Diplomacy & Crisis News

During September 11-13, the Philippines, Japan, and the United States took part in a "maritime cooperation activity" inside the Philippines' exclusive economic zone.

While nuclear energy is the best means of avoiding climate catastrophe, many remain irrationally terrified of its risks.

Image Credits: Energy Industry Review

Strategic Partnership with the Cook Islands as a Small Step to The Blue Energy Revolution

 

On August 4, 2025—marking the 60th anniversary of the Cook Islands’ self-governing status—the United States secured a landmark bilateral agreement that fundamentally reshapes Pacific geopolitics. This strategic partnership grants U.S. companies prioritized access to seabed mineral exploration across the Cook Islands’ expansive 1.9 million square kilometer Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), while ensuring the islands maintain sovereign control over marine stewardship—a crucial balance that demonstrates American respect for partner autonomy.

The timing reveals masterful strategic calculation. Beijing’s 2024 agreement with the Cook Islands for seabed mineral exploration rights had triggered urgent reassessment in Washington. Rather than ceding this critical territory to Chinese influence, the new U.S. partnership represents a swift, decisive competitive response that transforms potential strategic loss into American advantage in the expanding Pacific theater.

The deep ocean floor within the Cook Islands’ EEZ harbors vast deposits of polymetallic nodules rich in nickel, cobalt, and manganese—critical minerals that power what experts recognize as the emerging ‘Blue Energy Revolution.’ This paradigm transcends traditional green technologies anchored to terrestrial renewable energy, instead harnessing the ocean’s vast untapped potential through breakthrough marine applications: offshore renewable energy systems, advanced maritime technologies, and sustainable undersea infrastructure that position America at the forefront of next-generation resource development.

Recent technological advances showcase American innovation leadership through sophisticated remotely operated subsea vehicles and cutting-edge offshore processing vessels. These systems create integrated vertical transport networks connecting seabed operations with surface facilities—an industrial value chain that promises to revolutionize critical mineral extraction while maintaining significantly lower environmental footprints than conventional terrestrial mining. The Cook Islands agreement strategically leverages this technological superiority, emphasizing rigorous scientific research, robust environmental safeguards, and technological cooperation to ensure transparent, responsible resource management that protects marine ecosystems while driving sustainable economic development.

From Green to Blue: A Unifying Western Narrative of Transregional Pacific Governance Framework

 

This bilateral partnership strategically builds upon America’s broader Pacific engagement initiatives, demonstrating sophisticated multilayered diplomacy. In September 2023, the United States joined the Pacific Islands Forum—representing island nations across 41 million square kilometers of ocean—to champion a unified commitment to a “free and open Indo-Pacific.” This framework embodies transregional governance excellence, where U.S. allies and partners coordinate seamlessly across vast maritime spaces to ensure lasting peace, enhanced security, climate resilience, and sustainable economic growth that benefits all partners.

The forum’s joint statement directly addressed countering “malign influences”—diplomatic language universally understood as strategic concern over China’s aggressive regional expansion. It called for strengthened maritime governance and ocean conservation cooperation, successfully uniting island nations around shared principles of sovereignty and sustainability. This approach demonstrates American leadership by transcending traditional multilateralism, integrating fisheries management, ocean surveillance, maritime law enforcement, and environmental standards into a comprehensive strategic framework that maximizes collective security and prosperity.

Pacific island communities, whose economies depend fundamentally on ocean health and productivity, had found traditional “green economy” rhetoric—focused primarily on terrestrial ecosystems and carbon reduction—inadequate for their maritime realities. The emerging “blue economy” concept directly addresses these needs by emphasizing sustainable ocean resource utilization: fisheries, marine renewable energy, seabed minerals, and marine biotechnology, while prioritizing ocean health, community resilience, and equitable economic opportunity that resonates with Pacific values and American interests.

This maritime-centered narrative has proven remarkably effective at fostering Western coalition strength and unity. The European Union has committed over €350 million to Pacific blue economy projects by 2030, supporting sustainable fisheries, ocean conservation, and clean marine energy development that complements American initiatives. Australia and Japan have similarly realigned their Pacific strategies around blue economy principles, creating unprecedented Western coordination that strengthens collective bargaining power against Chinese economic coercion.

World Bank projections confidently estimate the global blue economy will reach $3 trillion annually by 2030. The Pacific region, containing the world’s largest combined EEZs, stands positioned to dominate this economic transformation—provided governance and sustainability challenges are successfully addressed through American leadership and technological innovation.

