Russia’s reliance on Arctic resources is increasingly threatened by the rapid thawing of the permafrost, causing infrastructure collapse, the release of greenhouse gases, and increasing global temperatures. As climate change accelerates, Russia is facing mounting economic and geopolitical strain, compounded by shifting global markets and Western sanctions. With other Arctic nations expanding their presence in the region and Russia’s diminishing influence, the Kremlin must decide whether to adapt to the crisis or risk further economic and geopolitical decline.

On January 1, 2025, Russia cut off natural gas supply to Transnistria, a breakaway region of the Republic of Moldova. Russia hopes to strengthen its control in the region and inhibit Moldova from joining the European Union. The Russian decision to eliminate its supply of natural gas to Transnistria will influence the upcoming parliamentary elections, where Moldova and Transnistria will decide whether to retain the current pro-EU parliament.

Russian soldiers weaponize sexual violence to demoralize and inflict harm on the Ukrainian people during the Russo-Ukraine war.

While the rate of Cambodia’s growth may be uncertain, its rising geopolitical and economic presence within Southeast Asia cannot be downplayed, and its rising allegiance with China will likely mark it as the first of many countries to turn to China as a more reliable economic partner in the face of internal American turmoil.

Rising as a stable leader within the European Union, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has fostered close ties with both EU and foreign leaders. With President Trump’s return to the White House, Meloni hopes to form the transatlantic bridge between the EU and the U.S. Yet with recent negotiations between the U.S. and Russia excluding the EU and Ukraine, Meloni has tough decisions to make regarding her alliances.

On Dec. 3, 2024, chaos erupted in South Korea as President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law, citing ‘anti-state’ threats. Within hours, the National Assembly overturned his decree, setting the stage for his impeachment and arrest. The crisis exposed deep political fractures but also reaffirmed the strength of South Korea’s democratic institutions. As the Constitutional Court weighs Yoon’s fate, the nation stands at a crossroads— between the threat of authoritarianism and the resilience of its democracy.

The issue of South African wealth inequality, the highest in the world, stemming from Apartheid, has haunted the Rainbow Nation for decades. However, the government has recently imposed the controversial Expropriation Act of 2024, which allows for expropriation without compensation. The question is whether these laws will help the country, based on previous failed expropriation without compensation measures by other African countries such as Zimbabwe, as well as, South Africa having to deal with vital US aid being cut off by President Donald Trump who opposes these laws.

Soon after returning to office for a second term, President Donald Trump issued an executive order that halted international spending for ninety days, a primary target being USAID. As one of the largest recipients of USAID, Ethiopia heavily relied on the agency’s funding for critical healthcare initiatives, many of which have since ended. As Ethiopia seeks alternative funding, the sudden loss of aid threatens to destabilize the healthcare system and leave millions vulnerable.

On October 1st, 2024, Claudia Sheinbaum was sworn in as Mexico’s first female president. Her Morena party won thumping majorities in both chambers of the legislature as well, laying the groundwork for radical socio-economic change. Mexico’s previous president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO), was the architect for this electoral movement. By uplifting the poor through broad state spending, Morena has become the most popular party in Mexico’s modern history. President Sheinbaum’s meteoric rise proves that populist economics can coexist with democratic governance.

Russia’s reliance on Arctic resources is increasingly threatened by the rapid thawing of the permafrost, causing infrastructure collapse, the release of greenhouse gases, and increasing global temperatures. As climate change accelerates, Russia is facing mounting economic and geopolitical strain, compounded by shifting global markets and Western sanctions. With other Arctic nations expanding their presence in the region and Russia’s diminishing influence, the Kremlin must decide whether to adapt to the crisis or risk further economic and geopolitical decline.

On January 1, 2025, Russia cut off natural gas supply to Transnistria, a breakaway region of the Republic of Moldova. Russia hopes to strengthen its control in the region and inhibit Moldova from joining the European Union. The Russian decision to eliminate its supply of natural gas to Transnistria will influence the upcoming parliamentary elections, where Moldova and Transnistria will decide whether to retain the current pro-EU parliament.

Russian soldiers weaponize sexual violence to demoralize and inflict harm on the Ukrainian people during the Russo-Ukraine war.

While the rate of Cambodia’s growth may be uncertain, its rising geopolitical and economic presence within Southeast Asia cannot be downplayed, and its rising allegiance with China will likely mark it as the first of many countries to turn to China as a more reliable economic partner in the face of internal American turmoil.

Rising as a stable leader within the European Union, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has fostered close ties with both EU and foreign leaders. With President Trump’s return to the White House, Meloni hopes to form the transatlantic bridge between the EU and the U.S. Yet with recent negotiations between the U.S. and Russia excluding the EU and Ukraine, Meloni has tough decisions to make regarding her alliances.

On Dec. 3, 2024, chaos erupted in South Korea as President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law, citing ‘anti-state’ threats. Within hours, the National Assembly overturned his decree, setting the stage for his impeachment and arrest. The crisis exposed deep political fractures but also reaffirmed the strength of South Korea’s democratic institutions. As the Constitutional Court weighs Yoon’s fate, the nation stands at a crossroads— between the threat of authoritarianism and the resilience of its democracy.

The issue of South African wealth inequality, the highest in the world, stemming from Apartheid, has haunted the Rainbow Nation for decades. However, the government has recently imposed the controversial Expropriation Act of 2024, which allows for expropriation without compensation. The question is whether these laws will help the country, based on previous failed expropriation without compensation measures by other African countries such as Zimbabwe, as well as, South Africa having to deal with vital US aid being cut off by President Donald Trump who opposes these laws.

Soon after returning to office for a second term, President Donald Trump issued an executive order that halted international spending for ninety days, a primary target being USAID. As one of the largest recipients of USAID, Ethiopia heavily relied on the agency’s funding for critical healthcare initiatives, many of which have since ended. As Ethiopia seeks alternative funding, the sudden loss of aid threatens to destabilize the healthcare system and leave millions vulnerable.

On October 1st, 2024, Claudia Sheinbaum was sworn in as Mexico’s first female president. Her Morena party won thumping majorities in both chambers of the legislature as well, laying the groundwork for radical socio-economic change. Mexico’s previous president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO), was the architect for this electoral movement. By uplifting the poor through broad state spending, Morena has become the most popular party in Mexico’s modern history. President Sheinbaum’s meteoric rise proves that populist economics can coexist with democratic governance.