragmentation and Western divisions have given Moscow space to test the system’s limits without fully abandoning it. General view of Red Square, 2025 -- Юрий Д.К., CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By John P. Ruehl Taking an invention and claiming it as yours is called intellectual property, based on practices followed by US and European businesses. But what h

From vaccine hesitancy to conflict-zone rumors, false information is making it harder for humanitarian organizations to build trust, protect civilians, and save lives. mikemacmarketing, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Chloe Bruce In today’s post-truth era, where “objective truth” has lost influence in the public sphere, it is becoming increasingly difficult for humanitarians, who seek to preserve human life, to carry out their work. “The post-truth era has dramatic reper­

Automation has shaped governments for decades, but new AI-driven systems are taking on functions from warfare to welfare. Promising speed and efficiency, their growing influence over decision-making complicates political accountability and risks autonomous governance being beyond human control. Miami-Dade fully autonomous patrol vehicle -- image via news video screenshot By John P. Ruehl In April, the General Services Administration announced plans to automate 1 million work

U.S. military action is disrupting key energy suppliers, putting China’s reliance on foreign sources to the test. Even as Beijing strengthens domestic capacity and diversifies imports, the crisis exposes the limits of its energy strategy. A tanker docked in the Chinese port of Qingdao -- Benlisquare, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Brittani Banks (WP User) and John P. Ruehl China’s energy security may be put to its first true test in 2026 with the seizure of Venezuelan

Ursula von der Leyen, Volodymyr Zelensky, Mark Rutte & António Costa, December 8, 2025 -- © European Union, 2025, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Vijay Prashad Sitting in a lively room in the University of Amsterdam, I ask a question about the respect accorded by students to their former Prime Minister and now head of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), Mark Rutte. The room is animated and funny. No-one seems to accord Rutte with the respect that he might deser

Washington’s unease is rising as Brazil’s Pix bypasses U.S.-dominated payment networks. The country’s digital payment revolution may soon be impossible to contain as other countries adapt their own models. By John P. Ruehl The Trump administration’s July 2025 decision to have the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) investigate Brazil’s “ attacks on American social media companies as well as other unfair trading practices ,” followed by the launch of 50 percent tari

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Donald Trump in July, 2025 -- public domain image By Biljana Vankovska It is entirely understandable that, after such a long and bloody...

Leaders photo at the NATO Summit, June 25 -- public domain image By Vijay Prashad By the end of the annual meeting of the North Atlantic...

89 seconds to midnight announcement, January 28, 2025 -- image via video screenshot By Biljana Vankovska In 2022, I was invited to...

May 10 in Ukraine -- Number 10, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Biljana Vankovska The past few days have felt like a decisive chapter...

Soviet War Memorial in Treptower Park, Berlin -- JoachimKohlerBremen, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons By Biljana Vankovska As we...

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Indonesia's Foreign Minister Sugiono at the BRICS Summit in Russia, 2024 -- image via X By Vijay Prashad In January 2025, Indonesia – the...

Donald Trump announces tariffs on auto imports in the Oval Office, Wednesday, March 26, 2025 -- public domain image By Atilio A. Borón...