Written by 
By Will de Freitas, Environment + Energy Editor, The Conversation The “Paris agreement for plastic” was set to be finalised at the end of this week. But after a week and a half of intense discussions in Geneva, Switzerland, where negotiators from 180 countries are gathered, the talks are at risk of delivering a much … Continue reading “How a global plastic treaty could cut down pollution – if the world can agree one”
By Patrick E. Shea, Senior Lecturer in International Relations and Global Governance, University of Glasgow The US president, Donald Trump, watched on recently as the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan shook hands in the White House. They had just signed what Trump called a “peace deal” to end nearly four decades of conflict. The deal … Continue reading “US presidents have always used transactional foreign policy – but Trump does it differently”
By Peter Rutland, Professor of Government, Wesleyan University Like many such confabs before it, the Aug. 15, 2025, Alaska red carpet rollout for Russian President Vladimir Putin is classic Donald Trump: A show of diplomacy as pageantry that seemingly came out of nowhere, replete with vague goals and hardened expectations about the outcome from Trump … Continue reading “Don’t write off the Putin-Trump summit just yet – its outcome might confound critics”
By Luca Trenta, Associate Professor in International Relations, Swansea University The US president, Donald Trump, signed a secret directive on August 8 authorising the Pentagon to use military force against some Latin American drug cartels. To longtime observers of US foreign policy in the region, his directive only came as a partial surprise. During his … Continue reading “US force has been used against drug traffickers before – but Trump’s plan is a dangerous escalation”
By Brian Brivati, Visiting Professor of Contemporary History and Human Rights, Kingston University Armenia and Azerbaijan signed a peace framework in Washington on August 8 after nearly four decades of conflict. The two nations, long divided over territorial disputes, committed to end hostilities, normalise relations and respect each other’s territorial integrity. Brokered by the US … Continue reading “Will Trump’s deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan lead to lasting peace?”
By Debbie Felton, Professor of Classics, UMass Amherst “No Kings” rallies. “Good Trouble” protests. “Rage against the Regime” uprisings. These events in the first seven months of President Donald Trump’s second term, along with public opinion polls, show that many Americans are concerned about Trump’s expansive use of executive power. Views on this issue often … Continue reading “Authoritarian rulers aren’t new – here’s what Herodotus, an early Greek historian, wrote about them”
By Milad Haghani, Associate Professor and Principal Fellow in Urban Risk and Resilience, The University of Melbourne Last Sunday, tens of thousands marched across the Sydney Harbour Bridge in support of Gaza. But exactly how many people were there depends on whom you ask. Police put it at about 90,000. Organisers claimed up to 300,000. … Continue reading “How do scientists estimate crowd sizes at public events – and why are they often disputed?”
By Tom Harper, Lecturer in International Relations, University of East London Chinese weapons are starting to show up in the world’s biggest conflict zones, underscoring its technological advancement and investment in this area. In the 1990s and 2000s, Chinese weapons systems and military equipment were seen as being little more than imitations of old Russian … Continue reading “China’s increased military might gives it new weapon in challenging global order”
By Shirvin Zeinalzadeh, Graduate Teaching Associate, School of Politics and Global Studies, Arizona State University In the weeks since Israel’s expansive 12-day war, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has rarely been seen in public. That absence has inevitably led to speculation over the 86-year-old’s health. But it also left many Middle East observers wondering … Continue reading “Where next for Khamenei? After war, Iran’s supreme leader is faced with difficult choices”
By Cat Acheson, Research Associate, School of Social and Political Science, University of Edinburgh Plastics are everywhere – they’re even in you right now – and are making many of us sick. Now, global negotiators are fighting over whether that matters. As 180 countries meet in Geneva to seek agreement on a global treaty on … Continue reading “what’s at stake in the global treaty talks in Geneva”