Category: Geopolitics

Canada, EU, GeopoliticsLeave a comment

EU Proposes Canada Become the Bloc’s First ‘Associate Member’

Colin Henderson

 Summarize ​ By Jorge Valero, Andrea Palasciano, and Katharina Rosskopf September 16, 2026 at 3:57 AM EDT European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed Canada becoming the first associate member of the European Union.  She offered the invitation during her state of the union address in Strasbourg, France, Wednesday, with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney in attendance.  “In this new world, we must urgently re-imagine our partnerships and build global coalitions for our resilience and democracies,” von der Leyen said. “I would like to work with you on opening the door for Canada being the first associate member of the European Union.” Carney warned earlier this … Continue reading EU Proposes Canada Become the Bloc’s First ‘Associate Member’

briefing, Geopolitics, Military, NATOLeave a comment
Colin Henderson

IN THE BASKET: CROATIA & SOUTH KOREA With Europe growing wary of Trump, South Korean defence sales are skyrocketing In the basket: 18 Hanwha K239 Chunmoo multiple-rocket launchersWho’s buying: CroatiaWho’s selling: South KoreaPrice: €544.1mDelivery date: 2026 to 2029 Big hit: South Korea makes another arms deal with Europe Croatia’s rocket-launcher capabilities are unquestionably due for an overhaul. The country’s army is still largely making do with the M-92 Vulkan and BM-21 Grad, which are both so ancient that they were designed and built by nations – Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union, respectively – that disintegrated several decades ago. Its choice of replacement – 18 K239 Chunmoo multiple-rocket launchers from … Continue reading

Diplomacy, GeopoliticsLeave a comment

Swiss to Reject Stricter Neutrality in Vote Russia Wants to Sway

Colin Henderson

 Summarize ​ Bastian Benrath-WrightAugust 18, 2026 at 11:00 PM EDTSwitzerland’s long-entrenched neutrality is a key part of its identity.Photographer: Pascal Mora/Bloomberg Swiss voters are set to reject an initiative to strengthen the country’s neutrality in a ballot next month that Russia has tried to sway with jibes about the country’s actions during World War II. About 62% will probably or definitely vote against the proposal, according to a poll published Wednesday by newspaper group Tamedia/20 Minuten. Just 36% support the measure, which will go to a national vote on Sept. 27. Switzerland’s long-entrenched neutrality is a key part of its identity, … Continue reading Swiss to Reject Stricter Neutrality in Vote Russia Wants to Sway

EU, Europe, Geopolitics, US

Pentagon transfers leadership of Ukraine assistance mission in Germany to another NATO member – Politico

Colin Henderson

Khrystyna Bondarieva ,  Roman Petrenko  — 1 August, 12:08 The Pentagon is stepping down from leading the Security Assistance Group-Ukraine (SAG-U), based in Germany, and will hand it over to another NATO member state. Source: Politico; European Pravda Details: According to a US official and three people familiar with the plan, command of SAG-U – which has played a central role in equipping and training Ukrainian troops since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion – will ultimately be taken over by another NATO member. This move means the US will no longer help shape what Ukraine’s future armed forces will look like. Advertisement: … Continue reading Pentagon transfers leadership of Ukraine assistance mission in Germany to another NATO member – Politico

Geopolitics, Middle East, Saudi

Why the Saudis Attacked Iraq Despite Cordial Ties

Colin Henderson

 Source Bloomberg ​ Lisa BeyerJuly 29, 2026 at 2:42 PM EDTA general view of damaged structures at the site of a strike in Bartalla in the northern Iraqi Nineveh province on July 29.Photographer: Zaid Al-Obeidi/AFP/Getty Images A new line of fighting in the war in the Middle East opened up on July 28 when Saudi Arabia launched an attack on Iraq, with which the kingdom has generally cordial relations. The strike, carried out in conjunction with US forces, targeted Iranian-backed militants in Iraq who, the Saudis said, had fired drones at Saudi oil facilities two days in a row.  Who are the Iraqi … Continue reading Why the Saudis Attacked Iraq Despite Cordial Ties

