Multilateralism & Unilateralism

The Trump administration announced a major oil deal with Venezuela to secure control of over 65 billion barrels of proven reserves, promising lower gas prices for Americans. However, energy analysts and experts warn that any price benefits would take years to materialize due to infrastructure costs and legal uncertainties surrounding the agreement’s constitutionality.

Prime Minister Takaichi’s July visit to India marked a major milestone in Japan-India relations, with both nations signing 129 cooperation agreements targeting semiconductors, critical minerals, clean energy, and AI to build supply chains independent of China while addressing India’s structural economic challenges including employment generation and energy vulnerability.

Major world powers increasingly compete through unrestricted warfare—cyberattacks, disinformation, economic coercion, and hybrid threats—that traditional military rankings fail to capture. The UN must develop concrete operational frameworks to enforce accountability across these domains or risk a chaotic international order where no nation remains secure.

Pakistan and China have rejected new US sanctions on Iran, undermining Washington’s “Operation Economic Outcast” campaign. Experts argue the sanctions lack international legal basis and will likely fail given historical precedent and geopolitical complications, particularly involving China’s rare earth exports.

The US has withdrawn from 31 UN-related entities under a January 2026 presidential directive, fueling debate about the world body’s future and whether it should relocate from New York as the host nation increasingly obstructs UN operations and Palestinian representation.

Two pre-conflict war games warned of catastrophic risks from escalation in the Middle East, but Netanyahu and Trump rejected de-escalation in favor of military confrontation, resulting in regional destabilization, 6 million displaced persons, and severe global economic disruption through Strait of Hormuz constraints.

Right-wing leaders across Latin America are openly intervening in each other’s elections, sharing policies and endorsing candidates in an unprecedented display of coordinated conservatism. Argentina’s President Milei’s support for Brazil’s Bolsonaro triggered a diplomatic crisis, exemplifying risks of this alignment-first approach centered on Washington.

Canadian Prime Minister Carney suspended trade talks with the U.S. after Trump imposed $28 billion in tariffs on Canadian goods, citing unfair last-minute demands including sovereignty concessions. Canada vows dollar-for-dollar retaliation as public support for countermeasures grows.