Despite ethno-sectarian differences and a confessional system still being present in Iraq, there appears to be a trend of increasingly foreign policy-based fissures in the country – something which is only likely to further complicate the Iraq’s future.

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, HSC Executive Director Julie Lenarz has today accused US President Donald Trump of empowering anti-Western forces in the Middle East through his abandonment of the Kurds.

Despite the destruction left behind on The Bahamas, predominantly on Abaco and Grand Bahama islands, Hurricane Dorian provided a stark example of how Armed Forces from the Caribbean, and larger regional and global powers, can come together to provide initial relief and helped set the stage for civilian organizations to follow on and provide long-term humanitarian aid.

The 2019 PIF offers a glimmer of hope for engagement. However, it simultaneously moderates what to expect at upcoming climate summits.

The agreement that has now been reached should avert a deployment of the Turkish military for the time being. But the statement is so vaguely worded that the agreement could be overturned by one side or the other at any time.

With Turkey going against US and western policy in Syria, alongside continuing to pivot towards Russia, it may be time to punish them and kick them out of NATO.

Between 28 and 29 June 2019, Japan hosted the 14th annual G20 summit. Occurring at a time of peaking international tensions – particularly in terms of trade and environmental issues – the 2019 summit tested the resolve and priorities of the international community.

While the US is focussed on pushing back Iran, it does not want to carry the costs of such a mission all by itself.

In the short-term, Turkish politics are unlikely to experience radical change, as Erdoğan has created a system for himself that will not be easily pried from his grasp. In the long-term, however, the cracks in his grand design will become too numerous to handle.

In May 2019, the OHCHR released a report that concluded North Korea was failing to provide its citizens with a number of basic rights – including an adequate standard of living.