Pacific Ocean Resources: Wealth and Vulnerability

 

The Pacific Ocean’s 63 million square miles contain extraordinary mineral and biological wealth that represents both immense opportunity and strategic vulnerability. The Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ), spanning 4.5 million square kilometers between Hawaii and Mexico, holds approximately 21.1 billion dry tonnes of polymetallic nodules containing cobalt, nickel, manganese, and rare earth elements essential for blue technologies powering battery storage and offshore renewables—resources critical to American technological supremacy and energy independence.

Despite the International Seabed Authority administering 17 exploration contracts covering 75,000 square kilometers within the CCZ, commercial mining remains suspended due to regulatory deliberations and environmental concerns that create opportunities for American leadership in establishing responsible extraction standards. Policymakers must skillfully balance immense economic potential against manageable risks including seabed disturbance and biodiversity loss, positioning the United States as the global leader in sustainable deep-sea resource development.

Beyond mineral wealth, the Pacific supports 60 percent of global tuna catch, generating over $10 billion annually in trade value while providing critical protein sources for 12 million Pacific island residents and hundreds of millions worldwide. Pacific coral reefs, covering 25 percent of global reef areas and harboring 30 percent of marine biodiversity, support essential fisheries, tourism, and natural climate resilience infrastructure. These ecosystems face mounting challenges from overfishing, illegal fishing fleets, climate-induced bleaching, and ocean acidification—threats that American technology and environmental leadership can effectively address while strengthening regional partnerships.

The U.S.-Cook Islands partnership thus represents far more than bilateral cooperation—it signals comprehensive Western strategy to secure sustainable ocean resource development while systematically countering Chinese expansion in this strategically vital region. Through technological superiority, environmental stewardship, and genuine partnership, America has positioned itself to lead the blue energy revolution while offering Pacific nations a compelling alternative to Chinese debt-trap diplomacy.

The EAC (East African Community) Global Connect Summit and Expo 2025 will be held August 19-21 in Nairobi, focusing on “Unlocking East Africa Community Markets to Global Business Avenues through Enhanced Trade Collaboration.”

Media narratives about the Global South often center on India and Brazil, portraying them as regional hegemonic powers and key patrons of neighboring economies. While this framing captures part of the story, it overlooks other emerging leaders. Africa—widely seen as a potential future hub of the Global South—is undergoing a dynamic transformation. According to the African Development Bank Group’s 2025 African Economic Outlook, Africa’s economy is projected to accelerate from 3.3 percent growth in 2024 to 3.9 percent in 2025, and to 4.0 percent in 2026, despite global economic uncertainties and geopolitical tensions. East Africa leads this momentum with an estimated 5.9 percent growth rate, driven by resilient economies such as Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Tanzania. In 2025, 21 African countries are expected to surpass 5 percent growth, with Ethiopia, Niger, Rwanda, and Senegal potentially reaching the critical 7 percent threshold for substantial poverty reduction and inclusive development. This robust performance places Africa ahead of the global average, making it the second-fastest growing region after emerging Asia.

Yet the BRICS-centric framing of the Global South often obscures the role of rising African actors, creating challenges for U.S. leadership. To align the broader Global South with U.S. strategic interests, Washington must intentionally support and nurture these emerging African nations—an approach that reflects shifting multipolar realities and positions the United States as a key partner in building a more inclusive and balanced global order.

Evolving U.S. Engagement in Africa, with East Africa at the Forefront

In recent years, U.S. engagement in Africa has shifted from a primarily aid-focused approach to one emphasizing trade, investment, and private-sector-led growth. The Trump administration’s Bureau of African Affairs Commercial Diplomacy Strategy, launched in 2025, exemplifies this transition by prioritizing commercial diplomacy over traditional aid. Within its first 100 days, the initiative facilitated 33 deals worth more than $6 billion, effectively integrating U.S. business interests with Africa’s expanding economic potential.

East Africa has emerged as a central focus of this strategy, owing to its strategic location along the Indian Ocean—a key maritime route—and its blend of political stability and economic integration. Countries like Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Tanzania are driving regional growth that surpasses the continental average, supported by substantial infrastructure investments, market reforms, and a growing middle class.

Even more, U.S. and East African relations have strengthened in the energy sector. The U.S.-Africa Energy Forum, held on August 7–8, 2025, in Houston, successfully connected U.S. investors with Africa’s rapidly growing energy market. Strategic partnerships with organizations such as the African Energy Chamber and African Energy Week granted American companies direct access to licensing rounds, LNG projects, deepwater exploration, and large-scale renewable energy initiatives. With Africa’s 2025 energy capital expenditures projected between $43 and $47 billion, this forum positioned U.S. firms to capitalize on substantial investment opportunities.

