West Asian crisis prompts Biden to break ice with Putin

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian (R) met Prime Minister of Russia Mikhail Mishustin (L), Tehran, October 30, 2024 The US president Joe Biden sprang a surprise during a press gaggle with reporters outside the White House on Thursday when he essentially didn’t rule out a potential meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at the upcoming summits …

The ‘inside track’ of Putin-Xi Jinping talks

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (C) addressing the Council for Foreign and Defence Policy, Moscow, May 18, 2024 In international diplomacy, summit meetings stand apart from regular high-level meetings when they are held at key moments or important junctures to reinforce partnerships and/or launch major initiatives.  The summit meeting at Beijing last Thursday between Chinese President …

Ouster of the populist-nationalist government in Poland is highly consequential

Massive Polish opposition rally ahead of Sunday’s election, Warsaw, October 1, 2023 There is no question that Sunday’s surprising vote in Poland is going to be the most consequential election in Europe this year. It is a game changer for Poland’s democracy and a tipping point geopolitically for the European Union, the Ukraine war and …