The Global Policy Institute

As analysis of Russia’s war in Ukraine continues, one of the most revealing developments has been the Kremlin’s growing reliance on foreign recruits. However, Russia is not just attracting outside volunteers, but often pulling vulnerable men into the war through pressure, fraud, and manipulation. In many cases, this process looks more like exploitation than voluntary employment.

A month into this war, strikes and spillover have hit multiple places across the region. Iraq is different because it has become the most reliable overlap zone, where the conflict can keep running on two tracks at once: external escalation between Iran and the US/Israel, and internal armed competition inside Iraq. Recent reporting has even described Iraq as uniquely exposed in this phase because it has been struck by both Iran and the United States.

Airports once symbolized freedom; they are gateways to opportunity, mobility, and the promise of international connection. But in 2026, the face of this symbolism is shifting. In the U.S., entry increasingly feels like scrutiny. In China, it is increasingly becoming an invitation, which is surprisingly aligned with the very ideals this symbolism once embodied in the U.S. In recent months, the U.S. has doubled down on restrictive immigration enforcement.

An interview with Professor Richard Downie, a Professor in the USC M.A. in Global Security Studies Program On January 3, 2026, the United States military captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The couple is currently in New York City, where they face criminal charges of narco-terrorism and drug trafficking.

Since the collapse of Somalia’s central government in 1991, the country has been experiencing conflict. This collapse was followed up by uprisings against the military dictatorship, ultimately leading to a full-scale civil war. These conditions created widespread human rights abuses, which have only been worsened by the Trump Administration’s cuts to vital USAID programs that supported many people in the region.

The EU’s new push to speed up returns, or deportations of people ordered to leave, is being pitched as administrative housekeeping. But the fight over it in 2026 is not really about paperwork; it is about what kind of society the EU is willing to become in the name of migration control. The Council of the European Union refers to the draft as the Return Regulation, which would expand the tools EU states can use to deport people who are deemed to have no legal right to stay.

Cricket was last played at the 1900 Paris Olympic Games, with Great Britain and France as the sole participants. After 128 years, Cricket is set to return to the LA28 Olympic Games. The tournament is expected to follow the exciting and shorter T20 format, with the men’s and women’s competitions each having six participants.

In 2017, hospital workers across the entire National Health Service of England stared helplessly at malfunctioning screens: unable to access patient records, authorize treatments, or even dispense medication. The enemy? Not a bomb or a bullet, but a system bug, a packet of malware. The WannaCry ransom attack transcended large-scale computer vulnerabilities into tangible physical harm: patients went undiagnosed, surgeries were cancelled, and ambulances rerouted to hospitals already over capacity.

“Today marks the end of an era in the nation’s capital, as the beloved giant pandas at the Smithsonian National Zoo head back to China. Their departure could be a turning point after half a century of so-called ‘Panda Diplomacy.’ […] The pandas’ departure was one of the best-kept secrets here in Washington.” – CBS Mornings, 2023 When the U.S. government shut down in October 2025, America’s newest diplomatic gifts from China became invisible.

American foreign policy and intervention have always been a measure to scope how to respond to various crises and issues globally, as well as a main point of focus in the developing international system. So when asked to comment on foreign policy regarding North Korea, many researchers and experts who specialize in international affairs and responses will push for deterrence measures and not pursue engaging diplomatic conversations.