The World Today: Spring 2026: Counting the cost of America unbound

Tehran’s decades-long cultivation of the ‘axis of resistance’ led to the war with US and Israel that it long sought to avoid – whatever the outcome, the regime is weakened, writes Sanam Vakil.

Tehran’s strikes and Trump’s Gaza peace plan show Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other Gulf states that they should no longer rely on America for security guarantees, write Neil Quilliam and Kristian Alexander.

Then, as now, the country’s leaders were trying to transform defence spending in the face of a crumbling world order, a continental threat and a sceptical public, writes Phil Tinline.

To win a fourth term later this year, Brazil’s leader must show he can condemn Venezuelan authoritarianism while resisting America’s push for Latin-American dominance, writes Feliciano de Sá Guimarães.

The Canadian politician and diplomat tells Mike Higgins how Prime Minister Mark Carney’s speech at Davos in January on the ‘rupture in the world order’ has heralded a national hardening of attitudes to trade, defence and the future of Greenland.

As the Pax Americana fades, policymakers are prioritizing economic security – emerging countries could be the big losers, writes David Lubin.

To pay for what the Strategic Defence Review recommends, the UK has four options and none is easy, writes Andrew Dorman.

The US capture of Nicolás Maduro has raised hopes and fears for the South Florida diaspora. Rachelle Krygier meets some of them to ask their plans.

The continuing rise of nationalist populist parties across the continent could weaken defence and economic cooperation, and leave it prey to expansionist Russia and America, writes Nathalie Tocci.

They are Europe’s new military powerhouses. But a frosty relationship between Warsaw and Berlin could weaken the alliance, warns Helen Fitzwilliam.

Expect to hear jeers at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest as organizers opt not to muffle audience reactions. Politics and technology have defined the event for 70 years, writes Matthew Sweet.

Interview: Ryhor Astapenia tells Sara Seth how the West must deploy sanctions relief and soft power to break Minsk’s longstanding ties with the Kremlin.

The US is taking an encouragingly multilateral approach to secure scarce minerals for the industries of the future – but the scale of China’s dominance requires more cooperation still, writes Jose W Fernandez.

With their new economic bargaining power, countries with in-demand resources are challenging colonial-era assumptions about corruption and exploitation, writes Bronwen Everill.

The exploitation of resource riches by unaccountable leaders is not the same as states stewarding mineral supplies for the benefit of their people, write Christopher Vandome and Tighisti Amare.

Islanders want to be in control of exploiting their zinc, copper and other resources in ways that benefit the community and protect its fragile environment, writes Patrick Schröder.

The world is reeling from Donald Trump’s return to office. We take stock. Elsewhere, how the far right might fracture Europe, easing China’s critical minerals chokehold, why Eurovision is turning up the volume, and more.

Amid the expiration of New START and fears of secret weapon testing, the world’s oldest arms reduction treaty is under strain, writes Iona Allan.

The scale of Hanoi’s land reclamation operations is fast surpassing Beijing’s in the contested Spratly Islands, write John Pollock and Damien Symon.

The Patriarchate’s support for the military has intensified, and its outreach has expanded to America’s religious right. But for the faithful at home, trust in the church is wavering, writes Lucy Ash

The journalist and author Yi-Ling Liu tells Isabella Wilkinson about the wit and creativity of activists, artists and businesspeople pushing at the limits of China’s ‘Great Firewall’.

From President Trump’s bid to acquire Greenland to Beijing’s claims over the South China Sea, cartographer William Rankin tells Mike Higgins how maps sometimes don’t help geopolitical decision-making.

A potted selection of reviews from our sister journal ‘International Affairs’, by its book reviews editor Mariana Vieira

The new director of Chatham House’s International Security Programme on how AI is transforming the battlefield and why women in her field must work harder to be heard.

The current issue is open access with previous editions reserved for our members and magazine subscribers.