Democrats reclaim control of the US Congress
Texas has elected Democrat James Talarico to the Senate for the first time in 38 years, Keisha Lange has become the first Black woman to serve as governor, Abdul al-Sayer is the first Muslim senator...
Technology and the transition: China’s lead over the US is difficult to close
September 2015: for the first time, Xi Jinping is received at the White House by Barack Obama. In Washington, climate and the energy transition are at the heart of a rare period of cooperation betwe...
China and the USA, the (Im)possible Balance: Interview with Kaiser Kuo
Attraction and repulsion, rivalry and complementarity, fascination and misunderstandings. The relationship between China and the United States is now, more than ever, at the very heart of internatio...
The last ownerless territory: Antarctica and the 2048 window
In Argentine school maps, coloured in the national colours, Antarctica appears marked by a white triangle stretching from Ushuaia to the South Pole. Chilean maps show another triangle, overlapping t...
The world reorganises without the US: the new geography of sustainability
At the end of November 2025, as the COP30 UN climate negotiations closed in Belém, the most notable absentee was the delegation of the United States – about to formally withdraw from th...
At the NATO Summit, Energy Security Got a Word: Climate Got None
NATO leaders used the 32nd summit in Turkey’s capital, Ankara, to showcase the alliance’s growing military ambitions, reaffirming higher defence spending targets, fresh support for Ukrai...
Putin in China: the friendship is solid, but the pipeline remains on hold
The timing couldn’t have been better. Although Vladimir Putin’s visit to China had been planned for some time, the fact that it took place on May 20, just six days after Donald Trum...
Trump-Xi: A summit of ambiguities - one meeting, two interpretations
Maybe it was the visit to the Temple of Heaven in Beijing, a symbol of good harvest and prosperity in the Chinese imperial tradition. Or perhaps it was simply the international situation and economi...
ECESP 2026: Circularity as the foundation of European security
Brussels – “In times of instability, circular economy is not a choice, it’s a necessity.” With these words, European Commissioner for the Environment Jessika Roswall kic...
Magyar’s victory in Hungary does not dispel Orbán’s shadow
With 98.15% of the votes counted, the results of the 12 April elections in Hungary are now final: the Tisza party, led by Peter Magyar, has secured 138 of the 199 seats and 53.56% of the vote, achie...
Energy and geopolitics, Francesco La Camera: Crises accelerate the transition
Geopolitical tensions have once again brought energy to the forefront of global debate. The escalation in the Middle East, with the conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran and the i...
China, Iranian oil (and Venezuelan oil)
“The international community should make clear and unequivocal voice in opposing the regression of the world to the law of the jungle.” This was how Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi resp...
Epic Gamble: The Renewed Israel-US Attack on Iran and Its Wider Impacts
It was a shock but not much of a surprise when Israeli and US air forces unloaded munitions on targets in Iran on Saturday, 28 February 2026. The buildup of US forces in the immediate vicinity ...
Conflict in Iran: reactions from the US and the energy markets
The peaceful weekend of the US capital, which woke up to its second day of war on a sunny Sunday, contrasts with the scenes seen in Tehran, Tel Aviv, and various capitals of the Gulf countries. Unti...
US-Israel strikes kill Khamenei: what is happening in Iran
The Middle East entered a new and destabilizing phase on Saturday morning, 1 March, when Iranian state media confirmed that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in his office during the Israeli-US...