This article was written by Lynn Dascha Engelhardt, Policy Fellow 24-25, and originally appeared in Reaction.

“The US has long dominated Big Tech, reinforcing the expectation that AI supremacy would soon follow, driven by industry giants like NVIDIA and OpenAI. But with China’s DeepSeek entering the scene in January, that assumption has been challenged. The race for AI supremacy is now wide open. DeepSeek has exposed how fragile the US lead really is and how much is at stake: this is not just about tech dominance, but control over information itself.”

This article was written by James Abrahams, Policy Fellow 24-25, and originally appeared in Modern Diplomacy.

“If the administration continues to be blind to the soft power implications of DOGE and the risks it poses to national security, American power will continue to diminish, and the US will be more vulnerable than ever in the face of a growing Chinese threat. The rhetoric of the administration’s China hawks will, therefore, ring increasingly hollow.”

This article was written by Jacob Gibson, Policy Fellow 24-25, and originally appeared in Modern Diplomacy.

“Somebody wrote that a myth is like an air mattress: there’s nothing in it, but it’s wonderfully comfortable, and deflation causes an uncomfortable jolt. My purpose today is to give you that jolt.

Milton Friedman spoke these words regarding economics and politics. Yet they ring just as true in the Middle East where myths abound with real costs. Israeli politician Avigdor Lieberman outlined in 2006 three common false assumptions: that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the main cause of instability in the Middle East; that the conflict is territorial and not ideological; and that the establishment of a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders will end the conflict. These views are not only misguided but damaging. They prevent a realistic understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Middle East and obscure the solutions needed to bring about real improvements in the region.”

This article was written by Sophie Seitler, Policy Fellow 24-25, and originally appeared in Modern Diplomacy.

“Female leaders in MENA have historically approached power through negotiation and coalition-building. These qualities enabled women like Shajar al-Durr and Meir to thrive in male-dominated political arenas. Dispensing with combative tactics serves as a powerful reminder of the impact that female diplomacy can have on conflict resolution and peacebuilding.”

This article was written by Sophia Lieuw-Kie-Song, Policy Fellow 24-25, and originally appeared in Modern Diplomacy.

“Trump’s America First attitude won the votes of millions of Americans, but it will do him no favours when dealing with Beijing. Instead, President Trump should revisit the tactics he used in his previous career as a real-estate developer and businessman. A deal-making attitude would promote a united Western front to combat China’s growing influence around the world and prevent the opportunity for the nation to take the US’ place in international organisations and initiatives.”

This article was written by Charles Aldous, Policy Fellow 24-25, and originally appeared in Reaction.

“The UAE’s success shows that Britain needs to adopt a less complicated and punishing tax structure in order to secure international investment in businesses and equity markets. In an interconnected financial world, the British government’s talk of taking tough decisions and raising inheritance tax on businesses is not conducive to securing international capital.”

This article was written by Ava Grainger-Williams, Policy Fellow 24-25, and originally appeared in Modern Diplomacy.

“As global competition in the Arctic heats up, Greenland’s future is more important than ever. However, it should be decided by its people, not foreign powers.

While American acquisition may seem strategically appealing, it fundamentally undermines Greenland’s right to self-determination. Under its 2009 Self-Government Act with Denmark, Greenland has the right to declare independence following a successful referendum — a goal recently reaffirmed by Prime Minister Múte Bourup Egede in his New Year’s address.”

This article was written by Gavriel Sacks, Policy Fellow 24-25, and originally appeared in the Times of Israel.

“Holocaust inversion – the practice of comparing Israeli policies to that of Nazi Germany – is one of the most harmful forms of contemporary antisemitism. Whilst Holocaust comparisons appear in many public discourses, their employment against the Jewish state is particularly dangerous. The deliberate misappropriation of an unparalleled historical trauma distorts our understanding of past and present, serves to delegitimize Israel, and trivializes the Holocaust. Amidst a dangerous rise in global antisemitism, these comparisons have become much more widespread, reflecting both traditional antisemitic tropes and newer forms of anti-Jewish hatred masked as ‘political criticism.’ “

This article was written by Eliana Wolfson, Policy Fellow 24-25, and originally appeared in Modern Diplomacy.

“After sitting out the 2020 election, Jill Stein emerged from hibernation this year to run once again as the presidential candidate for the American Green Party.

The real lesson of Jill Stein’s embarrassingly low support on an anti-Israel ticket is that Israel is not as salient an issue as media tend to suggest. Polling in the lead-up to the election suggested a majority of voters felt the US should be demanding a ceasefire, yet this sentiment does not seem to be reflected in their voting behaviour.”

