Afghanistan
Intro
Afghanistan’s geography grants corridor potential but persistent instability limits integration.
Background
Decades of conflict reshaped institutions, economy, and external relations.
History
- 1919: Independence – 1979-1989: Soviet-Afghan war – 2001-2021: US/NATO presence – 2021-: Taliban de facto control
Present Day
Future Outlook
Stabilization could unlock energy and transport corridors; otherwise isolation persists.
Map
Topics
Persons
Oleksandr Syrskyi
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian
Ismail Haniyeh
Nicolás Maduro
Alexander Dugin
Scott Bessent
Hossein Salami
Mohammad Bagheri
Ebrahim Raisi
Locations
Articles
Why Iran Is Running Out of Water
Iran’s water crisis is driven by groundwater depletion, inefficient agriculture, and climate stress.
Iran’s Retaliation in Cold War Mode
How Tehran could turn confrontation in the Gulf into a strategic cost trap.
A European Covenant Draft for Peace in Ukraine
A complementary framework for long-term stability
Empire Thinking on Greenland
Why strategic access is sufficient — and why ownership rhetoric persists
The Hong Kong fire will change China’s Real Estate sector
China’s real estate sector is shaped by deeper pressures than market cycles alone.
Demographics, oversight consistency, due-diligence gaps and investment confidence now intersect in ways that define the sector’s next phase.
Pokrovsk: Logistics, Pressure and the Geometry of the Eastern Front
Pokrovsk has become the most stressed point on the eastern Ukrainian front.
China’s Fourth Plenum — Xi Tightens Control as Party Sets Course for the Next Five Years
Planning the future – the news between the lines.
Books To read for summer 2025
A summer reading list for those tracing the fractures of empire, freedom, and the European condition.
Event Timeline
China Launches the Belt and Road Initiative
In 2013, China launched the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a long-term strategy to expand infrastructure, trade, and connectivity across Eurasia, Africa, and beyond.
China-United States Trade War (Trump I)
In 2018, trade tensions between China and the United States escalated into a sustained tariff and technology conflict, marking a turning point in bilateral economic relations.
Hong Kong Protests
In 2019, mass protests erupted in Hong Kong in response to proposed extradition legislation, evolving into a broader movement centered on civil liberties, autonomy, and governance.
China’s Zero-COVID Policy
From 2020 to 2022, China implemented a Zero-COVID policy aimed at eliminating domestic transmission through lockdowns, mass testing, travel controls, and centralized quarantine.
China’s 20th Party Congress
In October 2022, China held its 20th Party Congress, confirming leadership continuity and setting policy priorities for the coming years.
Trump Meets Xi Jinping
U.S. President Donald Trump meets Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the sidelines of an international summit, marking a high-level diplomatic engagement amid renewed economic and strategic tensions.
China Responds to Dutch Action on Nexperia
China responds diplomatically to the Dutch intervention in Nexperia, warning of consequences for bilateral economic and technological relations.
The Netherlands Intervenes in Nexperia Ownership
The Dutch government intervenes in the ownership and governance of semiconductor producer Nexperia, citing national security and strategic supply-chain concerns.
Boxer Rebellion
The Boxer Rebellion was a violent anti-foreign and anti-Christian uprising that drew direct military intervention by multiple foreign powers and further undermined Qing sovereignty.
Qin Unification of the Warring States
The Qin state completed the military unification of the Warring States, ending centuries of fragmentation and creating the first centralized imperial state in Chinese history.
