International Affairs Archives

Analyses

International Affairs

From May 13-16, President Donald J. Trump will repeat the opening gesture of his first administration by making the initial major diplomatic travel of his second term to Saudi Arabia (excluding his unanticipated visit to Rome for the funeral of the late Pope Francis) but this time also including the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. This trip comes at a highly significant moment in U.S.-Gulf Arab relations, and all parties will have specific agendas and deliverables at stake. Overall, Trump’s trip reinforces the centrality of these partnerships for all sides and signals that he continues to view Gulf Arab countries as important partners, not just for the United States but for his personal and political goals.

International Affairs
Modi’s Kashmir Narrative Collapses Amid India-Pakistan Crisis
Maria Tavernini 8 May 2025

India’s army launched “Operation Sindoor,” firing a series of missiles at nine locations described by New Delhi as “terrorist infrastructure” inside Pakistan territory and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. The strikes – which killed 31 people, including women and children, and injured 46 others – triggered a swift response from Islamabad, which condemned the attack as an “act of war” and vowed a “befitting reply.” Pakistan claims the missiles targeted civilian sites, including two mosques, and says it downed five Indian planes in its counterattack. Indian sources report that at least 11 people were killed in Pakistan’s retaliation.
International Affairs, Religion
The “Regime Change” of Trump’s Second Presidency: Political Messianism vs. Rule of Law
Massimo Faggioli 7 May 2025

In the history of the United States, this is the era of Donald Trump. The transition from Joe Biden to Trump does not represent a normal transition of power, but rather a regime change. It marks the rise of charismatic leadership and, in the eyes of many, even a form of political messianism, often at odds with the constitutional rule of law. Trump’s second presidency steers America onto a path few – especially in Europe – had anticipated or even imagined, opening up unpredictable scenarios both domestically and internationally.
International Affairs
Ukraine Between Attrition and Diplomacy: The Human Cost of War
Ilaria Romano 6 May 2025

“The other night the sky turned completely red, something that hadn’t happened in a while. We were really scared,” says Tatiana, a former tour guide from Kyiv, who, for the umpteenth time in the past three years, was woken up by explosions. “We’re still lucky compared to those living near the front line, but since the beginning of this war, no one has been able to sleep,” she says. “Almost every night we are woken by the sound of sirens, even though we no longer go down to the subway to wait for it to end.”
International Affairs
Myanmar’s Earthquake: A Disaster Made Worse by Blocked Aid
Kristina Kironska 29 April 2025

The earthquake hit at the worst possible time. Myanmar has been locked in civil war since the military coup of 2021, with resistance groups fighting for freedom. Even before the disaster, more than 3.5 million people were already displaced, and nearly a third of the population depended on humanitarian assistance. That aid was already tightly controlled by the junta, with many areas completely cut off due to military restrictions and ongoing violence.
International Affairs
Tunisia’s Opposition Leader Ghannouchi Speaks After Two Years Behind Bars
Rached Ghannouchi 22 April 2025
International Affairs
Trump is Erecting a Police State in America
Hussein Ibish 18 April 2025

In the increasingly surreal second Donald Trump administration, a 29-year-old Salvadoran named Kilmar Abrego Garcia now embodies the most fundamental restructuring of the US constitutional order, arguably in its history. Mr Garcia is being used as a test case for the Trump administration to decouple Americans from the rule of law and protection of courts. His case may be operating at the margins of American society, but its implications potentially represent a redefinition of the relationship between the individual and the US government.
International Affairs
Obama: Core Principles of Democracy Are Eroding
Under Trump’s Agenda
Editorial Board 10 April 2025

“It is up to all of us to fix this.” In his first public speech since Donald Trump’s return to the presidency, Barack Obama urged Americans to defend democratic values and called on institutions—particularly universities and law firms—to resist the administration’s attacks. “I have deep differences of opinion with my most immediate successor—who’s now president once again,” Obama told students of Hamilton College, without naming Trump directly, “but at least for most of my time, I’d say the post-World War II era, there was a broad consensus between Democrats, Republicans, conservatives, liberals around a certain set of rules where we settle our differences—[…] bonds that transcend party, region, or ideology.”
International Affairs
In the Polish Presidential Elections, Ukraine Will Tilt the Balance
Fabio Turco 17 March 2025

On May 18, Polish voters will head to the polls for the first round of the presidential elections. A ballot, which is highly likely, is scheduled for June 1. After a year and a half in power, the center-liberal-progressive coalition—comprising the Civic Coalition, Third Way, and Lewica parties, and led by Donald Tusk—faces a true validation test. Depending on the outcome, this election could have significant repercussions for the legislature.
International Affairs
With the PKK’s Demise, Erdogan Courts the Kurdish Vote
Mariano Giustino 12 March 2025

The fact that one of the longest conflicts in contemporary history, which has resulted in over 40,000 deaths, could soon come to an end is undoubtedly an event worth celebrating. Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) leader Abdullah Ocalan has ordered the armed wing of the party he founded in 1978 to end the armed struggle and dissolve the organization. Is this the end of an era? It’s still too early to say.