The United States plays the role of “necessary devil” in the Middle East, yet it is still valued as a key ally by Arab nations and Israel. America’s unwavering support for Israel often draws a backlash from the Arab world. However, the Arabs’ moral imperatives may clash with their strategic interests.

China wields the largest naval capacity in Asia, and has shown no qualms about deploying it to contest waters in its vicinity. The Philippines sitting so near China have faced the brunt of China’s aggressive actions, and must navigate the situation with great strategic acumen.

The Volt Typhoon cyberattacks underscore the escalating tensions between China and the U.S. in cyberspace, with both nations deepening mutual distrust that risks spiraling into broader conflict. To prevent further deterioration, the U.S. and China must engage in dialogue, establish international cybersecurity frameworks, and cooperate on managing cyber threats, ensuring that neither side becomes the winner of a destructive cyber or AI-driven war.

The pursuit of absolute security by individual nations, especially major powers like the U.S., risks destabilizing global peace as competing demands for dominance in areas like technology and economics grow. Smaller nations, particularly in the Global South, often find themselves caught in the struggle, with multilateral cooperation and inclusive dialogue essential to reducing the tensions that this competition creates.

A number of political, social and economic factors tend to put the brakes on the urge to widen a war or escalate a conflict. So far, the world has been lucky with respect to the Russia-Ukraine war, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the provocative assassination of a Hamas leader. The dog didn’t bark in the night — at least not yet.

Nuclear deterrence has been a defining characteristic of international security for nearly a century now. Already having weathered one Cold War, could China push the U.S. over the edge towards an all-out arms race in the 21st Century?

There are parallels between the historical lessons of World War I and the current era of hegemonic transition, with China's 10 years old proposal of the "New Type of Great Power Relations" still offering a framework for navigating U.S.-China relations. Ultimately, strategic dialogue and cooperation between great powers is of utmost importance to avert great power conflicts.

The Philippines latest round of talks with the U.S. seems to give the impression of a strong shift toward alignment with American interests, but closer examination reveals a pragmatic approach by Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to playing the U.S. against overtures from neighboring China.

Ukraine’s advance into Russian territory may pose new risks, including escalation of the war and further complication of the peace process. The aim may be to create a “land-for-land” negotiation in the future, but this may not work. Peace cannot be achieved as long as one side believes it can win. It only happens when one of the warring parties is exhausted.

The Philippines, ever aware of its strategic importance in Asia’s waters, is making moves to strengthen its positions in economy and defense, the latter area being of utmost importance to Manila when looking at the flurry of activity Manila has taken in recent months.