All across Turkey, a battle is being waged over the country’s future. For more than a decade, the country’s democratic institutions have steadily deteriorated and now thousands have taken to the streets in an attempt to save the remains of its democracy and restore the rule of law.
Protestors in Istanbul during a protest in support of arrested Istanbul Mayor Ekrem Imamoglu on March 25, 2025. Photo: Mehmet Kacmaz/Getty Images
In the Eastern Mediterranean, tensions are largely the norm rather than the exception. Greece and Turkey, two stable states and NATO allies, enjoy largely peaceful unneighborly relations, despite occasional tension between them. Bilateral disputes, especially those regarding the delimitation of maritime zones, are longstanding and well-known.
Turkish and Greek Foreign Ministers Hakan Fidan and Giorgos Gerapetritis after a meeting in November 2024. Photo: Murat Gok/Anadolu via Getty Images
But the two countries still seem trapped in regional and bilateral geopolitical dilemmas, some of which have little resonance today.Read More
Humanitarianism has long been in crisis, but since early 2025 the sector has been experiencing an unprecedented organizational, institutional, normative, and political collapse.
Photo: Wodicka/ullstein bild via Getty Images
As scholars active in the broad, inter-, and multidisciplinary field of humanitarian studies, we must try to understand and analyze the impact of this collapse and address the important institutional challenges it obliges us to grapple with.Read More
U.S., European, and Ukrainian peace-making policies are now aligned at a possible breakthrough point, as differences in means and methods transmute into complementarities. This fast evolution starkly contrasts with the immobility of Russia’s position.
Vladimir Putin in March 2025. Photo: Contributor/Getty Images
This resolve, so long as it exists, prohibits any discussion of possible compromises for peace (see Strategic Snapshot, February 24).Read More
Trump and his supporters are undermining American democracy, posing a real threat of democratic breakdown. The consequences would be dramatic, extending far beyond the United States. However, there is still a good chance that democracy, in the end, will survive — but this requires counter-mobilization.
Elon Musk and Donald Trump appear during an executive order signing in the Oval Office in February 2025. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
The warning lights are flashing red. American democracy is in real danger.Read More
Moscow’s mouthpieces competed to celebrate and ridicule the individuals involved in the February 28 talks in Washington, D.C. between Ukraine and the United States. To the surprise of many, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy left the White House empty-handed after arriving with the expectation of signing a symbolically important minerals deal with U.S. President Donald Trump.
President Donald Trump (C) and Vice President JD Vance meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office at the White House on February 28, 2025 . Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Zelenskyy’s point, “I am not here to play cards,” echoes the same conviction as when he famously refused to escape from Kyiv when threatened by Russian tanks, claiming “I need ammunition, not a ride” (X/@UkrEmbLondon, February 26, 2022; Novaya Gazeta Europe, March 1).Read More
In an age where so-called artificial intelligence (AI) seems to revolutionise every corner of our lives, it’s no surprise that its intersection with cybersecurity has become a major focus for governments worldwide.
Stock photo/da-kuk/Getty images
Where cybersecurity and AI were previously seen as separate entities, they are increasingly merging together in policy discourse. The UK, who promotes itself as a forerunner of technological innovation, offers an intriguing insight into how policy and practice is shifting in the evolving realm of AI and security.
The whirlwind of U.S.-initiated diplomatic activity in the last two weeks has compelled the Kremlin to alter the tone of its messaging on confrontation with the West and even the substance of its far-reaching propaganda campaign.
Defender of the Fatherland Day February 23, 2025, in Moscow. Photo: Contributor/Getty Images
The cliché of “Anglo-Saxon” hostility, a long-time theme in Moscow’s discourse, has disappeared together with the claim of breaking down the U.S.-dominated world order. In the mainstream media, no criticism of U.S. President Donald Trump’s style of policy-making is allowed, and most “patriotic” bloggers feel obliged to express respect for his ability to make a difference (TopWar.ru, February 19; The Moscow Times, February 21).Read More
Jubilation in Moscow after the phone conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump on February 12 has given way to contemplations of the consequences and even to confusion caused by the barrage of statements from officials throughout the week (Kremlin.ru, February 12).
Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud (4th L), Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (R) , Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Foreign Policy Advisor Yuri Ushakov (2nd R), US Secretary of State Marco Antonio Rubio (2nd L), US National Security Adviser Mike Waltz (3rd L) and US Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff (L) attend a meeting between Russia and the US, aimed at mending relations between the two nations and addressing the conflict in Ukraine, on February 18, 2025 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry /Anadolu via Getty Images
During the conversation, Putin conveyed that “it was time for both countries to work together” (Ibid).Read More
In 2016, the Colombian government and the guerrilla group FARC-EP ended their five decade-long war. As part of the peace agreement, FARC-EP’s weapons had to be collected, a process known as disarmament. By 2017, UN observers had received and removed over 8,112 guns, 1.3 million rounds of ammunition, 22 tons of explosives, 3,000 grenades and 1,000 landmines.
Doris Salcedo “Fragmentos” where the symbolic floor of the space is made with the molten metal of the weapons of the extinct FARC in 2021 in Bogota, Colombia. (Photo by Kaveh Kazemi/Getty Images)
While impressive, not all weapons were surrendered, and getting new guns is still relatively straightforward in Colombia. So what difference did the disarmament make? My colleague Nicholas Marsh and I researched the symbolic power of weapons – rifles in particular – to reveal how, despite incomplete weapons collection, disarmament in Colombia still contributes to peacebuilding, and sets an example for the rest of the world.Read More