China’s irregular maritime forces were essential in redrawing the map of the South China Sea over the past two decades, and they remain a fixture in any new ground-level clash with rival claimants.

Examining the force structure, doctrine, and capabilities of China’s PLA Navy after decades of modernization and rapid shipbuilding.

Examining major players in the global race to develop and deploy hypersonic weapons, and whether these platforms live up to the hype.

Exploring the history, composition, and tactics of the ‘little blue men’ of China’s littoral waters – the People’s Armed Forces Maritime Militia.

Long delayed and ever controversial, the INSTC is a ‘sanctions free’ trade corridor that aims to recalibrate Eurasian trade flows. This backgrounder examines the interests and geopolitics surrounding the project.

Largely unnoticed by global headlines or great powers, the Sudan civil war has devolved into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

Where many see the Cold War as the closest historical analogue to contemporary US-China tensions, the 19th century ‘Great Game’ is a much more apt comparison.

The combination of internal pressure from defense-minded voters and external pressure from NATO allies is spurring Ottawa forward on defense spending. And though the 2% NATO target will remain elusive over the short term, a paradigm shift may be in-the-making.

Developments in the Pacific theater through 2024 suggest that both Washington and Beijing are actively preparing for the possibility of a future conflict.

Examining the rise and fall of Facebook’s Libra stablecoin - a saga that sheds light on the present and future of high-tech mercantile realism.