The Arctic has long been a space of stability and of healthy inter-governmental collaboration. It is vital that this stability endures and the status quo persists to preserve the region and ensure its stable development.

On 18 October, the European Council failed to agree on starting membership negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia. The vote showed that, when all is said and done, it is the vision of what the European Union should look like rather than its impact that matters most to some of its member states.

With the Russian-backed Syrian regime effectively winning the war against the opposition and Russia now calling the shots between Turkey and the SDF, it is fair to say that Putin is emerging as the metaphorical Tsar of Syria.

Despite concerns and criticism, Erdoğan’s government launched Operation Peace Spring on 9 October, targeting Islamic State and Kurdish elements.

The 2019 IAEA general conference offered a refreshing demonstration of commitment and support for an international organisation.

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.