Global
Cross-regional, system-level stories that span multiple theaters, alliances, and strategic domains.
692 Dispatches
The Invisible Purges in Venezuela: How Delcy Rodriguez Remade a Regime
After Maduro's capture, Vice President Delcy Rodriguez has quietly purged his loyalists and remade Venezuela under Washington's watch — but at democracy's expense.
What a US Invasion of Cuba Would Look Like
With Cuba choking under a near-total US oil blockade and Trump declaring it "next," we map the five military options Washington could use against Havana.
Iraq: Caught Between Washington and Tehran as War Engulfs the Region
Fifty days into the US-Iran war, Iraq is trapped between its two most vital partners as Iran-backed militias it bankrolls turn their guns on American troops.
Iran War Update: A Blockade Run, a Seized Ship, and the Chaos in the Strait of Hormuz
Inside a frantic week of the Iran war — a US blockade run and ship seizure, regime infighting over Hormuz, and a fragile ceasefire racing a Wednesday deadline.
Did America Just Create a Secret New Military Branch? Inside the Pentagon's $54.6 Billion DAWG Program
A little-known Pentagon program called DAWG just requested $54.6 billion, a sum that points to a standalone US drone force in the making.
Why Iran Now Wants the Bomb: Deterrence in the Shadow of the Mushroom Cloud
How a bruising war shattered Iran's threshold strategy and pushed Tehran toward the one deterrent that has reliably worked: a nuclear weapon.
Ukraine, Guardian of the Gulf: How Kyiv Became the Middle East's Drone-Defense Lifeline
How Ukraine, the world's leader in attritional drone warfare, exported its air-defense expertise to the Gulf states during the Iran War, and what Kyiv gets in return.
Is the Iran War Even Winnable Anymore?
Seven weeks into the US-Israeli war on Iran, no belligerent is closer to victory. We examine what winning would look like for Tehran, Washington, and Jerusalem.
Moscow Loses Its Most Valuable Ally: What Orban's Defeat Means for Ukraine
How Viktor Orban's landslide election defeat in Hungary strips the Kremlin of its most useful European ally and reshapes the politics of the Ukraine war.
Who Could Lead Europe to War? The Continent's Missing Defense Leader
Europe is rearming but cannot agree on a leader. A nation-by-nation audit of who could command continental defense, and why no candidate clears the bar.
The Strait of Hormuz Blockade: How the US-Iran Ceasefire Collapsed
Talks in Islamabad failed, Trump ordered a Hormuz blockade, and US resupply flights surged—signs the Iran War may not be over yet.
The Sahel at War: When the Government Is Worse Than the Jihadists
Across Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, military juntas backed by Russian mercenaries are killing more civilians than the al-Qaeda insurgency they claim to fight.