Photo source: Hindustan Times By Naveed Qazi | Editor, Globe Upfront Sheikh Hasina’s victory in Bangladesh’s January 2024 general election marked her fifth consecutive term as Prime Minister, consolidating her position as one of South Asia’s longest‑serving leaders. The Awami League secured a majority in the Jatiya Sangsad, but the election was marred by controversy. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) boycotted the polls over the issue of a caretaker government, and international observers raised concerns about fairness. As BBC News reported, turnout was low at around 42 percent, and the absence of the main opposition cast doubt on the credibility of the process. Hasina’s dominance reflects both her political skill and her control over state institutions. Since 2009, she has overseen rapid economic growth and infrastructure development, but critics argue that her government has eroded democratic freedoms. The Guardian noted that opposition leaders have faced imprisonment and ...

  Photo source: Harper's Bazar By Naveed Qazi | Editor, Globe Upfront By joining NATO, Finland has abandoned a 75-year tradition of military neutrality. It is now in an agreement with the West against an increasingly isolated Russia. The announcement is undoubtedly a black eye for Russian President Vladimir Putin, as his neighbour takes a side. But US and European policymakers should not exaggerate what’s coming in the future. NATO expansion is not a panacea. It will neither resolve the war in Ukraine nor fix the more serious underlying problems of European defence. In an accession ceremony in April 2023, it allowed policymakers to take a victory lap. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, was in attendance to receive Finland’s accession documents. He noted that the alliance was now 'more united than ever' along with an offhanded remark saying that 'this is the one thing we can thank Mr. Putin for.' British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak went further, arguing that Finla...

  Photo source: CSIS By Naveed Qazi | Editor, Globe Upfront When Kosovo declared independence in 2008, it marked the beginning of diplomatic efforts by Serbia to dispute Kosovo’s statehood, leading Belgrade to establish unexpected partnerships with countries around the globe. Out of those efforts, and with the new agenda of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to extend its global outreach, came the partnership between Serbia and China. Fifteen years after the separation from Serbia, Kosovo finds that its independence is still a thing of interest – not only to the parties directly involved but also to great powers trying to cement their positions on the question of territorial integrity and sovereignty. The official position of Belgrade regarding Kosovo’s status, defined by United Nations Resolution 1244, is that Kosovo is not an independent country. The institutionalised process of dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina is led under the framework of the European Union and supported b...

  Photo source: Foreign Policy By Naveed Qazi | Editor, Globe Upfront Due to a wave of Houthi missile attacks in Red Sea, shipping companies are departing it in droves. In 2023, the Iran-backed Yemeni group has launched at least 100 missiles and drone attacks against a dozen ships in the Red Sea, according to US officials. They threatened to target all vessels heading toward Israel, whether they are Israeli-owned or operated.  To avoid suffering the same fate, major energy and shipping companies, including BP and Maersk, have halted their operations there. It has rattled the energy markets by driving up global oil prices and soon everything else. The Red Sea is what connects Asia to Europe, in terms of cargo ships, so disruptions are felt around the world. The Houthi attacks ‘have created worries for global freight markets, for the flows of energy commodities, other commodities, goods,’ said Richard Bronze, the head of geopolitics at Energy Aspects, a research firm, to Foreign...

  Photo source: Centre of Human Rights in Iran By Naveede Qazi | Editor, Globe Upfront Although the death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022 garnered headlines around the globe, the world would not have known her name had it not been for her killing at the hands of Iran’s morality police. Her death became the catalyst for the protest movement aptly named Woman, Life, Freedom, exposing the misogynist nature of the regime and its disregard for human life. The ensuing crackdown revealed the brutality of the state: thousands detained, hundreds killed, and countless others silenced. Even Amini’s family was not allowed to mourn her openly. Reports noted that her relatives faced intimidation and surveillance, and more recently, they were banned from travelling to Strasbourg to accept a prize on her behalf. This illustrates how the regime extends its repression beyond activists to grieving families, denying them dignity and freedom. The world has sought to express solidarity with the Iranian...

  Photo source: The Guardian By Naveed Qazi | Editor, Globe Upfront An estimated 225,000 migrants are presently stranded in Mexico, according to reporting by Associated Press, including people from Central America, the Caribbean, South America, Eastern Europe, South Asia and sub‑Saharan Africa, most waiting for an opportunity to cross into the United States. In 2023, Mexico received a record number of requests for refuge, a 31 per cent increase over 2022, as noted by Reuters. Although only a small share of migrants formally request refuge, which allows them to transit through the country without being detained by immigration authorities, this remains one of the few official statistics that illustrates the magnitude of people on the move. Asylum seekers facing backlogs from overwhelmed immigration authorities have grown desperate. In September 2023, dozens of migrants tried to force their way into a government facility, resulting in injuries, reported by El País. For many years, mig...

  Photo source: Voice of America By Naveed Qazi | Editor, Globe Upfront New Zealand’s international relations are going in a new direction. For this, Winston Peters, the new foreign minister, is already setting a change agenda. As expected, this includes a more pro-US positioning when it comes to the Pacific. Peters sought to align New Zealand more closely with the United States under his ‘Pacific Reset’ policy that he launched while serving as foreign minister under Jacinda Ardern’s Labour-New Zealand First coalition government from 2017-2020. Peters is wasting no time in getting back to serve a sort of candid foreign affairs. Just three days after being sworn in as a minister, he gave his first speech on foreign policy at the US Business Summit in Auckland in December 2023. He was lavish in his praise for the United States in his address, arguing that Washington had been ‘instrumental in the Pacific’s success.’ But he noted: ‘there is more to do and not a moment to lose. We will ...