This article was written by Ava Grainger-Williams, Policy Fellow 24-25, and originally appeared in Modern Diplomacy.

“In the intricate web of Middle Eastern politics, few rivalries are as fraught or consequential as the long-standing, ideologically charged standoff between the United States and Iran. The two nations hold conflicting strategic intentions, driven by distinct interests and ideologies, which continue to shape regional dynamics and conflicts. U.S. foreign policy toward Iran has shifted significantly over the years with each change in administration.”

This article was written by Lynn Dascha Engelhardt, Policy Fellow 24-25, and originally appeared , both online and in print, in the Jerusalem Post.

“In Germany, history, demographics, and the left-right political divide are colliding in unexpected ways as the conflict in the Middle East intensifies.

Growing Arab and Muslim communities and a more vocal segment of the political Left sympathetic to the Palestinian cause now share space with Germany’s deep-rooted responsibility to Israel. This shift has led to increasing tension, as the German government continues its staunch support for Israel, while public sentiment has become far more divided.”

This article was written by Sophia Lieuw-Kie-Song, Policy Fellow 24-25, and originally appeared in Europinion.

“The UK’s response to these unpredictable practices is the Online Safety Act (OSA). Passed in 2023, it broadens the scope for what is deemed inappropriate online content, lowering the threshold for removal to ‘harmful, but legal’ content.

The goal was to streamline platforms’ efforts to mitigate hate speech, but the new standard has already proven difficult to realise. The same exasperating difficulties in moderating online speech recur, and the OSA continues to give platforms too much freedom in regulating users’ speech, ultimately failing to protect them and effectively combat antisemitism.“

This article was written by Szymon Sawicki and Ewan Woods, part of our 2023 Cambridge University delegation to Israel, and originally appeared in The Jewish Chronicle.

“The need for well-informed, respectful voices on campus has never been greater. To win the generational battle of ideas, pro-Israel advocates must rise above provocations, holding themselves to the highest standards of patience, respect, and intellectual depth. Resorting to inflammatory tactics only mirrors the conduct of their opponents and undermines their cause.”

This article was written by Laura Butcher, Policy Fellow 2024-2025, and originally appeared in Jewish News.

“We must simultaneously challenge extremism and antisemitism, advocate for Israel, and create spaces for nuanced discussion. This requires resilience and strategy. We must build coalitions, engage with open-minded peers, and be unafraid to challenge bad-faith actors on all sides. This is our responsibility, and it is one we must embrace with seriousness and resolve.”

This article was written by Sophie Seitler, Policy Fellow 24-25, and originally appeared in Modern Diplomacy.

“The overlapping threat of hostile states and their terrorist allies were scoffed at in 2002 but reading between the lines of Bush’s speech lies the wise and trainset insights that must be repurposed. Bush’s warning worked to instil vigilance against the perilous threats of hostile states and their terrorist allies – a message now strikingly relevant given how Bidens ailing policies have emboldened Iran’s nuclear ambitions.”

This article was written by James Abrahams, Policy Fellow 24-25, and originally appeared in the Times of Israel.

“Israel can and should learn from MASHAV’s long history and take it seriously as a diplomatic tool – increasing its funding and integrating it into regional diplomatic strategies would be natural first steps. It may well be that the demonstration of who the Jewish people really are, the performance of Tikkun Olam, will be Israel’s diplomatic saving grace.”

This article was written by Noah Arazi, Policy Fellow 24-25, and originally appeared in ConservativeHome.

“The UK’s future relationship with the EU must not be driven by a political impulse. It must be a purely strategic relationship which seeks to stand up to the Russian threat. Furthermore, it should complement rather than undermine the pre-existing defensive relationships we already have with our NATO allies. The Foreign Secretary should not treat European integration as an inward-looking measure which seeks to realign us with the cliquey politics of the EU.”

This article was written by Charles Aldous, Policy Fellow 24-25, and originally appeared in the Times of Israel.

“As the Middle East succumbs to the ill effects of climate change, Israel is in the unique position that it can work with its Arab neighbors to improve regional water security. These actions would hopefully start a geopolitical reset.”

This article was written by Alexander McDermott, Policy Fellow 23-24, and originally appeared in Reaction.

"NATO’s failure to lend substantive political support – permitting the strongest possible attacks on Russian territory outside of occupied Ukraine – must be corrected immediately. Ukraine has just enough means to square up to Russia in the aerial domain. In fact, July was the first month when Ukraine fired more drones than Russia: Russia attacked with 426 Shahed-type drones, whille Ukraine responded with 520."