Not so long ago, the annual St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) was widely seen as one of the “be there or be square” events for the world’s business elites, political leaders, and global influencers. Often called Russia’s Davos, SPIEF takes place every June in Russia’s second city, which also happens to be Vladimir Putin’s
TAIPEI, Taiwan—Watching Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Pyongyang summit with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un from the vantage point of this at-risk democracy’s capital makes the significance of the meeting all the more terrifying. It isn’t so much the contents of the new Putin-Kim agreement, which depending on who you listen to is either a
The war in Ukraine seems as difficult to end as it is horrific to watch. It’s a bloody puzzle: Why have Ukraine and Russia continued fighting for so long, tearing each other to pieces? Why can’t they get to a peace deal and end the slaughter? In a recent book, I examined why some wars
Over the weekend of June 15-16, almost one hundred representatives of countries from around the globe and several international organizations gathered in Switzerland for a Summit on Peace in Ukraine. Described by some commentators as “the largest diplomatic effort” in Ukraine’s history, the summit was designed to rally international support for the Ukrainian vision of
In his recent interview with TIME magazine, US President Joe Biden indicated that his skepticism about Ukrainian NATO membership is deep-rooted and goes far beyond any practical opposition to granting Kyiv an invitation to join the alliance while the current war with Russia is still ongoing. It would seem that President Biden does not regard
JUST IN Uno, due, tre. As the Group of Seven (G7) summit kicked off Thursday in Apulia, Italy, US President Joe Biden presented three big steps to help Ukraine in its ongoing fight against Russian aggression. First, G7 leaders agreed to send Ukraine fifty billion dollars that will be paid for by future interest from
While visiting Moscow on May 23, Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa told Russian President Vladimir Putin that his country sees “no reason to delay with normalization of relations” with Iran. The king also said that Manama has ceased having problems with Tehran. “We are trying to establish normal diplomatic, trade, and cultural relations
On June 9, after a one-day delay to let the excitement over the rescue of four hostages to subside, Benny Gantz and his National Unity Party exited the Israeli government in a politically risky face-saving maneuver. Gantz had joined the government on October 10, 2023, to demonstrate unity and steady leadership as the country banded
Senior Biden administration officials are concerned that Russian President Vladimir Putin has more surprises in store for them regarding Ukraine, timed to disrupt and upstage NATO’s seventy-fifth anniversary summit in Washington from July 9 to 11. “He wants nothing more than to rain on our parade,” one senior US official recently told me. Some administration
The upcoming Summit on Peace in Ukraine, organized by the Swiss government in coordination with the Ukrainian government, is the most ambitious convening yet for Ukraine’s ongoing effort to rally global support for its vision for a just and lasting peace in the country. The high-level gathering in Switzerland on June 15 and 16 will
