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Bridging Land and Sea: Rethinking Security in the Red Sea Arena
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ASEAN Summit 2025: Navigating Great-Power Rivalry in Kuala Lumpur
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Opportunity for Lasting Peace? Renewed Violence Tests Afghanistan-Pakistan Relations
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Syria’s Lost Children: The Assad Regime’s Legacy of Disappearances
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Cyber Espionage and U.S. Policy Responses
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Promoting Evidence-based Policy and Good Governance

Defense & Security, Africa

Nov 6 , 2025

Policy Brief

Bridging Land and Sea: Rethinking Security in the Red Sea Arena

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

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Defense & Security, South Asia

Oct 31 , 2025

Policy Brief

ASEAN Summit 2025: Navigating Great-Power Rivalry in Kuala Lumpur

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

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Americas

Oct 24 , 2025

Research

Funding Gaps and Service Cuts: Reimagining Public Transit for an Equitable Future

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Executive Summary Many major American metropolitan public transportation organizations are confronting critical funding shortfalls in the coming years, which they warn will force them to implement drastic service reductions and fare increases without further investment. Among other benefits, public transportation is a vital resource for vulnerable and disadvantaged communities, who

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Defense & Security, Europe & Central Asia

Oct 22 , 2025

Policy Brief

Opportunity for Lasting Peace? Renewed Violence Tests Afghanistan-Pakistan Relations

Introduction In October 2025, cross-border conflict surged between Afghanistan and Pakistan over allegations of terrorist safe havens in Afghanistan and drone strikes carried out by Pakistan, reaching the deadliest levels since the Taliban seized power of Afghanistan in August 2021. After several days of fighting, Afghanistan and Pakistan agreed to

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Democracy & Human Rights, Americas

Oct 18 , 2025

Podcast

Héctor Camilo Morales Muñoz: The State of Things in Colombia

In this episode of Orion Talks, host Marta Furlan talks with Héctor Camilo Morales Muñoz about the current situation in Colombia. The conversation starts with an overview of the current political and security climate in Colombia, with some reflections on where the country stands half a year before the elections

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Democracy & Human Rights, Middle East

Oct 16 , 2025

Op-Ed

Syria’s Lost Children: The Assad Regime’s Legacy of Disappearances

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With the protracted Syrian Civil War and the recent collapse of the Assad regime in December 2024, Syria remains one of the largest humanitarian crises globally. After nearly 14 years of war, approximately 16.7 million Syrians are in dire need of humanitarian assistance. The prolonged violence has taken a devastating

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South Asia

Oct 10 , 2025

Policy Brief

The SCO 2025: Progress and Reality Checks

Xi Jinping had a September full of diplomatic wins. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) held its 25th summit in Tianjin, drawing the largest attendance in its history. Later, Beijing hosted a military parade commemorating the defeat of Japan in World War II, referred to in China as “The War of

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Cyber Security & Info Technologies

Oct 7 , 2025

Research

Cyber Espionage and U.S. Policy Responses

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Introduction Between September 1986 and June 1987, a group of German hackers conducted the first recorded act of cyber espionage, breaching US civil and military organizations and selling stolen data to the Soviet KGB. Since then, cyber espionage has become an evolving threat and state-sponsored campaigns targeting sensitive government and

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Latest Research

Americas, Indo – Pacific

May 14 , 2025

Policy Brief

The US and China Looking for a Way Out of the Tariff Wars

The trade war between the United States and China has reached a turning point after April 2025. Beginning in April with the US imposing tariffs as high as 145% on Chinese goods and China responding with 125% duties on American products, trade among the world’s two top economies has de

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Middle East

May 12 , 2025

Policy Brief

Gulf Arab Engagement with Russia

Last month, the Emir of Qatar and the Sultan of Oman visited Moscow, where they met with President Vladimir Putin. These visits to the Kremlin highlight Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members’ efforts to deepen ties with Russia across geopolitical, security, energy, economic, and diplomatic fronts. Such engagements affirm Moscow’s enduring

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Africa

May 6 , 2025

Policy Brief

Sudan’s Civil War and the Gulf Chessboard

Similar to other current global crises – such as those in Ukraine, the Middle East and the Democratic Republic of Congo – the conflict in Sudan appears difficult to resolve through negotiations. There are two main factors contributing to this difficulty. First, both parties view the conflict through a zero-sum

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Middle East

May 5 , 2025

Policy Brief

Why Does Saudi Arabia Welcome Nuclear Talks?

In 2002, when the People’s Mojahedin Organization, the exiled opposition group of the Islamic Republic of Iran, revealed the hidden aspects of Iran’s nuclear industry development in a hotel in Washington, the international community, including the Arab countries of the region and the Persian Gulf monarchies, felt fear and vulnerability

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Cyber Security & Info Technologies

Apr 25 , 2025

Policy Brief

An Analysis of ATM and Point-of-Sale Skimming

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ATM and POS skimming is a recurring societal problem, especially with the changing technological world. Recently, police discovered ATM skimming devices at convenience stores in York County and Lancaster County[1]. In Philadelphia, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits were compromised due to skimming devices[2]. Although these are three macro-level events,

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Middle East

Apr 8 , 2025

Policy Brief

Omani Diplomacy and Prospects for Trump’s Presidency

Oman, an oasis of peace and stability in the turbulent Middle East, largely attributes its foreign policy’s success to its neutrality. Omani diplomacy has the potential to help President Donald J. Trump fulfill his 2024 campaign pledge to become a peacemaker in the Middle East. Omanis stress that their neutrality

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