International Affairs - The Geopolitical Desk

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

/ 16 Oct 2026

Libya at a crossroads: Political progress against popular unrest

Secretary or general? The stalled race to lead the UN

The contest to succeed António Guterres as UN Secretary-General will shape how the weakened body handles a more divided world. Months of closed-door polling have failed to produce consensus on a candidate, and the prospect of prolonged deadlock poses uncertain yet serious risks for the organisation.

By The Geopolitical Desk

/ 14 Oct 2026

Secretary or general? The stalled race to lead the UN

Iran's Northern Lifeline: Friends Everywhere, Solutions Nowhere

Iran has never had more Caspian friends, or needed them more. So why are its neighbours lining up pipelines and corridors that could leave Tehran more exposed than ever?

By The Geopolitical Desk

/ 9 Oct 2026

Iran's Northern Lifeline: Friends Everywhere, Solutions Nowhere

Al-Trabelsi goes to Washington

Within the obstacles and delays of the Boulos process, the once sidelined Interior Minister has found his rhythm

By The Geopolitical Desk

/ 1 Oct 2026

Beyond Bab al-Mandab: How the Horn hangs by a thread

Yemen is not the only side of the Bab al-Mandab, across the water sits the Horn of Africa, which has been dealing with its own strife for the past decade. With the Houthis advancing, more eyes look toward East Africa

By The Geopolitical Desk

/ 30 Sep 2026

Beyond Bab al-Mandab: How the Horn hangs by a thread

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?

Breaking bonds: Behind the Algeria-Emirati rupture

The long standing relations between Algiers and Abu Dhabi established by the Bouteflika government have now officially collapsed, as both capitals move in two different geopolitical directions.

By The Geopolitical Desk

/ 16 Sep 2026

Breaking bonds: Behind the Algeria-Emirati rupture

The Gulf's Washington delusion

By The Geopolitical Desk

/ 5 Sep 2026

Putin's multipolar dream, stuck in neutral

Moscow had hoped it could force a break in the global order, but has instead found itself in a quagmire

By The Geopolitical Desk

/ 7 Aug 2026

Putin's multipolar dream, stuck in neutral

How the Sahara War is forcing Mali and Algeria back together

Multiple coups, broken treaties, and "hostile acts" pushed the two countries apart, but as the insurgency in the desert grows, Algiers and Bamako need each other more than ever

By The Geopolitical Desk

/ 6 Aug 2026

How the Sahara War is forcing Mali and Algeria back together

Erdoğan's diplomacy outruns Turkey's economy, but not its region

Turkey's struggling economy tells one story, but its growing geopolitical influence tells another.

By The Geopolitical Desk

/ 4 Aug 2026

Erdoğan's diplomacy outruns Turkey's economy, but not its region

The return and rise of Russia’s “Africa Corps”

Three years after the notorious mutiny by the Wagner Group and the death of its founder, Russian mercenaries have fully returned to their original task: spreading the Kremlin’s influence across the African continent.

By The Geopolitical Desk

/ 31 Jul 2026

The return and rise of Russia’s “Africa Corps”