Diplomacy & Crisis News

The country just broke ground on its first integrated chip plant, part of its ambition of pushing itself up the global semiconductor value chain.

The global soccer body FIFA has suspended seven foreign-born players that it claims were granted Malaysian citizenship through the use of fake documents.

The two-day Foreign Ministers’ Meeting (AMM) Retreat is the first major meeting to take place under the Philippines' chairmanship of the bloc.

In a recent interview, the Chinese ambassador to Australia suggested Beijing may be willing to use economic tools to punish Australia should Canberra not fall in line on Taiwan.

As Ukrainian attacks on Kazakhstan’s primary oil export route intensify, the Central Asian state has moved to deepen cooperation with the United States.

Many internationals now assume that Myanmar’s political future will ultimately be determined by Beijing. This is a profound misreading.

While much remains uncertain, developments over the past year offer a clearer sense of what lies ahead.

The Karakalpak lawyer was sentenced in 2023 to 16 years in prison; ever since there have been consist reports of his mistreatment and torture.

REPORT on EU strategic defence and security partnerships
Committee on Security and Defence
Michał Szczerba

Source : © European Union, 2026 - EP

Insights from Dan Tadross.

Even as Trump demonstrates unprecedented power, bipartisan congressional efforts to counter China and support Taiwan.

U.S. and South Korean leaders dost protest too much, methinks.

Bishkek has reportedly taken Moscow to the EAEU court over Russia's failure to provide social protection – medical insurance – to the families of Kyrgyz migrant workers.

Reading the tea leaves after the CCDI’s Fifth Plenum.

Public response to PTI’s calls for protests is low, as Pakistanis, battered by inflation and economic woes, have little appetite for upheaval.

Hinduism gained ground in the region in the early centuries of the Common Era because it provided elites with a fully-fleshed metaphysical package along with literacy.

It’s the state’s inability to create civilian capacity.

Marcus Tantau from Templeton Research sees maritime Southeast Asia faring well, but predicts mixed fortunes for the mainland nations.

Photos

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On January 27, 2026, the International Peace Institute (IPI) hosted its annual Peacekeeping Observatory workshop, in partnership with the French Ministry of the Armed Forces’ Directorate General for International Relations and Strategy (DGRIS). This year’s workshop focused on mission transitions. Participants included member state representatives, UN personnel, and independent experts.

The first session provided an opportunity to take stock of the UN Transitions Project, which concluded in 2025. Comprising the UN Development Coordination Office (DCO), the Department of Peace Operations (DPO), the Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs (DPPA), and the UN Development Program (UNDP), the project, which started in 2014, provided direct support to countries undergoing transitions and contributed to the development of UN Secretariat guidance on transitions. In addition to reflecting on the conclusions and practices that emerged from the project, participants considered how the political landscape on transitions has changed since the adoption of Security Council resolution 2594. The discussion emphasized the importance of ensuring flexibility and coherence in transition planning while sustaining political engagement with host governments. Experts discussed opportunities for sustaining efforts on critical tasks, such as the protection of civilians during and after transitions through integrated planning with UN country teams and leveraging financing mechanisms like the Peacebuilding Fund.

The second session focused on critical challenges from the field in current and recent transition settings. Much of the discussion centered on responses to accelerated withdrawals and transitions in crisis settings, drawing on the experience of MINUSMA. Participants discussed ways to address challenges related to financing gaps, knowledge and capacity transfer, and sustaining political engagement in volatile contexts. Experts also reflected on the importance of strategic communications in transition planning and in managing public information and awareness, especially around mandate renewals, transitions, and/or reconfigurations of the UN presence.

During a working lunch, participants were briefed by the co-facilitators of the recently concluded 2025 peacebuilding architecture review (PBAR), including reflections on the role that the UN Peacebuilding Commission and the Peacebuilding Fund can play in transition contexts. The ensuing discussion focused on funding challenges for peacebuilding, obstacles to the implementation of the PBAR, and the willingness of member states to engage with the peacebuilding architecture.

The final session considered potential future transitions and how they can be informed by key takeaways from the workshop. Participants discussed the need for missions to have exit strategies from the beginning while anticipating different scenarios, the importance of engaging host states authorities, civil society and local communities in transition processes, the relevance of transition benchmarks, and challenges and opportunities for developing networked approaches to multilateralism.

As part of its Peacekeeping Observatory series, IPI will also publish three issue briefs in 2026 on UN mission transitions, including:

• The role of strategic communications in mission transitions, by Albert Trithart
• Accelerated withdrawals and transitions in crisis settings, by Dirk Druet
• Women, peace, and security and transitions, by Lauren McGowan and Evyn Papworth

The post IPI Peacekeeping Observatory Series on Mission Transitions appeared first on International Peace Institute.

A deep dive into China’s changing propaganda narratives on the South China Sea.