Briefings. Notes. Clues.
Because diplomacy rarely leaves fingerprints
but always leaves traces.
2026: The Year After the Illusions
I initially believed that 2025 would be remembered as a year of decisive geopolitical rupture — a moment when history accelerated and forced choices that could no longer be deferred. It will not be remembered
Rare Earth Realpolitik – Europe’s Strategic Blind Spot
The Hidden Fault Line of the Green Transition Europe’s green and digital transformation rests on a comforting illusion: that a continent which controls none of the decisive materials for modern industry can still dictate the
A Deal Without the Victim – But With Spoils – Alaska Postscript 1.5
Alaska. The show. Yes, there was a press conference. Putin spoke, most the time. Trump spoke too. Cameras clicked. Microphones were on – but nothing was actually said. Nothing that mattered. Nothing that explained. Nothing
Alaska-Summit: No Deal, No Order – Just a Show
Trump–Putin in Alaska: The summit that wasn’t I. The Stage, Not the Summit Jets in the sky. Limos on the runway. Red-white-blue banners waving. Two men looking pleased with themselves. What you didn’t see: diplomacy.
Maps Beat Mines – And Brussels Just Found Out
It started with a postcard. White sand. A pier. A boy in yellow rubber boots staring at a container ship on the horizon. My daughter drew it last week, apparently inspired by some thoughts about
Quick Bite – Critical Minerals: Who Sets the Standards?
Brussels loves its grand unveilings. On March 16, 2023, the European Commission rolled out the Critical Raw Materials Act with all the usual fanfare – speeches about “strategic autonomy” and “reducing dependency,” delivered in a
Concert of Powers – Why the World Isn’t Multipolar but Fragmented
I. Introduction: From Yalta to YouTube Diplomacy We are not living in a multipolar world order. We are living among the ruins of its promises. The usual analytical vocabulary – “liberal order,” “rules-based system,” “Westphalian
Gold Dust Over Graves
How Latin America is Burying Its Future It’s a curious blend of naivety and theatre when Western media suddenly “discover” that illegal gold mining is taking place in Peru — as if it were breaking
Command Without Community – The New Art of Western Power
An air war without mandate. A summit without consequence. Israel strikes, the U.S. follows. NATO celebrates itself. Welcome to the post-consensus world. 1. Three Dates, One Pattern June 13: Israel bombs Iranian targets deep inside
The Age of Tactical Alliances — What Comes After Loyalty?
Diplomacy didn’t die. It just stopped believing in fairy tales. As the NATO summit in The Hague (June 24–25, 2025) approaches, the optics are in place—flags fluttering, podiums staged, declarations rehearsed. But the real diplomacy