Partner Insight - The Geopolitical Desk

Westerlies: Mediterranean energy politics in an age of competition

The world needs energy, and the Mediterranean has it. The problem is that no one can agree on who owns it.

/ 9 Nov 2026

Westerlies: Mediterranean energy politics in an age of competition

Iraq’s Tishreen has faded, but its anger awaits a new opening

The October 2019 uprising toppled a government but left the system it targeted standing. Now, what remains of the movement is pinning its hopes on a prime minister from outside Iraq’s Shia elite, whose room to deliver is narrowing as the Iran war drains the oil money that keeps the state afloat.

By The Geopolitical Desk

/ 5 Nov 2026

Iraq’s Tishreen has faded, but its anger awaits a new opening

Pushed to the edge: France’s Africa strategy after the Sahel Coups

After the military coups in the Sahel, France shifted its strategy from state-led ground troops in the desert to semi-private and discrete elite-assistance for the coastal states.

By The Geopolitical Desk

/ 3 Nov 2026

Pushed to the edge: France’s Africa strategy after the Sahel Coups

What the Libya–Turkey Maritime Agreement means for the region

A new spot report from Global Insights Group breaks down the implications of the Turkey-Libya maritime deal

By The Geopolitical Desk

/ 30 Oct 2026

What the Libya–Turkey Maritime Agreement means for the region

Libya at a crossroads: Political progress against popular unrest

With the country moving closer to a new unity government, equal forces threaten to further destabilize the country

By The Geopolitical Desk

/ 16 Oct 2026

Libya at a crossroads: Political progress against popular unrest

Is Iraq becoming a Houthi front against Saudi Arabia?

Saudi Arabia has been looking for a way to reduce its dependence on the Strait of Hormuz, but Iran and its regional allies have other plans.

By The Geopolitical Desk

/ 22 Sep 2026

Is Iraq becoming a Houthi front against Saudi Arabia?

Disarm or die trying: Iraq's September reckoning

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has bet his young government on a September 30 deadline to strip armed groups of their weapons, a high-stakes echo of the 2021 crisis that nearly got his predecessor killed.

By The Geopolitical Desk

/ 26 Aug 2026

Disarm or die trying: Iraq's September reckoning

A new Levant: The rise of Eastern Mediterranean gas

The Eastern Med has been an interest for investment for years, but recent geopolitical tensions in the Persian Gulf are directing more eyes on the region.

By The Geopolitical Desk

/ 13 May 2026

A new Levant: The rise of Eastern Mediterranean gas

How the Iran war could redefine Iraq's fragile state

Iraq has long found itself in an uncomfortable position between its two main international partners, Iran and the United States. It has managed to maintain a delicate balance, but the current conflict threatens to upend that equilibrium.

By The Geopolitical Desk

/ 26 Apr 2026

How the Iran war could redefine Iraq's fragile state

The realist who saw the end of the Middle East coming

Mohammed Soliman predicted the Middle East's transformation before the Iran war made it impossible to ignore. In this interview, the engineer-turned-strategist explains why the region is now "West Asia" and why that distinction matters for Europe, India and the future of AI infrastructure.

By The Geopolitical Desk

/ 1 Apr 2026

The realist who saw the end of the Middle East coming

Geopolitical chokepoints and Gulf food security: the fertiliser paradox

The effective closure of the Strait of Hormuz impacts more than just oil. The Gulf is struggling to export fertiliser and import food, creating a worsening cycle.

By The Geopolitical Desk

/ 27 Mar 2026

Geopolitical chokepoints and Gulf food security: the fertiliser paradox

The limits of U.S. energy independence and the upstream risks of escalation in Iran

U.S. military escalation against Iran is reshaping energy geopolitics and exposing new risks for oil and gas investors across the Middle East. From Iraq and Syria to the Eastern Mediterranean, upstream opportunities created by geopolitics may prove far less stable than they appear.

By The Geopolitical Desk

/ 9 Mar 2026

The limits of U.S. energy independence and the upstream risks of escalation in Iran