OCCASIONAL PAPERS
World's last week news in a minute...(31.1.2026 - 6.2.2026)
6.2: Iran expects talks with US to continue after ‘positive atmosphere’ in Oman. france24.com
6.2: Bahrain, France deepen military ties with new defence agreement. middle-east-online.com
5.2: U.S. and Russia agree to observe new START nuclear pact after expiration. axios.com
5.2: Pakistani military concludes operation against separatists in Balochistan, 216 killed. asiaone.com
5.2: Russia signals it will keep sending oil to Cuba despite U.S. pressure. oilprice.com
5.2: Australia signs security treaty with Indonesia. abc.net.au
5.2: Ukraine-Russia talks end with little progress and hints of impasse. nytimes.com
4.2: US deploys specialist military team to Nigeria as jihadist conflict escalates. theafricareport.com
4.2: Vucic: Serbia diversifying natural gas supplies. n1info.rs
3.2: UN to deploy ceasefire monitoring mission to eastern DR Congo. africanews.com
3.2: U.S. could issue general license for oil companies to produce in Venezuela this week, source says. cnbc.com
3.2: Syrian forces enter SDF-stronghold of Qamishli under ceasefire deal. aljazeera.com
2.2: Trump said the U.S. would respond in a significant way if Canada enacts the trade agreement that it negotiated with China. usatoday.com
2.2: US approves $9-billion Patriot Missile Sale to Saudi Arabia. thedefensepost.com
31.1: China conducts naval, air patrols around disputed South China Sea shoal. channelnewsasia.com
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SOUTH CHINA SEA: RISING TENSIONS AND GEOPOLITICAL RIVALRIES
On April 21st, 2025, the annual military exercise BALIKATAN 2025 has started, involving forces from the Philippines and the United States. Additionally, Australia will participate in the exercise with 260 soldiers, while 19 countries, including France, Germany, Japan, and the United Kingdom will send observers. A total of 14,000 soldiers (5,000 Filipino and 9,000 American troops) will participate in the training activity, conducted in the context of the Mutual Defense Agreement of 1951, which provides for U.S. assistance to the Philippines in the event of an attack. The exercise scenario includes organizing and conducting defense in the Philippine archipelago and repelling an attack on one of the country’s islands. Specifically, the exercise involves launching a counteroffensive to retake an island captured by the enemy, sinking enemy vessels using artillery and missile fires, conducting joint naval missions in the South China Sea, and aerial reconnaissance missions over the Philippine archipelago. Among other things, the U.S. will engage the medium-range missile system (with a range of 500 to 2,000 km) called TYPHON, a unit of which was deployed about a year ago in the Luzon area of the Philippines. Naturally, the conduct of the exercise and the testing of advanced missile systems have provoked a reaction from China, which expressed its opposition to such military actions in the disputed area of the South China Sea, particularly with the involvement of U.S. forces. Indeed, on April 24th, 2025, a Chinese naval force consisting of an aircraft carrier and escort ships (frigates, cruisers, support vessels) sailed into the area.
The South China Sea is a region of heightened tension with a real risk of escalation and armed conflict. The overlapping Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) of the countries in the region (Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines, Indonesia, China, Vietnam) and China’s “Nine-Dash Line” policy, which claims almost the entire marine area, while excluding other countries from their rights under international maritime law, significantly raises tensions, posing the danger of military conflict, either due to accident or deliberate provocations. The situation is further complicated by the involvement of powerful global forces such as the U.S., which have critical strategic interests in the region. The South China Sea is rich in fisheries (12% of the world’s fish catch comes from here) and mineral resources (it is estimated that about 11 billion barrels of oil and 190 trillion cubic meters of natural gas lie beneath its surface). Additionally, it is a critical route for global shipping and the transportation of goods, with an annual value of approximately $3 trillion. In this light, military activities reflect broader geopolitical dynamics, turning the area into a strategic battlefield. The involvement of local, regional, and global actors elevates the region to a field of regional and global rivalries that influence the distribution of power, as all seek to secure their interests.
April 26th, 2025
Ioannis Karampelas
President of HERMES Institute of International Affairs, Security & Geoeconomy
POLICIES
Grenada celebrates its National Day or Independence Day on February 7th every year, marking the island's independence from Britain on 7 February 1974. Before the Europeans arrived in the Americas, Grenada was home to the indigenous peoples. Christopher Columbus sighted it during his third voyage to the Americas in 1498. Grenada was first colonized in the 1600s by the French, who established sugar plantations and brought slaves from Africa. Following French defeat in the Seven Years' war, the Treaty of Paris ceded Grenada to Great Britain in 1763. Having overcome a brief rebellion by pro-French forces, Grenada remained a British colony for over two hundred years. Efforts toward independence had begun in the 1950s and in March 1967, Grenada became an Associated State and was granted full autonomy over its internal affairs. Independence from the United Kingdom was granted on 7 February 1974 and Eric Gairy became the first Prime Minister of Grenada.
“Location of Grenada on the globe” by TUBS, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Grenada_on_the_globe_(Americas_centered).svg, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ — No changes were made. No endorsement implied.
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National Day of: Grenada (07.02.2026)