Global Rivalries

Canada is suddenly signing up soldiers at a pace it has not seen in decades, and the reason is hard to miss. The country feels less safe than it did a year ago.   The Canadian Armed Forces recruited 7,310 people in 2025, their highest intake in 30 years and more than the government’s target of 6,957. For a military long criticized for shortages and aging capacity, that is not just a recruitment win. It is a sign that Canada’s p...

Brazil has been hit with a sharp European blow just as President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s long-awaited EU-Mercosur trade victory was supposed to start paying off.   The European Commission has left Brazil off its updated list of countries that meet the bloc’s antimicrobial resistance rules. Brazilian exports of beef, equine products, poultry, eggs, aquaculture products, honey, and other animal-origin goods for human c...

A global rail revival is gaining steam as countries across the Middle East and Asia accelerate investment in cross-border rail infrastructure. From Saudi Arabia to Vietnam, rail is re-emerging as a central instrument of trade expansion, industrial strategy, and regional connectivity.   The appeal is straightforward. Railways move large volumes of goods quickly and at relatively low cost across land corridors. But what was once a legacy tra...

China’s plans to establish a permanent base on the Moon could shape who controls lunar resources and the strategic space between Earth and the Moon for decades to come. The race back to the Moon is no longer symbolic — it is becoming a contest over long-term access to the next frontier.   The Risk That China Controls the Moon First China says its lunar program is about peaceful exploration, but its long-term plans suggest some...

Pakistan is becoming a more important diplomatic actor in the Middle East crisis. As tensions and fighting between the United States, Israel, and Iran shook the region, Islamabad pushed for negotiations and ceasefire efforts instead of further escalation.   US President Donald Trump recently confirmed that Pakistan had requested a pause in parts of Washington’s military operations linked to the Strait of Hormuz crisis while talks wit...