IPS Journal

Over two decades after Sierra Leone’s brutal civil war came to an end, worrying signs have emerged that raise concerns about the sustainability of post-conflict recovery in the West African country. Particularly since the…

When Masoud Pezeshkian was elected as Iran’s new president in July, it was inconceivable that the nation would be in the middle of an all-out conflict before his administration passed the 100-day mark. The instinctual…

In 1999, negotiations began on a bi-regional association agreement between the EU and the Mercosur states. It was based on three pillars: political dialogue, cooperation and trade. The agreement that was finally signed 20…

As the world enters an era shaped by artificial intelligence, low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are expected to capture just 10 per cent of the economic growth generated by AI technologies. But by forming strategic…

A few days before Thanksgiving, my husband and I finally moved our indoor plants back indoors. In years past we brought them inside in late September, just to be safe, because in those days frost often fell in early…

What global trends currently pose the greatest threat to freedom of expression?

The greatest threat today is the backsliding of democracies. Authoritarian states have long maintained a totalitarian stance, systematically…

The swift collapse, after 54 years, of Syria’s al-Assad dynasty has just transformed the Middle East’s geopolitical landscape. The lightning offensive by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) militia took all of Syria’s…

The fall of Bashar al-Assad is a moment we dreamed of but never truly believed we’d see. A friend captured the overwhelming emotions perfectly in a Facebook post: ‘We [Syrians] are all liars; we swore we do not miss Syria…

In the night of 3 December, South Korean democracy faced what was probably its toughest test to date — and proved itself resilient. By declaring martial law, South Korea’s president Yoon Suk Yeol plunged the country into a…

Elections are rarely straightforward, especially in high-stakes environments — and particularly in Romania. The EU member state at the Black Sea, which shares the longest border with Ukraine and, until now, has been a…