Diplomatic Note: Who could become the next UNSG? Part 2 Olga Nesterova April 26, 2026 – 1 min read Share this post Diplomatic Notes A Deal or a Pause? Inside the U.S.-Iran Agreement Ahead of the G7 By Olga Nesterova • 1 min read Diplomatic Notes Diplomatic Note: Carney in New York, BlackRock in Japan, and the Quiet Race for Capital By Olga Nesterova • 1 min read Diplomatic Notes NPT: Meetings Cancelled, Diplomacy Moves Behind Closed Doors By Olga Nesterova • 1 min read Daily Brief ONEST Brief: Foreign Troops in Lebanon, Türkiye-Saudi-Pakistan Military Pact, Ukraine’s Drones Beat U.S. Forces in Training The security architecture of the Middle East is shifting quickly. Israel and Lebanon are discussing foreign personnel to verify Hezbollah’s disarmament — but cannot yet agree on who would command them. Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are moving their new mutual-defense pact from political declaration toward actual military coordination. By Olga Nesterova • 7 min read BRI countries by region Deep Dive Follow China’s Money. A New Global Order Is Taking Shape. From ports and mines to railways, power grids, factories and critical minerals, mapping where China is investing, building and financing in 2026 — and what Beijing’s expanding footprint reveals about the global balance of power. By Olga Nesterova • 15 min read Explained North Korea Is No Longer Just Arming Russia. It Is Becoming Part of Russia’s War Machine. Watch this analysis on YouTube For much of the war in Ukraine, North Korea’s role could be described relatively simply: Pyongyang supplied weapons that Moscow needed. That description is becoming obsolete. North Korean artillery shells are feeding Russian guns. North Korean ballistic missiles are striking Ukraine. North Korean soldiers By Olga Nesterova • 8 min read Explained Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan Just Created a New Defense Bloc. What Does It Actually Mean? Saudi wealth, Pakistani nuclear weapons and NATO’s second-largest military are now connected by a mutual-defense pact — raising difficult questions for Israel, Iran, NATO and the United States. By Olga Nesterova • 10 min read Explained Is the “Graham Russia Sanctions Bill” Actually Sanctioning Russia? The Graham bill is being sold as a major new sanctions package against Moscow. It does sanction Russia. But some of its most powerful provisions target countries buying Russian energy — potentially with tariffs of up to 100% on their exports to the United States. By Olga Nesterova • 8 min read News Iran Names Its Price for Reopening Hormuz — And It Goes Far Beyond the Strait Tehran is demanding sanctions relief, frozen assets, war compensation and changes to U.S. regional policy. The fight over Hormuz is becoming a negotiation over the postwar balance of power in the Middle East. By Olga Nesterova • 5 min read
Diplomatic Notes A Deal or a Pause? Inside the U.S.-Iran Agreement Ahead of the G7 By Olga Nesterova • 1 min read
Diplomatic Notes Diplomatic Note: Carney in New York, BlackRock in Japan, and the Quiet Race for Capital By Olga Nesterova • 1 min read
Diplomatic Notes NPT: Meetings Cancelled, Diplomacy Moves Behind Closed Doors By Olga Nesterova • 1 min read
Daily Brief ONEST Brief: Foreign Troops in Lebanon, Türkiye-Saudi-Pakistan Military Pact, Ukraine’s Drones Beat U.S. Forces in Training The security architecture of the Middle East is shifting quickly. Israel and Lebanon are discussing foreign personnel to verify Hezbollah’s disarmament — but cannot yet agree on who would command them. Türkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan are moving their new mutual-defense pact from political declaration toward actual military coordination. By Olga Nesterova • 7 min read
BRI countries by region Deep Dive Follow China’s Money. A New Global Order Is Taking Shape. From ports and mines to railways, power grids, factories and critical minerals, mapping where China is investing, building and financing in 2026 — and what Beijing’s expanding footprint reveals about the global balance of power. By Olga Nesterova • 15 min read
Explained North Korea Is No Longer Just Arming Russia. It Is Becoming Part of Russia’s War Machine. Watch this analysis on YouTube For much of the war in Ukraine, North Korea’s role could be described relatively simply: Pyongyang supplied weapons that Moscow needed. That description is becoming obsolete. North Korean artillery shells are feeding Russian guns. North Korean ballistic missiles are striking Ukraine. North Korean soldiers By Olga Nesterova • 8 min read
Explained Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan Just Created a New Defense Bloc. What Does It Actually Mean? Saudi wealth, Pakistani nuclear weapons and NATO’s second-largest military are now connected by a mutual-defense pact — raising difficult questions for Israel, Iran, NATO and the United States. By Olga Nesterova • 10 min read
Explained Is the “Graham Russia Sanctions Bill” Actually Sanctioning Russia? The Graham bill is being sold as a major new sanctions package against Moscow. It does sanction Russia. But some of its most powerful provisions target countries buying Russian energy — potentially with tariffs of up to 100% on their exports to the United States. By Olga Nesterova • 8 min read
News Iran Names Its Price for Reopening Hormuz — And It Goes Far Beyond the Strait Tehran is demanding sanctions relief, frozen assets, war compensation and changes to U.S. regional policy. The fight over Hormuz is becoming a negotiation over the postwar balance of power in the Middle East. By Olga Nesterova • 5 min read