Diplomacy, Geopolitics, Russia, US

The Self-Destruction of American Power

Colin Henderson

  Fareed Zakaria July/August 2019 Published on June 11, 2019 ​ Washington Squandered the Unipolar Moment Sometime in the last two years, American hegemony died. The age of U.S. dominance was a brief, heady era, about three decades marked by two moments, each a breakdown of sorts. It was born amid the collapse of the Berlin Wall, in 1989. The end, or really the beginning of the end, was another collapse, that of Iraq in 2003, and the slow unraveling since. But was the death of the United States’ extraordinary status a result of external causes, or did Washington accelerate its own demise through … Continue reading The Self-Destruction of American Power

Geopolitics, South America, US

Why the two Americas diverged

Colin Henderson

A combination of blood, faith, character and luck drove development in North and South America at a staggeringly different pace, resulting in today’s bifurcated hemisphere.ANTHONY DEPALMAJULY 3, 2026 On the same September morning that terrorists slammed hijacked airliners into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the foreign ministers of 34 North, Central and South American nations had gathered in Lima, Peru, to sign the Inter-American Democratic Charter. The Charter was considered a critical step towards forming a Free Trade Area of the Americas that would usher in unprecedented economic progress for the entire region and narrow the yawning development … Continue reading Why the two Americas diverged

Diplomacy, Geopolitics, iran, Israel, Nuclear, US

Morning Briefing — Wednesday, 17 June 2026 · EST Morning · ~1,600 words

Colin Henderson

Today’s news environment is dominated by the final hours of the G7 Évian summit — a three-day gathering that ended more consequentially than most expected. The US-Iran MOU is the organising frame: it produced G7 endorsement, an Israeli domestic crisis, an oil market shift, and a live debate about the $300 billion reconstruction fund’s terms. Alongside this, Ukraine struck Moscow’s largest oil refinery during the summit itself, and the summit’s final session on AI governance brought frontier lab CEOs into a formal political forum for the first time. The day’s risk cluster is the 60-day window before Iran MOU becomes … Continue reading Morning Briefing — Wednesday, 17 June 2026 · EST Morning · ~1,600 words

Diplomacy, Frontier_AI, Geopolitics

Morning Briefing — Tuesday, 16 June 2026 · 10:35 EST · ~1,150 words

Colin Henderson

Today’s environment is dominated by a single structural event: the US–Iran MOU signed Friday in Geneva, which is simultaneously reshaping energy markets, the Ukraine file, and the US–Israel relationship. The G7 in Évian is running as a live diplomatic clearinghouse for all three threads. The secondary story — an Ebola PHEIC in DRC — deserves monitoring as a slow-burn humanitarian and institutional stress signal largely overshadowed by the Middle East. 1. Top Stories — What Changed 1. US–Iran MOU: Markets price relief, details still opaqueAn interim peace framework between Washington and Tehran — brokered with Pakistan as mediator — was … Continue reading Morning Briefing — Tuesday, 16 June 2026 · 10:35 EST · ~1,150 words

Geopolitics

Morning Briefing — Monday, June 15, 2026 · 09:14 EST · ~1,250 words

Colin Henderson

Today’s news environment is dominated by a single civilisational-scale development: the US and Iran have announced a framework agreement ending the 3.5-month-old war and reopening the Strait of Hormuz. The G7 opens in Évian simultaneously, absorbing the deal’s implications. Secondary threads — Russia’s escalating aerial campaign against Ukraine, Netanyahu’s political isolation, and the EU AI Act’s final sprint toward August 2 full applicability — are all being reframed by the Hormuz development. This is a rare day where one story restructures everything else. 1. Top Stories — What Changed ⚑ US-Iran Framework Deal Announced — Hormuz Set to ReopenTrump declared … Continue reading Morning Briefing — Monday, June 15, 2026 · 09:14 EST · ~1,250 words