Independent scholarship on the economic impact of hosting the Olympic Games is not encouraging.  Prospective host cities have been getting the message and staying away.

ISIS-K poses a significant threat in Afghanistan following the recent suicide attacks in Kabul. As US forces withdraw from Afghanistan, the ISIS affiliate has become the most formidable threat for Taliban.

The organisational identity of ISIS was never a unitary entity. Rather, it comprised binary—and often conflicting—themes: State and Caliphate.

The international community’s treatment of Haiti for 200 years has contributed to the country’s extreme vulnerability to earthquakes and other stresses. We now have an opportunity to do better, and must seize it. 

The key ingredient to success as a diplomat is “tradecraft.” Especially important is the ability to establish and maintain good personal relationships.

The Taliban surged through Afghanistan once the United States opted to cut and run. Twenty years of a pluralistic, republican political order, which for all its defects many Afghans continued to value, have been swept away.

The United States and its NATO allies have been defeated by the Taliban in Afghanistan. This is a serious blow to the Western alliance and to President Joe Biden’s lofty ambitions of providing American leadership to the world’s remaining democracies.

The Taliban takeover of Afghanistan has left powerful states scrambling to evacuate their citizens, the usual political blame-shifting, and distressing scenes at Kabul airport. Deeper reflection is needed on what the enduring lesson is.

From 1 September 2021, Singapore will no longer have a legal domestic ivory trade. While this is an important step forward for protecting wildlife, stronger regulations are needed for the flourishing online market.

Despite concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has called an election on 20 September. The government’s response to the pandemic, political scandals, and social and economic policies are major issues.