foreign policy

For decades, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has openly vowed to thwart Iran’s nuclear ambitions by any means necessary. Those long-held threats culminated this week in “Operation Rising Lion,” a series of coordinated airstrikes against Iranian military and nuclear infrastructure. While Netanyahu’s carefully cultivated reputation as “Mr. Security” may have compelled him to pull the trigger, the strikes carry profound strategic, diplomatic, and domestic risks. As rescuers sift through the rubble in Tehran and world leaders scramble for a response, the true costs of confronting Iran head-on are only beginning to surface.

In December of the previous year, South Korea was thrust into a political maelstrom when President Yoon Suk-yeol declared martial law in the wake of widespread protests. The decision, intended to quell escalating demonstrations over government policies and economic discontent, backfired spectacularly. Lawmakers from the Democratic Party and other opposition factions filed impeachment articles against Yoon, arguing that the extraordinary measure infringed on constitutional rights and threatened democratic norms. The Constitutional Court upheld the impeachment in April, marking only the second time in South Korea’s history that a sitting president was removed from office.

The Australian government has sharply criticised US President Donald Trump’s decision to double import duties on steel and aluminium from 25% to 50%, effective from June 4. Australia’s Minister for Trade, Don Farrell, described the move as “unjustified and not the act of a friend,” calling it “an act of economic self-harm” that will hurt consumers and businesses on both sides of the Pacific. Although Australia exports relatively little steel and aluminium to the United States—approximately 2.5% of US aluminium imports by volume come from Australia—Australia’s trade minister says Canberra will continue to press Washington to remove the tariffs.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is set to meet with US President Donald Trump in a high-stakes White House summit on Thursday, aiming to present herself as a potential mediator between Brussels and Washington amid rising transatlantic trade tensions.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has issued a stark warning against global protectionism, declaring that “trade wars and tariff wars produce no winners” as he began a three-country diplomatic tour in Southeast Asia aimed at countering the economic pressure of US tariffs.

A High-Profile Exchange with Diplomatic Implications In a significant development in US-Russian relations, dual Russian-American citizen Ksenia Karelina has been released from Russian custody as part of a prisoner swap with the United States. Karelina had been serving a 12-year prison sentence in Russia after being convicted of treason for donating a modest sum to a US-based charity supporting humanitarian efforts in Ukraine. Her release was exchanged for Arthur Petrov, a German-Russian citizen accused by the US of illegally exporting sensitive microelectronics to Russia.

The South African ambassador to the United States, Ebrahim Rasool, returned to a jubilant reception in Cape Town on Sunday following his abrupt expulsion by the administration of US President Donald Trump. A lively crowd of supporters filled the arrivals area at Cape Town International Airport, applauding and chanting as the ambassador and his wife, Rosieda, made their way through the terminal under police escort.

Greens leader Adam Bandt has called on the Australian government to abandon the AUKUS pact with the United States, arguing that the recent imposition of steel and aluminium tariffs by President Donald Trump should serve as a wake-up call. Bandt warned that tying Australia’s fate to Trump’s unpredictable policies puts the country at risk, potentially jeopardising billions of dollars allocated to Australia’s new nuclear submarine program.