President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden review the troops from the east steps of the U.S. Capitol during the inauguration on Jan. 20, 2021, in Washington.
(David Tulis/Pool Photo via AP)
From a global perspective, there was nothing unique about the recent raid on the U.S. Capitol. Both Republican and Democratic administrations have backed military coups around the world for decades.
Flexing new muscles: the head of Iran’s revolutionary guard, Hossein Salami, at inauguration of a new missile installation in the Persian Gulf.
SEPAHNEWS HANDOUT
Much will depend on Iran’s response to what it sees as Israeli and US provocation, including the November assassination of an Iranian nuclear scientist.
The president-elect is also likely to be less tolerant of Israel’s settlement expansion and the inroads Russia and Turkey have made into the Middle East.
Unlawful killing: the UN condemned the assassination of Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in 2020.
EPA-EFE/ Abedin Taherkenareh
Prime Minister Scott Morrison gave a carefully worded statement in response to questions of a prisoner swap. This kind of deal could bring criticism from Australia’s allies.
How Donald Trump is portrayed in Iran’s popular press.
EPA-EFE: Abedin Taherkenareh
A Trump election loss would suit NZ’s trade, climate and arms control foreign policies. But there will still be the problem of China.
Chinese outlets that once relayed cautious optimism over Donald Trump’s deal-making abilities now express exasperation over his chaotic style.
Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images
In 2016, America’s adversaries seemed to cheer electoral chaos and a withering faith in democracy. Now they seem to be hoping democracy can topple a leader they’ve grown loathe to deal with.
Armenia soldiers allegedly firing on Azeri forces during clashes over Nagorno-Karabakh.
Armenia Defence Ministry press handout/EPA
An 11th-century Persian philosopher, physician, pharmacologist, scientist and poet had a profound influence on both European thought and the Islamic world.
‘Beta testing’ of bold ideas is rare in foreign affairs, but the UAE and Bahrain have provided just such a test case for the Saudis in their own push to normalise relations with Israel.
Iran is becoming more secular.
Abedin Taherkenareh/EPA
Australian academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert has been detained in Iran since 2018. Her transfer to a notoriously brutal prison this week has pushed a fellow researcher to speak out.
Sophie Marineau, Université catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain)
The Covid-19 epidemic has given rise to an avalanche of fake news, and accounts managed by Russian interests lead the way. How does this misinformation work, and what are its aims?
Daily deaths from COVID-19 have rarely been below 600 in the U.S. since March.
Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images