Multilateralism & Unilateralism

NATO members spend over $1.3 trillion annually on military expenses while ignoring root causes of conflict like inequality and resource scarcity. The article argues that investing in healthcare, education, and international cooperation frameworks would generate greater security and economic growth than military spending.

On the 250th anniversary of American independence, scholar Jeffrey Sachs argues the US should return to founding principles of respecting global opinion, avoiding entangling alliances, and practicing mutual noninterference—rather than pursuing imperial interventions that have defined much of US foreign policy.

The U.S. and Iran have escalated military confrontations over competing interpretations of their Memorandum of Understanding regarding Strait of Hormuz transit, with Tehran demanding vessel coordination while Washington rejects exclusive Iranian control, risking the broader agreement if a compromise requiring dual notification to Iran and Gulf states cannot be revived.

The article argues that Western military pressure, sanctions, and inspection demands have failed to constrain Iran because they treat complex societies as mechanical systems to be controlled rather than adaptive political ecosystems. This “structural stupidity” backfires when coercion strengthens Iranian resilience and regional networks, ultimately revealing the limits of unilateral hegemony in an interconnected world.

Africa has shifted from the geopolitical margins to a central position amid global power competition, possessing critical minerals and strategic importance. However, this growing significance coincides with a fragmented international system, weakened multilateral institutions, and increasingly complex overlapping security crises requiring stronger African institutional capacity.

Devastating earthquakes struck Venezuela on June 24, killing at least 1,450 people, compounding a crisis worsened by U.S. sanctions and a January 2026 U.S. invasion that removed President Nicolás Maduro. The article argues the U.S. should lift sanctions and fund reconstruction given its role in destabilizing the country.

Western leaders are escalating pressure on Russia through Ukrainian deep strikes into Russian territory while lacking Cold War-era safeguards and clear escalation controls, risking unintended broader conflict as Moscow’s calculated restraint may eventually shift to European targets.

France hosted the Africa Forward Summit in Kenya to rebrand its declining influence across the continent after losing military and economic control in West Africa, while presenting itself as an equal partner despite historical extraction patterns that benefit foreign capital over African interests.