The Ledger
Twenty-Five Years. Still at War.
Twenty-five years after September 11, 2001, 2,983 names are being read at Ground Zero. Five Iranian oil tankers were destroyed three days ago. The war has changed its name. It has not ended.
Editor's Picks
Hand-picked stories from the newsroom
The Ledger
Analysis
Analysis
One Kilometre Across the Tumen
Russia and North Korea opened their first road bridge on September 7. The same week the US began trilateral exercises with South Korea and Japan. Behind the bridge: 12,000 Korean troops in Ukraine, a mutual defence pact, Russian missile technology.
6 min read
Analysis
One Kilometre Across the Tumen
Russia and North Korea opened their first road bridge on September 7. The same week the US began trilateral exercises with South Korea and Japan. Behind the bridge: 12,000 Korean troops in Ukraine, a mutual defence pact, Russian missile technology.
6 min read
Analysis
Amir-Mohammad Was Four
A US munition struck a wedding in Kuhestak on September 1 and killed five people including a four-year-old boy. Reuters, the BBC and the AP independently confirmed it was a US weapon.
Analysis
The 200,000
The WFP halved food assistance to 200,000 West Bank Palestinians on September 2. Not because Israel blocked it. Because the US led donor governments in cutting the funding. Less than $20 a month per person. A decision, with 200,000 faces.
Analysis
What the MOU Produced
The Islamabad Memorandum lasted 75 days. Iran used them to restructure the IRGC and appoint hardliners. The war resumed August 30 with a new policy: tanker for tanker. The pause produced preparation, not peace.
Analysis
Forget About Going Back
Nine years after the exodus, one million Rohingya are in Cox's Bazar on $7 food rations. More are still crossing from Myanmar. The world's attention is on the Strait of Hormuz. Nobody is talking pragmatically about that.
Nuremberg Files
The Nuremberg Files is DiploPolis's ongoing investigation into the promise of universal accountability — what it meant, what it became and what its failure costs the world.
India Examined
India Examined is DiploPolis's ongoing analysis of Indian foreign policy since 2014. What India claims to be in the world. What it actually is. And what the gap between those two things costs.
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Global
The Enemy in the Stadium
6 min read
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South Asia
Before the Explosion
5 min read
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East Asia
Kim’s Leverage
3 min read
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Central Asia
The New Central Asia
3 min read
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Middle East
The Alternative Is the Next War
2 min read
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Africa
Xi Went to Egypt. The US Was in Iran.
3 min read
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North America
The Enemy in the Stadium
6 min read
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South America
200 Dead. No Names. No Evidence. No Trial
3 min read
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Europe
370,000 Bunkers. Just in Case.
3 min read
The Dossier
Guides, rankings and resources for students, professionals and serious readers of international affairs.
Essays
Long-form arguments on power, politics, diplomacy and public life.
Explainers
Clear guides to the concepts, conflicts and forces shaping international affairs.
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Explainers
What is Environmental Geopolitics? A Guide to the 21st Century’s Most Critical Foreign Policy Challenge
5 min read
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Explainers
Death of Privacy: How Digital Surveillance Is Reshaping International Relations and State Power
9 min read
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Explainers
Scramble for Critical Minerals: How Lithium, Cobalt, and Rare Earths Are Fueling New Conflicts
8 min read
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Explainers
Terrorism's Evolution: From Al-Qaeda's Hierarchy to Digital Lone Wolves
8 min read
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Explainers
Hybrid Warfare 2.0: How Disinformation, Cyberattacks, and Proxy Conflicts Define Modern War
8 min read
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Explainers
Rise of Middle Powers: How India, Turkey, and Brazil Are Reshaping Global Order
8 min read
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Explainers
Return of Great Power Competition: How the U.S., China, and Russia Are Reshaping the World Order
7 min read
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Explainers
Digital Diplomacy: How Social Media Is Rewriting the Rules of International Relations
9 min read
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Explainers
Global South Rising: How Developing Nations Are Reshaping World Politics
8 min read
Books & Ideas
Books, arguments and ideas that shape how we understand international affairs.
Interviews
From the Archive
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Iran Asked the ICC. The ICC Is Being Dismantled.
Books & Ideas
Truth as a Casualty
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The Wedding Was in Sirik
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What the MOU Produced
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First They Have to Find the Plants
The Ledger
"THE BIGGEST OIL DEAL IN WORLD HISTORY." The Country the US Captured.
The Dossier
The Best IR Programmes in the United States: A Guide for 2027 Intake
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1,300 Missing. The World Watched the Strait.
245 stories