Diplomatic Crisis

Diplomatic crises in early 2026 include disputes over the US intervention in Venezuela, UN tensions surrounding Haiti, Syria and Yemen, and rising geoeconomic rivalry among major powers. Breakdowns in negotiations, sanctions and expulsions continue to reshape alliances and strain international stability.

NATO confronts internal crisis as US, Denmark, and Greenland hold White House talks

High-level meeting tests whether alliance frameworks can contain Trump's territorial demand on member state

By Elena Kowalski

/ 14 Jan 2026

NATO confronts internal crisis as US, Denmark, and Greenland hold White House talks

Trump imposes secondary tariffs on all Iranian trade partners

New 25% levy threatens countries doing business with Tehran amid unrest, escalating economic coercion beyond conventional sanctions

By Viktor Petersen

/ 13 Jan 2026

Trump imposes secondary tariffs on all Iranian trade partners

Trump severs Cuba's Venezuelan lifeline after Maduro's capture

Washington deploys coercive diplomacy to dismantle Havana's last economic bulwark, testing whether a cornered regime capitulates or collapses

By Viktor Petersen

/ 12 Jan 2026

Trump severs Cuba's Venezuelan lifeline after Maduro's capture

Kremlin envoy heads to Miami as back-channel diplomacy tests U.S. plan for Ukraine

Trump's private negotiating track reaches its most developed stage yet, but enforcement and allied buy-in remain unresolved

By Viktor Petersen

/ 18 Dec 2025

Kremlin envoy heads to Miami as back-channel diplomacy tests U.S. plan for Ukraine

Sanctioned Russian envoy helped draft Trump's Ukraine peace plan in Miami

U.S. officials and lawmakers raise process and legal concerns over backchannel diplomacy that bypassed allies and interagency review

By David Monroe

/ 22 Nov 2025

Sanctioned Russian envoy helped draft Trump's Ukraine peace plan in Miami

Switzerland talks put Europe's security consensus to the test

A U.S.-drafted peace framework sidelines Brussels and forces Kyiv to choose between transatlantic solidarity and territorial sovereignty

By Elena Kowalski

/ 22 Nov 2025

Switzerland talks put Europe's security consensus to the test

Opinion: Witkoff's "peace" plan is capitulation dressed as realism—and Ukraine is right to reject it

Washington's proposal rewards aggression, guts deterrence, and mistakes appeasement for strategy. A freeze on these terms would guarantee the next war.

By Viktor Petersen

/ 20 Nov 2025

Opinion: Witkoff's "peace" plan is capitulation dressed as realism—and Ukraine is right to reject it

Trump Greenlights Saudi F-35 Sale as MBS Arrives at White House

As Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman returns to Washington, the arms deal tests decades of U.S. policy on Israel's military edge and China's technological reach

By Alex Thompson and David Monroe

/ 18 Nov 2025

Trump Greenlights Saudi F-35 Sale as MBS Arrives at White House

UN approves Trump's Gaza plan despite rejection by Palestinians

Washington's blueprint for Gaza's future gains Security Council backing, but lacks consent from those who would live under it

By Layla Hassan

/ 18 Nov 2025

UN approves Trump's Gaza plan despite rejection by Palestinians

Netanyahu rejects Palestinian statehood as UN votes on Gaza force

Israel's categorical refusal collides with U.S. stabilization plan that pairs international troops with conditional sovereignty pathway

By Layla Hassan

/ 16 Nov 2025

Netanyahu rejects Palestinian statehood as UN votes on Gaza force

Indonesia's 20,000 troops for Gaza expose peacekeeping's fundamental illusion

Jakarta's deployment offer reveals how international stabilization forces paper over unresolved conflicts rather than solving them

By Layla Hassan

/ 14 Nov 2025

Indonesia's 20,000 troops for Gaza expose peacekeeping's fundamental illusion

Turkey doubles down on two-state Cyprus amid UN divide

The buffer zone's frozen reality

By Layla Hassan

/ 13 Nov 2025

Turkey doubles down on two-state Cyprus amid UN divide