A longtime first-person shooter fan finds Battlefield 6’s glossy near future combat disturbingly close to today’s wars, and uncomfortably like training rather than escapism.
Tag: cold war
Since the Russian border was closed, people in the far east of Finland have been living with a new Iron Curtain that is reshaping daily life and upending the regional economy.
The so-called “liberal international order” was neither very orderly nor very liberal, nor even very international. Rebuilding from the current troubling state of the world means being clear-eyed about interests and influence, both past and future.
A historic political meeting, a groundbreaking cinematic invention, and some big firsts in entertainment and law.
Launched in the 1960s, USAID was effectively about exercising political control in Latin America and other countries. So why the fuss now that U.S. President Donald Trump has done away with the agency? We should be more concerned about what’s coming next.
A pivotal diplomatic journey, the debut of a timeless opera, and the birth of a basketball icon.
A personal journey through memory, loss, and resilience — reflecting on Eunice Facciolla Paiva’s quiet strength, Marcelo Paiva’s storytelling, and the haunting echoes of dictatorship in today’s world. It’s a rare Oscars Best Picture nominee from Brazil.
Beyond the moral component, the realists in international affairs believe that support for Israel does not serve the U.S. interests. They also believe that Israel’s violations against the Palestinians are not in Israel’s interests either.
Will America become revisionist, unilateralist and expansionist under Donald Trump’s second term? In the early 1970s, French philosopher Raymond Aron spoke of the United States as an “imperial republic,” Now, in 2025, there is potentially much less “republic,” and much more “imperialism.”
If there’s one thing Kamala Harris and Donald Trump can agree on its the demonization of China. After the fall of the Soviet Union, China has become the United States’ ideological adversary — a rival shaping America’s own identity, uniting both left and right. Why does American politics always seem to need an external enemy?
Any other nation would cultivate the myth of a figure like former Polish President Lech Wałęsa, marginalizing his flaws, errors, and weaknesses. But in Poland, we have marginalized the greatness of a legend, whose modern thinking is relevant in present-day politics, writes Gazeta Wyborcza columnist Magdalena Środa.
Updated Oct. 23, 2024 at 11:25 a.m. The Hungarian Revolution started on this day in 1956. What was the Hungarian Revolution of 1956? The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 was a spontaneous nationwide uprising against the Soviet-backed government of Hungary that began on October 23, 1956, and lasted until November 10, 1956. It was a pivotal […]
Updated October 22, 2024 at 11:30 a.m. U.S. President John F. Kennedy announced that American reconnaissance planes discovered Soviet nuclear weapons in Cuba, marking the beginning of the Cuban Missile Crisis on this day in 1962. What did President Kennedy reveal in his televised address? In his address, President Kennedy revealed that American reconnaissance planes […]
It’s called Active Non-Alignment. The end of a bipolar world and of Western supremacy has created a more fluid, and threatening, geopolitical map. For smaller powers, especially in Latin America, this is the time to “get the best deal” for themselves with the superpowers.
A spectacular summit is being held in Beijing, with almost all African leaders paying heed to President Xi Jinping, who has pledged another $50 billion to the Continent. The investment in Africa is a boost in Xi’s global influence and an insurance policy in China’s new Cold War with the U.S.
Updated August 20, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. The Soviet Union led Warsaw Pact troops in an invasion of Czechoslovakia on this day in 1968. Why did the Soviet Union invade Czechoslovakia? The Soviet Union, along with other Warsaw Pact countries, invaded Czechoslovakia to suppress the reforms of the Prague Spring. The Prague Spring was a […]
Updated August 13, 2024 at 11:50 a.m. The construction of the Berlin Wall began on this day in 1961. It was constructed by the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) to prevent residents from escaping to West Berlin. It was intended in particular to halt the mass exodus of skilled laborers, professionals, and intellectuals from East […]
Updated July 16, 2024 at 11:15 a.m. The first atomic bomb explosion, code-named “Trinity,” occurred on this day in 1945, near Alamogordo, New Mexico, in the United States. What was the purpose of the Trinity test? The Trinity test was conducted as part of the Manhattan Project, a research and development program during World War […]
Updated June 27, 2024 at 11 a.m. The Moscow Summit began on this day in 1974 and lasted six days. The primary participants of the Moscow Summit were the United States and the Soviet Union, led respectively by President Richard Nixon and Soviet General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev. What was the purpose of the Moscow Summit? […]
Russia announced a ban on 81 European media — in retaliation to the EU’s ban of Russian state media. The move is indicative of the prevailing Cold War climate, which limits the exchange of information between hostile worlds.
