Argentina’s Lithium Industry: Reforms and Radical Rhetoric

President Javier Milei’s ultraliberal policies, including the radical deregulation plan signed into decree DNU 70/2023, aim to revitalize Argentina’s economy by reducing state involvement and promoting private sector growth. Argentina’s lithium industry, critical for the global energy sector, stands to be significantly impacted. The country, poised to outpace Chile as a top lithium producer by 2027, faces major changes under Milei’s governance which emphasizes alignments towards U.S. interests and potentially increases foreign investors’ power, raising concerns among local and Indigenous communities about sustainable development.

Let’s Tune In To The EU’s Periphery: Italy Fights EU On Nutri-Score System

Giorgia Meloni opposes the EU’s Nutri-score system that is proposed to score foods in supermarkets due to the system ignoring benefits of caloric dense products such as olive oil.

EU Affairs: Evolutions in Civic Space from Offline to Online

Civic Space has been situated in the public sphere until the development of the internet, where new restrictions and technology has led to heightened security and means to repress society. In Europe, there has been a rise in surveillance capabilities and lawsuits targeting political participants, leading to the necessity to look into possible restrictions on the freedoms of expression and participation.

(Analysis) China’s push for influence in Central Asia

Since the fall of the Soviet Union, Central Asia has fallen largely under Russia’s sphere of influence. However, China has had its eye on the region in recent years and is increasing efforts to dominate the land mass as part of its narrative of rebuilding its historic glory as the “Middle Kingdom”.

(Analysis) The rise of Private Military Companies in Modern Conflict

Long have the Private Military Companies (PMCs) lurked in the shadow of the modern conflict; the recent Russo-Ukraine war pushed them to light. This article argues that Wagner is not an exceptional case of a PMC that fully engaged in conventional warfare, but rather a part of the overall trend of the privatization of security on the global level. This article will further examine what conditions contribute to this trend, and how they will affect the nature of future conflicts.

Let’s Tune In To The EU’s Periphery: Croatia, Potentially EU’s Latest Political Crisis

Croatian President Milanović threatens to violate the national constitution and run for Prime Minister, yet refuse to step down as President. He also dismisses the Constitutional Court ruling telling him it is unconstitutional and effectively bans him from running without stepping down as President by calling the decision irrelevant.

(Analysis) Finland Finds its Footing in NATO

Finland has long pursued neutrality as the order of the day. This has been done especially considering its neighbor Russia. Now that it is a new NATO member, it faces a large number of challenges.

When The Besieged Becomes The Besieger: How Destroying Gaza Could Backfire And Jeopardize Israel’s Foreign Relations

Israel spent the last fifty years working to normalize regional relations and alleviate the innate tension around the birth of the Israeli State. But now, just as Netanyahu’s government is conducting the most aggressive military operation in Gaza, the web of regional relations built so laboriously is starting to tremble. How are Israel’s foreign relations being shaped by its approach to this conflict?