Open Dialogue Research Journal
On 17 February 2026, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced a sweeping measure: from 1 May 2026, China would lift import tariffs on goods from the 53 African Union (AU) member states that maintain diplomatic relations with Beijing. The policy-covering goods worth more than $116 billion, roughly Africa’s 2024 exports to […]
This was arguably a preemptive de-escalation move that would also gauge the US’ intentions. The New York Times (NYT) interviewed Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Kabul as part of their coverage of the fifth anniversary of the Taliban’s return to power. Muttaqi invited the US to reopen its embassy and […]
When the Trump administration abducted the Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife on January 3, an open incitement to international lawbreaking was asserted. Here was thuggish impunity, crude acquisition and harsh plunder in operation: the seizure of a sovereign leader in office on fanciful narco-terrorist charges, a violation of […]
The US’ newly formalized control over the majority of Venezuela’s oil reserves and Caracas’ potential withdrawal from OPEC could see Trump 2.0 assembling a “North American-South American Petroleum Exporting Countries” group as part of the US’ power play for control over the global oil market. Trump announced over the weekend that the […]
Russia continues its long-term strategy to develop the Arctic, develop new oil and gas fields, turning the Northern Sea Route into the most important transit and the shortest sea transport artery between Europe and Asia, which is fully under Russian control, and all escort of ships along it is provided […]
Just weeks after Washington and Tehran appeared to pull back from the brink of a wider regional conflict, renewed military exchanges are once again raising concerns about one of the world’s most strategically important maritime corridors. Fresh attacks involving commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz have highlighted the fragility […]
The future of one of the world’s most strategically important waterways has become increasingly uncertain after Oman warned European governments that the Strait of Hormuz may never return to its pre-war operating conditions. The announcement has raised fresh concerns among global shipping companies, energy traders, and Western governments that commercial […]
The United States has taken a significant step toward easing tensions in the Middle East by granting Iran a temporary 60-day sanctions waiver following the first round of negotiations under a newly established peace framework. The move comes as Washington and Tehran attempt to transform a fragile interim understanding into […]
Bulgaria is apparently interested in revising its policy of alignment with the EU’s anti-Russian guidelines, adopting a more skeptical stance towards Brussels and the Kiev regime. Recently, the country positioned itself against the European proposal to expand sanctions against Moscow, expressing a realistic view of the bloc’s role in the conflict. […]
In 1960, Eisenhower signed the embargo against Cuba. Eleven presidents have come and gone since then. The Soviet Union collapsed. China became a superpower. And the embargo just kept cruising on autopilot—nobody quite remembered why, but nobody had the nerve to switch it off either. By the mid-1960s it was […]
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