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DIPLOMACY AND GLOBAL GOVERNANCE

Amid increasing global fragmentation and the deterioration of multilateral cooperation, there is growing skepticism about the current structures of global governance. International decision-making bodies are deadlocked, norms and laws are being eroded, and traditional aid and development models are under pressure from funding cuts. At the same time, emerging powers are increasingly challenging the status quo. Global South-led institutions like BRICS+ are exerting growing influence in international politics, and minilateral frameworks are gaining traction, signaling a multipolar shift. Additionally, emerging frontiers in AI, space exploration, and digital governance are pushing the boundaries of existing systems. Fiker Institute’s Diplomacy & Global Governance Program aims to propose alternative models for multilateral cooperation and to advance policy recommendations on effective reform strategies. How can existing institutions be rethought and adapted, and how can global leadership become more inclusive, credible, and representative?
From the Arctic to the Gulf: The Contested Geopolitics of Chokepoints
Commentary

From the Arctic to the Gulf: The Contested Geopolitics of Chokepoints

Chokepoints have become an increasingly important topic in international affairs discourse. Edward Fishman wrote recently about financial and economic chokepoints and how oil pricing mechanisms, tanker fleets, and maritime insurance markets enable the United States (US) and other actors to target major petro-states like Russia and Iran. However, as recent events have demonstrated, shadow fleets […]

Klaus Dodds
The Gulf’s Bargaining Dilemma in the Next Phase of the War
Commentary

The Gulf’s Bargaining Dilemma in the Next Phase of the War

A shift in the Gulf’s narrative from crisis diplomacy to postwar bargaining is beginning to take shape. The next phase of the Iran War is currently being negotiated through a US-Iran coercive bargain, in which military and economic pressures are exchanged for reciprocal concessions to suspend hostilities, rather than a comprehensive peace settlement which could […]

Dr Khalid Al-Jufairi
Washington vs. The Hague: Examining US-ICC Tensions
Explainers

Washington vs. The Hague: Examining US-ICC Tensions

Soon after reentering office, President Donald Trump announced a renewed policy of sanctioning International Criminal Court (ICC) officials. Employing the considerable extraterritorial powers of the United States (US), Washington initially targeted individual Court officials and supporters before further escalating by sanctioning the ICC as an institution. This is part of an explicit policy to “dismantle” […]

Dr Kyle Reed
Reforming the League of Arab States
Essays

Reforming the League of Arab States

INTRODUCTION The Arab region has experienced decades of political unrest, which is likely to persist; however, recent developments are indicative of the onset of a new regional order. Armed conflicts, shifting alliances, external interventions, and the increasing assertiveness of regional powers have produced a fragmented political order in which authority is dispersed among various state […]

Fadi Hachem
A Decade of Brexit: Where Does the UK Stand Today?
Commentary

A Decade of Brexit: Where Does the UK Stand Today?

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s comment at the Labour Party conference that the United Kingdom (UK) should consider options when it comes to its European Union (EU) ties, including rejoining the group, has ignited a debate that will be hard to shut down. Why did he make such a comment, and what are the options […]

Anand Menon
Beyond Polarity: The Middle East’s Emerging Strategic Alignments
Reports

Beyond Polarity: The Middle East’s Emerging Strategic Alignments

Amid the shifting strategic landscape of the Middle East and the changing relationships shaping the region, Fiker Institute hosted Dr Lina Khatib, scholar of Middle Eastern geopolitics and security, Visiting Scholar at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Middle East Initiative, and Chatham House Associate Fellow, to discuss the implications of these pivots for regional security, diplomacy, […]