Writer: Nina Renata Pop Editor: Shachi Gokhale “I will not be the president of China who loses Taiwan. If you force my hand, there will be war”, Xi Jinping allegedly told Biden at the 2022 G20 summit. This warning came after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taiwan, which sparked strong military intimidation attempts from China, including missiles fired across the island. In April 2023, the US once again challenged China by hosting Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-Wen on a v

Author: Eleni Anagnostopoulou Editor: Ruth Lucas The Russo-Ukraine conflict has been addressed from a multitude of angles: from battlefield developments, European security and NATO, and the energy and food crises to sanctions. What isn’t adequately examined is the use of Russian state narratives that justify the invasion. Scholars like Khaldarova , Pupcenoks and Seltzer and Livingston and Nassetta have already conducted narrative studies on the post-2014 escalation. Howev

Author: Margault Lepeytre Editors: Siddharth G. Khare and Soline Germond Many promises were made to the British people by the Brexiters, a significant one being ' taking back control '. In order to gain greater control over their destiny and greater sovereignty, the British people decided in a referendum to break away from the supranational organisation that is the European Union. So, three years after the official exit from the EU, has the kingdom really regained its soverei

Author: Clara Margotin Editors: Ruth Lucas and Prachi Saraf On the 24th of January 2023, the French Foreign Ministry confirmed the repatriation of 32 French children and 15 women who were held in jihadist refugee camps in northeast Syria. While the women have rapidly been brought before judicial bodies, the children have been placed in social services, which will handle their living conditions, health and education. This return operation constitutes the third official repat

Author: Margault Lepeytre Editors: Siddharth G. Khare and Soline Germond Several global issues such as Covid-19, the conflict in Ukraine, and even the food shortage that annually kills 9 million people, each in their own right highlight how the international order is being contested, notably by the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation. These events clearly indicate the presence of a ' power transition ' at work: the dominant great power is being replaced by a

Author: Hanyoung Park Editors: Antara Basu and Hannah Westfallen Despite the international restraint on nuclear weapons, North Korea has continued their pursuit by withdrawing from the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear weapons in January 2003. President Kim has been evident that the country's nuclear status is "irreversible" , codifying the policy into law in September 2022. Not bound by any global rules, I explore different explanations that have been used for why N

Author: Eleni Anagnostopoulou Editors: Siddharth G. Khare and Soline Germond In light of Russia's direct use of military force against Ukraine, a country bordering the EU, the European Commission officially proposed the suspension of the 2007 EU-Russia Visa Facilitation Agreement on September 6. The European Council approved this policy a few days later. Subsequently, the application fees, required documents and processing times for issuing short-stay visas to Russian citi

Author: Christopher Gooding Editors: Siddharth G. Khare and Soline Germond Image 1: Give Asylum Seekers the Right to Work One of Rishi Sunak’s five biggest aims for this year is tackling illegal immigration. A problem that has repeatedly befuddled successive Tory governments and Home Office bureaucrats for the best part of a decade. Yet, as No.10 and the Home Office target their efforts at getting a grip on channel migrant crossings (the so-called ‘ invasion of our Southern C