China and Russia have deepened their strategic partnership since 2022, driven by a shared opposition to the US-led global order. The partnership has weathered geopolitical headwinds, with trade soaring and joint diplomatic statements emphasising a “no limits” relationship. Despite asymmetries, their coordinated efforts span multilateral platforms, energy, and military affairs. Persistent tensions and divergent regional ambitions remain, but common grievances ensure the partne

When Alfred Thayer Mahan wrote Influence of Sea Power Upon History in 1890, he argued for a ‘theory of security’ that provided a grand strategic initiative and ‘greater wealth through global engagement.’ [1] Embraced by the U.S. Navy and the White House, there’s no question that the Influence of Sea Power Upon History shaped US strategic thinking in the 20th century. Yet, as President Eisenhower said, ‘farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil, and you're a thousa

The Sino-Soviet Split was the culmination of ideological tensions between the Soviet Union and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Chairman Mao Zedong, having cut ties with the USSR, embarked on a path towards establishing China as the centre of international communism. This paper assesses the impact of the Sino-Soviet split on China’s strategic thinking and doctrinal development, focusing primarily on the 1960s. The split radically changed ho

Before one can delve into whether or not the Putin’s Regime’s foreign policy decisions are more informed by ideology or informed by pragmatism, one must first define what “ideological” and what “pragmatism” mean. In this context, one can define ideological actions as actions based around “a set of closely related beliefs or ideas, or even attitudes, characteristic of a group or community.”

The trajectory of the liberal order from its theoretical inception in Adam Smith to its triumphant universalised realisation in the post Cold War order has been paralleled by a developing discourse concerning the inherent capability of economic coercion embedded in foreign trade relations.

Listen to the audio on Spotify *The transcript has been edited for readability and clarity by Declan Browne & Gus Acuna. *Square brackets...

1914 witnessed the outbreak of the seminal catastrophe of the twentieth century, a global conflict resulting in seismic international consequences that remain felt to the present....

When the Soviet Union’s hammer and sickle flag was lowered for the last time off the Kremlin and was superseded by the Russian white,...

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 sent shockwaves through Europe...

“The idea that BRICS countries are trying to move away from the Dollar while we stand by and watch is OVER,” Trump stated, addressing a...

“The Shy Peasant” by Illya Repin Before one can answer how the “peasant” is featured in the Russian imagination, it is important to...