Building on this growing closeness between the U.S. and East Africa, momentum will continue with the EAC (East African Community) Global Connect Summit and Expo 2025, scheduled for August 19–21 in Nairobi. As East Africa’s economic powerhouse, Kenya is playing a leading role in advancing the EAC’s economic integration. This landmark event, themed “Unlocking EAC Markets to Global Business Avenues through Enhanced Trade Collaboration,” is expected to attract over 6,000 visitors, 2,000 delegates, and 400 companies from the region and beyond. The summit aims to expand intra-regional trade, attract foreign investment across agriculture, energy, technology, and tourism sectors, and foster public-private partnerships to further strengthen East Africa’s position as a vibrant economic hub.

Strengthening People-to-People Economic Ties

Beyond official initiatives, deepening people-to-people economic links between the U.S. and East Africa offers a powerful but underappreciated means of engagement. The growing African American middle class has nurtured a financially empowered diaspora increasingly investing in and relocating to East African nations such as Kenya.

Recent reports point to a surge in African American migration to Kenya, motivated not only by cultural and ancestral ties but also by opportunities in entrepreneurship, real estate, and technology. While media coverage often focuses on U.S. political and social controversies, these diaspora communities serve as important economic and cultural bridges—facilitating trade, investment, and exchange.

The U.S. government could integrate these connections into a broader investment-driven strategy. By expanding diaspora-focused funds and incentives, Washington could direct private capital toward sustainable growth projects in East Africa, reinforcing its diplomatic objectives. With remittances to sub-Saharan Africa exceeding $85 billion in recent years—outpacing foreign direct investment and official development assistance—policies that harness these flows could significantly strengthen economic integration and U.S. influence.

East Africa Aligned with U.S. Interests as a Future Linchpin of the Global South

Envision a Global South where East African economies—closely aligned with U.S. strategic interests—take on a central role, moving beyond a narrative historically dominated by India and Brazil. Emerging East African nations possess significant potential to assert their own agency, serving both as reliable partners and strategic counterbalances to other regional powers. By nurturing robust economic and diplomatic partnerships with East Africa, the United States can help shape a Global South where East African countries become pivotal players driving stability, shared prosperity, and a more balanced international order in the decades to come.

Transformer radicalement nos rapports au vivant : l'idée progresse à mesure que les scientifiques étayent le lien de causalité entre les actions humaines et les catastrophes écologiques. Penser une plante, un animal, une montagne comme un sujet d'altérité à part entière est une « révolution mentale » à (...) / Animal, Écologie, Environnement - 2022/11

China’s licensed produced and updated French Crotale missile system, the HQ-7B took the stage in 2009…a similar system used to protect venues during the Olympics at the time. The last military parade in China was held in 2009 to mark the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. (Vincent Thian / Associated Press)

Early September will bring Beijing to a halt as China’s allies come for one of the most pivotal global military presentations since 2009. With the War in Ukraine likely entering its next phases of capabilities and China, Russia and North Korea now fighting side by side on the fields of Europe’s most deadly conflicts since the Second World War, China has chosen to flex its muscles and demonstrate its military in a grand show of power.

Despite heavy losses of Russian, North Korean and some Chinese independent combat troops in Ukraine, the recent air spat between Pakistan and India had the West take notice. The capabilities of Chinese produced weapons systems were always in question, but when Chinese J-10 Fighters of the PAF were able to destroy and damage some of India’s best Rafale Fighters, Europe and the United States took notice of the jet, and its advanced Chinese missile systems. This pivotal 2025 conflict for China’s weapons industry came after years of Russian export sales decline after systems were seen as too vulnerable in the field and supply was routed back to support Russia’s war effort. Since the end of the Cold War, Russian weapons production focused on export sales of systems, licensing and technology of Russian produced systems, supplying a multitude of nations, including large clients like India. China now has its sales pitch to expand its weapons sales deep into the Global South, displacing Russia where it can with capable low cost platforms.

The September Parade celebrating historical triumphs has a few core purposes besides demonstrating national strength and re-enforcing ties with its allies. Weapons sales may come from new and advanced systems making their debut during the Parade, with the movement of systems being surprisingly uncovered while they make their way through Chinese streets towards the capital. The knowledge that international intelligence agencies as well as prospective buyers will take notice is evident by the openness in exposing new systems to the world. A new tank and weapons platform that looks to be designed for the conditions present in Ukraine is a likely outcome from China’s men on the ground in combat, experience that can often only be gained in a real world scenarios. Knowledge of NATO combat systems was likely possessed by China due to naive Western leader’s ties to the PLA before the start of the 2022 war, but would be re-enforced by knowledge gains from captured NATO Leopard 2s and Bradleys. Even in North Korea during a recent ceremony for fallen soldiers in Ukraine, they claimed that losses have great value as capabilities through combat experience was well noted in speeches by their leadership. What is clear is that this parade is the most significant display of new military equipment since China’s re-introduction to the world in 2008.

