Author: Jose Niño

On November 17, 2022, Iran and Hungary signed the 3rd Joint Economic Cooperation Commission. Iranian Economic Minister Ehsan Khanduzi and Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs Peter Szijjártó were both present in signing this agreement on November 17. According to a report by the Islamic Republic News Agency, the two parties mentioned how there was a 55% increase in bilateral trade between the 2nd and the 3rd Joint Economic Cooperation Commission. On agricultural matters, the two countries forged multiple agreements. As for the exchange of university students, Hungary plans on allocating 100 scholarships to Iranian university students. Thus far, 600 Iranian…

Is the geopolitical environment in Latin America fundamentally transforming? Former Brazilian President Lula Da Silva’s victory in the Brazilian presidential election has had many geopolitical observers on the edge of their seat. On October 30, 2022, Lula pulled off a razor thin victory against Jair Bolsonaro, where he bested the incumbent president by a vote count of 50.8% to 49.2%. Former Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa chimed in on this development on November 1. During an interview for the Argentinian media outlet Telam, Correa alluded to Lula’s “integrationist” role and the important role he will play in continental affairs. “With his…

As the United States starts finalizing its Pivot to Asia, Vietnam’s geopolitical moves will be in the spotlight. It’s no secret that the US is aiming to contain China. Back in 2018, the Pentagon issued its national defense strategy where it identified China along with Russia as one of its principal national security challenges. To effectively counter China, the US will need partners in order to build an effective containment coalition against it. Vietnam will be one of the countries who could potentially play an integral role in limiting China’s influence in Asia. Thus far, Vietnam has pursued a relatively…

Could Scotland break away from the United Kingdom? Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon believes so. During an interview on BBC TV on Sunday, Sturgeon indicated that a national independence referendum could be held on October 19, 2023. On October 7, 2022, the Supreme Court started hearing arguments for allowing a second referendum on Scottish independence. All of this is done without receiving approval from British Prime Minister Liz Truss and the British government. The question of Scottish independence has been lingering for the past decade or so. In 2014, a plebiscite was held where Scottish voters rejected independence by a…

On October 10, 2022, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko revealed that he had deployed Belarusian troops alongside Russian forces near Ukraine. He did so in response to an alleged threat from Ukraine and its supporters in the Collective West. One of the most notable supporters of Ukraine that has alarmed Belarus has been Poland. Lukashenko claims that Poland is militarizing its border with Belarus. This would represent a significant escalation in a conflict that involves a nuclear power like Russia. “Strikes on the territory of Belarus are not just being discussed in Ukraine today, but are also being planned,” Lukashenko declared…

The election of Giorgia Meloni as Prime Minister on September 25, 2022 sent shockwaves across Brussels, London, and Washington DC. With Meloni’s Brothers of Italy (Fratelli d’Italia) Party picking up 26% of the vote, Meloni is set to become Italy’s first female prime minister. At a glance, Meloni is an outspoken conservative who stands for traditional culture values such maintaining pro-life views and standing against the radical LGBT lobby. In addition, she has expressed patriotic beliefs with regards to immigration and the alarming influx of migrants from North Africa and the Middle East that have washed up on Italian shores…

On September 4, 2022, Chileans resoundingly voted down a new constitution by 62% to 38%. The constitutional proposal in question was progressive in nature and would have been a notable departure from the more market-oriented Constitution that the military government of August Pinochet established in 1980. While there is still a desire for constitutional changes among the Chilean electorate, the constitutional proposal put forward on September 4 was too radical for the current Chilean electorate as it stands. Boric’s government has been marked by some degree of instability since he came into office on March 11, 2022. Five cabinet ministers…

Recently, Myanmar started to buy Russian oil products and will pay for them using rubles. Myanmar’s military junta leader General Min Aung Hlainin confirmed this development in a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on September 7, 2022, per a report by Russian state media outlet RIA Novosti. RIA Novosti also reported that the first Russian fuel shipments to Myanmar are expected to arrive in coming days. In the months following the launch of its special military operation in Ukraine, Russia has been urging countries to pay for Russian oil and gas in rubles to wean itself off the US…

Will Colombia finally pacify all its guerilla groups? The National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación — ELN) is now ready to commence peace talks with the new government of Colombian President Gustavo Petro. Colombia’s 34th President, who himself was a member of the M-19 guerilla movement, made reaching a peace agreement with rebel groups such as the ELN an integral part of his campaign platform. The president issued statements in separate interviews calling for a ceasefire with groups such as the ELN. Petro stressed that these ceasefires be conducted in a “bilateral” fashion. Petro’s proposal is one for “total peace”…

Earlier in August, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the United States ambassador to the United Nations, cautioned African nations about purchasing goods and services outside of fertilizers and grains. Should they step out of line, these countries could face sanctions. While visiting Uganda, Thomas-Greenfield did concede that countries could still buy “Russian agricultural products, including fertilizer and wheat” but noted that “if a country decides to engage with Russia, where there are sanctions, then they are breaking those sanctions.” “We caution countries not to break those sanctions because then … they stand the chance of having actions taken against them,” she emphasized. Thomas-Greenfield…