Must Reads

SIPRI: Fewer international peacekeeping missions. In a recent study, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) found that the number of personnel deployed in international peacekeeping missions fell by more than 40 percent between 2015 and 2024. This was due to internal conflicts in the UN Security Council. To the article.

Foreign Affairs: Is a nuclear deal possible? This article argues that a nuclear deal with Iran is possible if the US uses its negotiating power to focus on substantive concessions rather than symbolic deals. Such an agreement would have to credibly limit Iran’s ability to develop nuclear weapons in the long term, rather than merely offering temporary relief that would primarily benefit Tehran. To the article.

The New York Times: Veteran Status in Fast Forward. Many Russians use the drone unit „Kaskad“ away from the front lines as a way to complete their service in Ukraine without putting themselves in danger. The unit is particularly popular with members of the Russian elite, who find it easier to obtain veteran status. To the article.

Foreign Policy: The US missed its chance. After the Cold War, the United States had the power to reshape the world. However, according to the thesis of this text, it did not use its opportunity to change the international institutional order, strengthen the United Nations, or reform the Security Council well enough, if at all. To the article.

South China Morning Post: Chinese submarines on a quiet track. A research team at Shanghai Jiao Tong University has developed a new vibration-damping technology that reduces the noise caused by submarine engines by up to 26 decibels, theoretically more than halving the range at which enemy sonar systems can locate the submarine. To the article.