Zhao Dingqi: During the Cold War, how did the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) conduct the “Cultural Cold War”? What activities did the CIA’s Congress for Cultural Freedom carry out, and what impact did it have?
Geopolitics is an approach to politics that stresses the features imposed on foreign policy by geographical location, environment, and natural resources. Geopolitics as a discipline contributes to the emphasis on continuity in contemporary political realism. The focal idea of geopolitics is that those who control the Eurasian landmass (Heartland) dominate global politics. Regarding this idea, Ukraine has always been a significant part of Heartland. Therefore, many great powers have been fighting to impose their control over the territory of contemporary Ukraine (or part of it) from the Middle Ages up to today (for instance, Poland, Lithuania, Russia, Sweden, Vikings, Ottoman Empire). Nevertheless, Ukraine up to 1923 (the creation of the USSR) was just a geographical notion but not a political-administrative subject.
The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, ending in August 2021, created favorable conditions for Russia to reassert itself as a regional hegemon in broader Central Asia. Historically, as great powers retrench from a territory, the resulting void can be filled either by rival powers or by friendly successor states responsive to the retrenching power’s agenda. While the United States has lacked reliable successors to take its place in the region, Russia has asserted itself in a number of ways to boost its own power and influence. Moscow has not only cultivated bilateral ties with each of the five Central Asian states, but it has also instrumentalized regional security organizations to advance its interests. However, the full-scale assault against Ukraine beginning in 2022 has undermined Russia’s initiatives in Central Asia and its aspirations for regional hegemony. The Central Asian countries fear Moscow’s apparent neo-imperial ambitions and prefer to develop multi-vectored foreign relations. In this situation, China is poised to supplant Russia as the dominant power and security provider in the region, which could create tensions within the so-called partnership without limits between Moscow and Beijing.
Un fonds d’investissement s’est vanté d’avoir réussi à obtenir un revenu élevé grâce aux difficultés de l’Ukraine. Il y a toujours ceux qui savent profiter de toute crise, qu’elle soit économique ou géopolitique. Comment les investisseurs occidentaux tirent-ils profit de la crise ukrainienne ?
Here’s how everything unfolded from the start of this summer’s initially peaceful student-led protests against the judiciary’s reimposition of a contentious government job quota system to the spree of urban terrorism that ultimately forced the country’s long-serving leader to flee for her life to India.
Technologically, the Japanese have nothing to envy the Americans, whether in the electronics sector, artificial intelligence or the automotive industry. Similarly, the time when objects made in China could be considered as junk. Gigantic cities are endowed with the highest technology. In a few years, dozens of villages have been transformed into urban areas. The Chinese are great global suppliers of electronic components. Their wealthy entrepreneurs settled in Africa and project mega-projects in North America, particularly in Quebec. In 2022, the only lithium mine then operational in Canada, located in Manitoba, belonged to the Chinese company Sinomine Resource Group, which sends its production to China…1
After Hezbollah’s retaliation, no broader war for now, but the conflict drags on
Following Israel’s “pre-emptive strike” against Hezbollah military facilities and Hezbollah’s rocket and drone attacks, the two sides have engaged in a war of narratives, each trying to frame their respective operation as a success.
Given the continuing failure of the Gaza cease-fire talks, Hezbollah seems to be in a strategic trap of its own making: By linking the cessation of its war of support to a cease-fire deal, it has relegated the decision over when to end it primarily to the Israeli prime minister.
Au cours des cinq dernières années, le concept d’intelligence artificielle a fait l’objet d’une grande fanfare, à tel point que sa primauté est considérée dans les médias comme une évidence. L’idée que les algorithmes peuvent «penser» est devenue un mythe omniprésent, un fantasme de science-fiction qui prend vie. La réalité est beaucoup moins impressionnante…
Since November 2023, the Houthis have conducted dozens of attacks on commercial ships transiting the Red Sea, endangering civilian crews and threatening freedom of navigation through a critical global trans-
portation route.1 2 The Houthis are non-state actors in Yemen who have used Iran’s support to gradually expand their military capabilities since at least 2015.3 In early December 2023, the Houthis threatened to attack any ships that they believed were heading to Israeli ports, though many of their attacks both before and since have been against civilian ships with either tenuous or no known Israeli affiliations or port calls.4 5 6 Since mid-December 2023, the Houthis have also threatened to attack ships affiliated with the United States and its allies, including members of Operation PROSPERITY GUARDIAN, a multinational initiative to protect international freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.7 8 Despite seeking international legitimacy, Houthi actions have damaged regional security, impeded international humanitarian relief efforts, and put stress on global maritime trade.
In today’s summary: