The cobblestone streets of The Hague became the center of global security discourse last week as NATO leaders convened for the alliance’s 2025 summit. Against a backdrop of intensifying geopolitical rivalry, the mood was both urgent and unusually unified. From the Baltic to the Black Sea, NATO allies pledged higher defence budgets, deeper interoperability, and faster decision-making mechanisms — signaling a shift from deterrence by presence to deterrence by readiness. A Pledge With Teeth For years, NATO has urged members to meet the 2% of GDP defence spending target. In The Hague, that figure was no longer aspirational — it…

In an unexpected twist in post-Cold War diplomacy, former U.S. President Donald Trump has stepped into one of Eurasia’s most entrenched conflicts: the long-standing dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The two nations, locked in decades of tension over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, have witnessed multiple wars, most recently the 2020 conflict in which Azerbaijan reclaimed significant territories. While Russia, the traditional power broker in the South Caucasus, has been preoccupied with its war in Ukraine, Trump has seized the opportunity to position himself as an unconventional mediator. According to sources familiar with the talks, Trump’s mediation effort was launched through discreet…

By International Correspondent | August 2025 The U.S. dollar has reigned supreme as the world’s primary reserve currency for over seven decades. Yet in recent years, whispers of its decline have grown louder. From BRICS nations proposing alternative currencies to China expanding the global use of the yuan, a new chapter in global finance may be unfolding. The question many economists are now asking: is the dollar’s dominance truly at risk? A Legacy of Power Since the Bretton Woods Agreement of 1944, the dollar has enjoyed a unique status in international trade, accounting for roughly 60% of global reserves and…