World Politics

Lebanon and Israel have reached an agreement to end the Hizbollah-Israel fighting that began on 8 October 2023. In this Q&A, Crisis Group experts Heiko Wimmen, David Wood and Mairav Zonszein examine the truce’s terms and weigh the chances that the parties will honour them.

French President Emmanuel Macron has begun a three-day visit to Saudi Arabia, seeking to boost arms sales while backing the kingdom's move away from oil dependency.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, the Chinese government has been criticised for its refusal to condemn the war. In 2024, the economic and diplomatic relationship between the two nations appears stronger than ever.

Arms revenue increases were seen in all regions, with particularly sharp rises among companies based in Russia and the Middle East. Overall, smaller producers were more efficient at responding to new demand linked to the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, growing tensions in East Asia and rearmament programmes elsewhere.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has suggested a ceasefire deal could be struck if Ukrainian territory he controls could be taken "under the NATO umbrella" - allowing him to negotiate the return of the rest later "in a diplomatic way".

Since 2021, when Algeria cut ties with Morocco, the two neighbours have been at odds. Thus far, their quarrels have largely remained in the diplomatic realm. Western countries should help keep a lid on the disputes until the time is ripe for a rapprochement.

Supporters of Imran Khan, Pakistan’s jailed ex-premier, took to the streets again in late November pressing the claim that February’s elections were stolen from his party. As the impasse goes on, the risk of violence is ever present. All sides should take a step back.

The Israeli military’s unprecedented use of brute force has changed the strategic environment, ending Tehran’s hopes of bleeding Israel through linked conflicts.

ToplineThe United States is currently on course for sustained competition with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in which both sides recognize the dangers of a potential great-power conflict — something both sides say they hope to avoid. As the United States shifts from a strategy of engagement toward a strategy of confrontation and competition with the PRC, it is even more important to sustain the meaningful bilateral diplomacy and respect for long-standing policies and principles that have prevented the relationship from gravitating toward conflict for the past half century. This will require developing more, not less, diplomatic engagement and informal communication between defense communities to better understand and prevent the potential triggers for direct conflict between the world’s two most powerful countries. The most significant and dangerous such trigger is the issue of Taiwan and the potential mismanagement of cross-Strait relations.

The Kremlin has accused U.S. President Joe Biden of adding fuel to the fire and seeking to escalate the conflict in Ukraine by lifting restrictions on long-range weapons.

An investigation by RFE/RL has uncovered that family members of a Ukrainian legislator from President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's Servant of the People party has property in Dubai worth more than $1 million -- well beyond what they could have likely afforded on their official incomes.

Looking ahead, if Iran continues its direct engagement strategy, several outcomes are likely to reshape the regional power landscape. Iran’s focus on countering the U.S. and Israel rather than posing a threat to neighboring Arab states opens a window for regional solidarity. Recognizing this shared objective, Arab and Muslim countries in the region may find strategic alignment with Iran beneficial, forming a united deterrent bloc that challenges Israeli policies and reduces its influence. This coalition could embolden the broader “Axis of Resistance,” fostering a regional front rooted in a shared commitment to resist perceived external aggression. However, balancing honor-driven action with strategic restraint remains crucial; any escalation risks exhausting resources and drawing the region into wider conflict. Iran’s evolving military doctrine thus reflects not only a response to immediate threats but also a longer-term vision to redefine power dynamics in a multipolar Middle East through strategic partnerships and collective resistance.

You probably already know that Russia’s war against Ukraine should have stopped this week.

After three years of war and at least two effective strategic stalemates, it is in both sides’ interests to seek a potential ceasefire agreement followed by some kind of durable compromise agreement, as neither is strong enough to achieve a decisive military victory. It is especially in Ukraine’s interest as Russia has the edge in military manpower and a more robust military production base and reserves compared to Ukraine. Yet, Russia still incurs heavy casualties for only incremental gains and perhaps reflecting this, it is willing – in principle at least – to seek some form of ceasefire, something the Russian leadership has signalled on numerous occasions, and indeed continues to do so.

Navalny’s memoir, “Patriot,” which he began writing in Germany after recovering from being poisoned by a Novichok nerve agent in 2020 and continued writing during his imprisonment by smuggling out the notebooks through his lawyers, was released posthumously in English translation on Oct. 22. Its publication has sparked a new wave of accolades for the former opposition leader, who died on Feb. 16 in one of Russia’s most notorious penal colonies.

We, Israeli citizens residing in Israel and abroad, call on the international community – the UN and its institutions, the United States, the European Union, the League of Arab States, and all states around the world – to intervene immediately and implement every possible sanction towards achieving an immediate ceasefire between Israel and its neighbors, for the future of both peoples in Israel and Palestine and the peoples of the region and for their rights to security and life.

