The Trump administration has made confronting drug cartels a central national security priority, designating the largest Mexican networks as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and dedicating significant resources toward securing the Americas. But those organizations are not confined to the Western Hemisphere. Mexican-linked methamphetamine production has emerged in Africa, first surfacing in
Country of Origin Iran Threat Actor Type State-sponsored Other Names Hydro Kitten, Storm-0784, APT Iran, Bauxite, Mr. Soul, Soldiers of Solomon, UNC5691, and Shahid Kaveh Group Year Identified 2020 Target Countries United States, Israel, United Kingdom, and Ireland Profile Summary CyberAv3ngers, also tracked as Hydro Kitten, Storm-0784, APT Iran, Bauxite,
Key Takeaways The UK proposes to block social media platforms for individuals under the age of 16 starting in the spring of 2027. The proposed ban will initiate stronger online boundaries for children, along with tougher controls on contact with strangers. Privacy campaigners assert this ban will create more challenges
Since the beginning of Operation Epic Fury, the United States spent about forty days in major combat operations against the Republic of Iran, followed by just over ninety days of a fragile ceasefire framework and attempted negotiations, punctuated by intermittent kinetic operations. As Iranian attacks on commercial ships in the
Country of Origin China Threat Actor Type State-sponsored cyber espionage group Other Names Winnti, Barium, Blackfly, Wicked Panda, and Double Dragon Year Identified 2012 Target Countries United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and other countries worldwide. Profile Summary APT41, also known as Winnti, Barium,
In this Orion Talks episode, hosted by Suat Cubukcu, John Sullivan, Nathan Jones, and Daniel Weisz Argomedo explore how urban warfare is reshaping modern conflict. Drawing on their book Urban Operations: War, Crime, and Conflict, they examine the increasingly blurred lines between conventional warfare, organized crime, terrorism, and criminal insurgencies
According to data from the Orion Policy Institute’s newly launched Records of Critical Cyber Attacks (ROCCA) Project, China and Russia account for 458 originated cyberattacks, or 48% of the 954 incidents recorded between 2005 and 2025. The United States is the most targeted country, and these attacks have increased sharply
Anthropic’s Mythos/Fable model ban showed Washington acting on a lab signal it could measure while flying blind on the one it can’t. On June 12, the Commerce Department ordered Anthropic to cut off foreign-national access to its two most capable models, Fable 5 and Mythos 5. The reason, according to
Foreign policy analysts had long suspected that President Trump was reviving a Monroe Doctrine–style policy for Latin America. With the release of the 2025 National Security Strategy (NSS), that idea now has a formal name: the “Trump Corollary” to the Monroe Doctrine. This newly declared doctrine revives a two-century-old concept
More than two months have passed since our last assessment on Airstrikes in the Caribbean, yet U.S. action against suspected Venezuelan narcotraffickers has accelerated, expanding in both scope and frequency. The situation has evolved into a sustained operation with far-reaching implications for U.S. policy and regional security. What began as
Introduction President Donald Trump recently accused Russia of conducting underground nuclear tests, while President Vladimir Putin, responding to U.S. discussions about providing Ukraine with Tomahawk missiles, warned that such a move would mark a “qualitatively new stage of escalation.”[1] These developments signal a renewed rise in U.S.-Russia tensions and highlight
After 18 months of siege marked by starvation, targeted killings, and sexual violence, El Fasher – the capital of North Darfur – fell to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). As of the time of this writing, the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) control most of the north, east, and central regions,
The Red Sea has shifted from a central shipping lane to a strategically important area linking Africa, Arabia, the Indo-Pacific, and global powers. The distinction between land and sea is fading — as are old assumptions about regional order. From Peripheral Sea to Global Chokepoint Long seen as a peripheral
From October 25 to 28, the ASEAN 47th Summit in Kuala Lumpur became the world’s most important diplomatic scenario. The summit gathered thirty heads of state and government, including U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese Premier Li Qiang. The gathering, thus, has been crucial not only for the future of
Our comprehensive research spans critical sectors, offering detailed insights and actionable recommendations. Explore how we address pressing national and global issues to drive effective governance and informed decision-making.
Experts
Our team consists of a diverse group of professionals who bring a wealth of expertise in global security, governance, and development. With a deep commitment to policy solutions, our experts work to address the complex challenges of our time, ensuring that our insights drive impactful change.
Our Mission
Our mission is to promote good governance, advance human rights, and improve policy through high-quality research. We seek to generate practical and sustainable solutions based on multi-disciplinary, diverse, and in-depth scientific research and analysis.
Subscribe to the Orion Policy Brief
Get a daily newsletter with our best research on top issues.