The Power Tables
Significant elections and changes in governments since December 1, 2023. Last updated May 25, 2026.
Latest
STRATEGIC TRAJECTORIES | Xi-Trump: Tactical Goals Met; Strategic Trajectory Unchanged
The overarching strategic US-PRC trajectory seems largely unchanged: the PRC in continued decline and the US in continued strategic consolidation. US allies are making separate plans to manage their strategic space to a greater degree.
Türkiye Aims to Control NGOs via the United Nations
Türkiye is attempting to control the global landscape of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) through the United Nations in order to exert coercive policies and pressure on countries within its sphere of influence and interest.
Geography: We Are Where We Are
Geography is patently a critical factor in strategic thinking, not just because of the physical limitations and possibilities it unveils, but because of the psychological impact of geography upon its inhabitants.
Key Transitions and Defense and Intelligence Appointments - 04/2026
Seizing Certainty: The Growing Japan-Australia Closeness
Diplomacy on the Brink in West Africa
Regional cooperation blocs are everywhere becoming less cohesive, but the disintegration of the West African pioneer, ECOWAS, has perhaps been the most significant.
Bougainville: Independence at Last?
Birthing a nation-state at a time when the old rules are less secure than they were.
A New Axis? Türkiye, Ukraine and Syria
In order to show that it favors the US strategy and to present itself as a factor of stability in the region, Türkiye is bringing Ukraine to Syria; that is, to a geographical area that Russia has traditionally used by maintaining bases in order to serve its interests in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Strategic Trends: We, the Imperialists!
We have abused the language and words of power. Our glib misuse of them hurts us and obscures the lessons of history at a time when we desperately need guidelines.
World War III: The Soft Launch
Everything is connected, and it’s starting to become clear with the US strategic operations.
CURRENT ESTIMATE | Has Trump Chosen to Fall on the Hills of the Zagros?
Did the US have no concrete follow-on plan to restore Iran as a stable ally of the US in the region, as it had been during the US Nixon Administration (1969-74)?
DIPLOMACY, ALLIANCES & TREATIES
EN CLAIR | The Return of Taiwan: How Beijing’s Collapsing Influence Opens the Door for Taipei
Taiwan could be poised to benefit from the declining fortunes of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to conceivably begin expanding once again the number of nations with which it has diplomatic relations.
PERSONNEL
Key Transitions and Defense and Intelligence Appointments - 03/2026
HISTORY
ESSENTIAL READING | Sending Youth to War: Lessons from 1940
DIPLOMACY, ALLIANCES & TREATIES
Alliance Fracture is Now Global
It’s not just NATO; it’s the SCO, BRICS, and the Quad. And what of the UN?
STRATEGY & INTELLIGENCE
Has the Post-Trump World Begun?
The US Trump Administration has possibly approached its zenith. So what’s next?
SECURITY, UNREST & WAR
Türkiye Now Seeks the West’s Protection
Decisions and actions related to the establishment of a Multinational Command as well as a NATO Army Corps Command in Türkiye have recently been made known.
GOVERNANCE & ELECTIONS
Britain’s Assault on Democracy
The Labour Government, essentially impotent other than having a massive majority in the House of Commons, has legislated governance changes which are fundamentally anti-democratic and mark the further corrosion of the concept of sovereignty as a cornerstone of global strategic architecture.
SECURITY, UNREST & WAR
Red Sea: Security Issue Surges as Ethiopian Situation Flares
Red Sea security suddenly went off the radar as far as the international community was concerned, but it is back and integrally related to the Persian Gulf crisis.
STRATEGY & INTELLIGENCE
The Balkans in the Changing World
The Balkan states are gaining in strategic importance, particularly Serbia.
STRATEGY & INTELLIGENCE
Beijing’s Intelligence Failure
Few things have shaken the leaders of the Communist Party of China (CCP) as much as the US/Israeli war against Iran.
STRATEGY & INTELLIGENCE
Transformation: the Eye of the Storm
Looking at the future from within the now-maturing maelstrom of trends and actions which are shaping the next strategic era and the probable new “rules-based world order”.
DIPLOMACY, ALLIANCES & TREATIES
STRATEGIC TRAJECTORIES | Does a “Sole Superpower” Need Allies?
Trump indicated that the US would soon leave the Iran region without guaranteeing any long-term US strategic necessities, like cutting off energy to the PRC, or gaining clear access to the markets of Central Asia. Trump failed to engage allies but insulted them nonetheless for not providing support.