While Europe may be “sleepwalking into a far-right trap”, Austria is consciously walking straight into it. After all, polls had predicted the most recent electoral success of the Austrian Freedom party (FPÖ) for almost two years. While the far-right party’s leader, Herbert Kickl, heralded its victory as the beginning of “a new era”, it is better understood as a seemingly unavoidable progression. If anything, the country’s recent election results confirmed a broader pattern of far-right normalisation in Europe in general and in Austria in particular.

YAOUNDE, Cameroon (AP) — Cameroon’s President Paul Biya returned to his home country after weeks abroad amid rumors that his health is failing, a state-run television station reported Monday.

IRBIL, Iraq (AP) — Residents of Iraq’s semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region went to the polls in long-awaited parliamentary elections Sunday under the shadow of ongoing rivalries, economic instability and unresolved disputes with Baghdad.

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Newly inaugurated President Prabowo Subianto swore in Indonesia’s largest Cabinet since 1966 on Monday, with 109 members representing his pledge for a strong government.

HANOI, Vietnam (AP) — Vietnam elected Luong Cuong, a military general, as its new president on Monday, the fourth official to fill the largely ceremonial role in 18 months.

SAN ANDRES LARRAINZAR, Mexico (AP) — Hundreds gathered Monday to mourn Catholic priest Marcelo Pérez, an activist for Indigenous peoples and farm laborers who was killed in the southern Mexico state of Chiapas.

LIMA, Peru (AP) — Peru’s former President Alejandro Toledo on Monday was sentenced to 20 years and six months in prison in a case involving Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht, which became synonymous with corruption across Latin America, where it paid millions of dollars in bribes to government officials and others.

*This article contains descriptions of physical and sexual violence, which may be disturbing to some readers. Reader discretion is advised.*

Myanmar’s military coup leaders have urged their opponents to put down their weapons and start political dialogue, in a surprise move that was swiftly rejected.

At least 3,661 people have been killed in Haiti in the first half of this year amid the “senseless” gang violence that has engulfed the country, according to the United Nations.

In the early morning of September 26, Sudan’s army launched a major offensive to capture the capital Khartoum from the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Lebanon’s Health Ministry says Israeli attacks have killed 77 so far today, as army jets continue non-stop bombardment across the country, including in the suburbs of the capital Beirut.

Egypt’s foreign minister, Badr Ahmed Mohamed Abdelaty, accused Israel of bringing the region “to the brink” and blamed only that government for not reaching a ceasefire agreement in Gaza, despite the several efforts of some countries of the region.

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel arrived in the Mexican capital on Sunday to attend the inauguration of Claudia Sheinbaum, who will be inaugurated on October 1.

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — China and Russia got their turns at the U.N. General Assembly podium on Saturday, but — per usual — their top leaders didn’t speak. Instead, they turned to their foreign ministers, WANG YI and SERGEY LAVROV.

JERUSALEM (AP) — With Israel’s defense minister announcing a “new phase” of the war and an apparent Israeli attack setting off explosions in electronic devices in Lebanon, the specter of all-out combat between Israel and Hezbollah seems closer than ever before.

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Every day at 7 a.m., President Andrés Manuel López Obrador strolls onto a stage in Mexico’s National Palace, clad in a smart suit and tie, and peers out at a room of bleary-eyed reporters and social media personalities. “Buenos días, look alive!” the 70-year-old leader calls out in a gravelly voice.

TOKYO (AP) — The person chosen Friday to lead Japan’s governing party, and become prime minister next week, is a veteran politician with deep policy experience, a taste for curry and anime — and big challenges ahead of him as he tries to unite a fractious party and hold off an opposition eager to capitalize on recent corruption scandals.

U.S. government legal actions targeting a network of Russian influence last week have exposed shortcomings in the country’s laws designed to tackle the malign influence of foreign agents, experts told the Kyiv Independent.

Not for the first time, there are mixed messages emanating from the Kremlin. The Russian president said he supports Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, while the Kremlin’s extensive propaganda machine is apparently very much behind Donald Trump.

A shadow world of secret wealth now threatens us all. We need to shut it down, argues Anne Applebaum

It was a breaking news alert to lift the spirits and make the heart sing. A tech billionaire arrested as he stepped off his private jet and detained by the French authorities. Happy days!

Why would a leader who has proclaimed demography to be one of the most serious threats to a nation’s future launch an unprovoked war against a neighboring country that was a significant source of labor before 2014? We may never be able to answer this. We can conclude that Putin has turned a daunting crisis into a cataclysm.