Global Watch

The Dutch colonial empire's influence did not vanish when its flags came down. It survived in languages, kitchens, cemeteries, courtrooms, family names, and migration routes stretching from Indonesia to South Africa, from Suriname to the Netherlands.   Although these countries sit far apart on the map, they share one thing in common. Each one was pulled into the same imperial machine: a profit-driven Dutch system that moved people across o...

David Gross has spent his career studying some of the deepest questions in physics. Now the Nobel Prize-winning physicist is warning that humanity could destroy itself before it ever fully understands the universe.   Fresh from receiving a $3 million Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics, Gross is using his platform to warn that nuclear war is no longer just a Cold War fear or a distant possibility. He argues the danger is grow...

Cybersecurity is becoming a major national priority across the Gulf. Countries like Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, and Oman are increasing investments in digital security as their economies become more connected and technology-driven.   Governments across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), are expanding sectors such as artificial intelligence, financial technology, smart infrastructure, cloud services, and digital...

Malaysia is facing growing political pressure after a rare earth supply deal linked to the United States Department of Defense triggered backlash from civil society groups and environmental activists.   The controversy centers on Australian mining company Lynas and its processing facility in Gebeng, Pahang. Under a deal reportedly worth about $96 million over four years, rare earth materials processed in Malaysia could enter American defen...

The United States government is trying to break away from Anthropic, the US artificial intelligence company behind the Claude chatbot, while still deploying one of the company's most sensitive cybersecurity models to protect US government systems.   It's quite the contradiction. Washington is moving to reduce dependence on Anthropic, but its own defense establishment is using Claude Mythos Preview, an unreleased cyber-AI system that can hu...