Monday , June 8 2026
  • My New Book

    US Energy Diplomacy in the Caspian Sea Basin: Changing Trends Since2001 - Available on Springer

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Recent Articles

From presence to influence: India’s Arctic ambitions in a changing frontier

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Icelandic Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen during the Nordic-India Summit, in Oslo, Norway, May 19. (Image: PTI)

The trajectory of India’s Arctic engagement will depend on its ability to scale its efforts without losing coherence. Investments in research infrastructure, greater involvement from the private sector, and deeper partnerships with Arctic states will be critical India’s growing engagement in the Arctic reflects a deliberate expansion of its strategic …

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From banks to blockchains: US opens new front in Iran sanctions

Representations of cryptocurrency Binance are seen in front of displayed Nobitex logo in this illustration taken November 3, 2022.

The Trump administration’s sanctions on Iran’s largest cryptocurrency exchange mark an escalation in Washington’s effort to disrupt the financial infrastructure Tehran uses to operate outside the formal banking system. The US Treasury designated Nobitex alongside Wallex, Bitpin and Ramzinex and sanctioned senior figures connected to Nobitex, including chairman, co-founder and …

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As hot summer, blackouts loom, Iraq looks to solar power

Despite huge amounts of sunshine, Iraq only opened its first industrial solar power plant in Karbala in late 2025Image: Anmar Khalil/AP Photo/picture allianc

Cathrin Schaer With so much sunlight, Iraq is very well-positioned to use solar power to help fix its annual summer electricity crisis. So why is it that Iraq’s government has only recently started to take solar power seriously? Iraq has long suffered through scorching summers that the country’s national grid …

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Trump’s Iran adventure must not end up rewarding Tehran over Hormuz

US President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth attend a cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room at the White House, in Washington, DC, US, May 27, 2026. File Image/Reuters

No serious policymaker should want an open-ended confrontation in the Strait of Hormuz, but a deal that rewards Iran for closing or restricting the strait would create a long-term problem in exchange for short-term calm The Strait of Hormuz remains one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints. In normal …

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