Updated June 26, 2024 at 1 p.m. President John F. Kennedy delivered his famous “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech on this day in 1963. Where did President Kennedy deliver his speech? President Kennedy gave his “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech in West Berlin, at the Rathaus Schöneberg (Schöneberg City Hall) in front of a crowd […]
The Sierra Madre, a World War II cargo ship grounded 300 kilometers off The Philippine coast, was involved in an incident between the Philippine and Chinese navies on Monday. It’s the focus of a tug-of-war between Beijing and Manila, against the backdrop of the U.S.-China Cold War.
China’s Premier Li Qiang has offered to send Australia two new pandas during his visit to Adelaide Zoo, as “friendly messengers of China-Australia relations.” It’s the latest example of China’s enduring and unique “panda diplomacy.”
As the upcoming French and American elections show, the Western democratic model is being put into question — both externally by revisionist powers, and internally.
From Ukraine to the South China Sea, images of war are highly reminiscent of the horrors of the past. As the world marks 80 years since the Normandy landings of World War II, geopolitical analyst Dominique Moïsi wonders if history is bound to repeat itself.
Updated June 2, 2024 at 11:30 a.m. On this day in 1979, Pope John Paul II, born Karol Wojtyła in Poland, visited his home country for the first time as pontiff, marking a crucial moment in Polish history. And beyond… Why was Pope John Paul II’s visit to Poland significant? Pope John Paul II’s visit […]
The United States has shown it prefers economic incentives over penalties to help keep regional democracies within its orbit and away from China. That is a national-interest opportunity Latin American states cannot ignore.
The Russian president is in Beijing on Thursday and Friday, his first foreign trip since his re-election. Beijing and Moscow have their differences, but share the same long-term objective of changing the international order.
The competing May 8 and May 9 World War II victory celebrations, and an upcoming D-Day snub to Vladimir Putin, show how uncertain the future appears right now. Perhaps even more uncertain than the Cold War.
The Chinese president is in France for the 60th anniversary of French-Chinese diplomatic relations. He will play up Europe’s independence from the United States, but behind the smiles will be the war in Ukraine and the Russian-Chinese “friendship.”
Governments spent 2.3 trilllion euros on the military, a 6% increase over 2022, the highest growth recorded in over a decade. This is the first time spending jumps were registered on all five continents, and not just countries at war. What does it say about this inflection point in history?
What are the links between Iran and the two powers challenging the Western order, Russia and China? And how do their relations affect the international climate? This is a key question at a time when the logic of war is at work in several regions of the world.
Updated April 17, 2024 at 12:00 p.m. The Bay of Pigs invasion began on this day in 1961, when a force of around 1,400 Cuban exiles, backed by the United States government, landed at the Bay of Pigs on the southern coast of Cuba. What was the goal of the Bay of Pigs invasion? The […]
Yuri Gagarin, a Soviet Air Force pilot and cosmonaut became the first human ever to travel into outer space on this day in 1961.
The UN and the international criminal justice system are failing to prevent and punish brazen aggressions and killings around the world. When this period of turmoil ends, states must find new rules and tools to prevent the return of totalitarian violence.
While Vladimir Putin wages his holy war against the West, Russian officials and their families are often seeking better lives there. Will these double lives be the downfall of the aging dictator’s fixation?
Moscow “killed” the body charged with overseeing the sanctions regime against North Korea — now Putin’s ally against Ukraine — dealing yet another blow to the edifice of global governance inherited from the post-war era.
Safety or addiction concerns about TikTok are very real. But would U.S. elected officials seek to ban or control this social network if it were not Chinese? Are U.S. social networks less harmful? For France Inter, Pierre Haski warns us to take a step back when pointing the finger at TikTok.
With the rejection of the aid plan for Ukraine, Eastern Europe fears that Trump’s isolationist policy will mark the end of U.S. protection from the Putin regime. News from Ukraine of President Volodymyr Zelensky replacing his head of armed forces, General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, together with the difficult situation on the battlefield, are generating a lot of tension in Ukraine — and in the wider Europe.
Updated Feb. 4, 2024 at 10:20 a.m. On this day between in 1945, following the events of World War II, Franklin D. Roosevelt of the United States, Winston Churchill of the United Kingdom, and Joseph Stalin of the Soviet Union met to discuss the postwar reorganization of a war-torn Europe. What was the main purpose […]