The new Generation of China’s post Ukraine War equipment comes as a new phase in global power dynamics shrouds the international security situation. Without a solidified end to the War in Ukraine, chances are that China and Russia will develop closer ties, with China becoming the main power rival of the West as Russia diminishes in its global influence economically. The past phase of the growing China came about in the 2008-2009 era when economic gains and prosperity brought China to the economic level of its financial rivals post joining of the WTO. The famous presentation of new combat systems in the 2009 Military Parade showed the modernity of China’s PLA, with China’s now dated 2009 systems still being some of the more advanced and newest mass produced combat equipment available in large numbers of any major military power.

The past generation of China’s military equipment would alter the balance of power due to capability and number if China chose to sell its older tank and artillery fleets to supply the battlefield in Ukraine. Even if China avoided selling its 2009 era modern ZTZ-99 tanks, the sale of ZTZ-96s and PLZ artillery types would match many modern T-72Bs and older Soviet made 2S1s, 2S3s and 2S5s used by both sides. With the new Generation 2025 tank likely displacing the older unit’s equipments, a lower calibre on the modern tank may show it is meant for the Indian border region or to focus on Taiwan, with anti-drone technology and designs matching the ultra modern Russian T-14 Armata platform. Whatever the intent of China and its allies, it is clear that this demonstration of weapons is one promoting strength in an era where most other large militaries have depleted equipment levels and old technology at the core of their armies. Peace agreements are crucial at this juncture, but it might be the case that it is not wanted in Ukraine at this time by one or either side.

Nepal has a new prime minister – and for the first time in the country’s history, it’s a woman.

An Interview with Ambassador Touqir Hussain.

Abject, canaille, reptilien… Karl Marx ne portait pas le tsarisme russe dans son cœur. Aussi, quand la guerre de Crimée éclate, se passionne-t-il pour ce conflit, dont il fait une lecture toute particulière. / Royaume-Uni, Russie, Turquie, Conflit, Géopolitique, Histoire, Personnalités, Presse, (...) / Royaume-Uni, Russie, Turquie, Conflit, Géopolitique, Histoire, Personnalités, Presse, Relations internationales - 2022/11

Strategic observations on the deployment of the Fujian aircraft carrier through the Taiwan Strait to the South China Sea.

La Cour pénale internationale devra établir si les viols commis par les soldats russes en Ukraine constituent des crimes contre l'humanité. En attendant, bien des obstacles demeurent pour rendre justice aux victimes. / Russie, Ukraine, Conflit, Femmes, Violence, Infoguerre, Sexualité - (...) / Russie, Ukraine, Conflit, Femmes, Violence, Infoguerre, Sexualité - 2022/11

Refugees exist in a precarious gray zone – tolerated but not recognized, caught between India’s domestic politics and Myanmar’s internal conflicts.

Il y a quelques mois, les dirigeants européens voulaient croire que la « guerre économique et financière totale » lancée contre Moscou serait une promenade de santé. Six mois après la première salve de sanctions occidentales, l'économie russe accuse le coup, mais l'effondrement n'a pas eu lieu. / (...) / États-Unis, Russie, Ukraine, Commerce international, Conflit, Économie, Énergie, Géopolitique, Industrie, Pétrole, Politique, Relations internationales, Matières premières, Commerce, Gaz naturel - 2022/11

There are strong indications Washington is moving toward hemispheric retrenchment. The consequences for the Asia-Pacific could be dramatic.

Largement oubliée dans les pays qui, tels la France et le Royaume-Uni, l'ont gagnée, la guerre de Crimée (1853-1856) fait l'objet d'un souvenir vibrant en Russie, qui l'a pourtant perdue… / Balkans, France, Royaume-Uni, Russie, Turquie, Christianisme, Conflit, Géopolitique, Histoire, Minorité (...) / Balkans, France, Royaume-Uni, Russie, Turquie, Christianisme, Conflit, Géopolitique, Histoire, Minorité nationale, Religion, Relations internationales, Relations Est-Ouest, Accord international - 2022/11

China’s progress toward reusable rockets, orbital logistics, and lunar industrialization will secure the strategic high ground for Beijing.

The lesson of SEMICON 2025 is clear: no single country can control every layer of the semiconductor value chain.

De Jean Jaurès à Aristide Briand, de Lénine à Clara Zetkin, lorsqu'une guerre éclatait en Europe et menaçait de l'ensevelir, tribuns de gauche et manifestants pacifistes donnaient de la voix. Rien de tel dans le cas de l'Ukraine. Alors que le conflit s'envenime et que les médias s'enflamment, la (...) / Russie, Ukraine, Armée, Conflit, Géopolitique, Parti politique, Politique, Relations internationales, Relations Est-Ouest, Diplomatie, Stratégie militaire - 2022/11