What We Cover in This ePublication

Our e-magazine, Fair Observer Monthly, enables you to take stock of our ever-changing world one month at a time. We compile 15 of our best original articles from the past month for you. In keeping with our ethos, we bring you insights from diverse voices around the world on a multitude of subjects. Our goal is to give our FO° Community a snapshot of the past month. The perspectives in our monthly will inform and educate you. They will take you away from echo chambers, and you will disagree with some. For the discerning reader, Fair Observer Monthly is a good way to make sense of the world at a time of polarization, sensationalism and fake news. So, download our monthly now.

The May Fair Observer Monthly examines a world experiencing profound geopolitical and strategic change. Great-power relations take center stage, with China expert David Mahon analyzing both the recent summits in Beijing. Both US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin visited China in quick succession. While the Trump–Xi summit was marked by symbolic gestures and a cautious, transactional approach, the Putin–Xi summit showcased a deepening strategic partnership and diplomatic discipline between Russia and China. 

Other issues also come under scrutiny in the monthly. War correspondent and investigative journalist Hollie McKay investigates Egypt’s contradictory role in Sudan. Former Afghanistan ambassador Ashraf Haidari assesses the challenges facing Pakistani mediation efforts between the US and Iran. Editor-in-Chief Atul Singh highlights Guyana’s growing strategic importance for the US under the new Donroe Doctrine for Latin America. All three articles reflect the emergence of new geopolitical focal points beyond the traditional centers of power.

The monthly also highlights other key issues. Mexican political theorist Maciej Bazela argues that today’s world is best understood as one of fragmented interdependence, where states remain economically connected while increasingly pursuing divergent political and strategic goals. In a separate piece, he examines Greenland’s rising importance as climate change and resource competition reshape Arctic geopolitics. 

Colombian international relations and policy professionals Germán Peinado Delgado and Glenn Ojeda Vega explore South America’s conservative turn and its implications for the recent Colombian election. Damla Güçlü, the Turkish Cypriot Representative in Washington, DC, argues that stability in Northern Cyprus carries significance far beyond the island. Also, Contributing Editor Anton Schauble’s reflection on Pope Leo XIV examines how the new pontiff balances continuity and change as the successor to Pope Francis.

Social, cultural, technological and economic challenges

The collection also explores social, cultural and technological change. Indian student Ira Tanwani critiques overly regimented educational systems that encourage resistance rather than genuine learning, while Mark Cummings, a Silicon Valley technologist, addresses the challenge of helping younger generations understand artificial intelligence and its implications. Resident sociologist Ellis Cashmore examines the rarity of female assassins to explore broader questions about gender and political violence. Professor of European intellectual history Elliot Neaman challenges the allure of conspiracy theories in the context of the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, arguing that they ultimately weaken serious political discourse.

Rounding out the month, Japanese economist Masaaki Yoshimori examines how access to US dollar liquidity is evolving from an emergency financial tool into a strategic lever of influence, using the United Arab Emirates as a case study. His analysis illustrates how financial architecture increasingly shapes geopolitical alignments and national decision-making, underscoring the growing intersection between economics and security in global affairs.

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Content of Publication

Greenland and the New Frontier of Eco-Geopolitics – Maciej Bazela

Staged? Why Conspiracy Theories Are Stupid, but Also Bad Politics – Elliot Neaman

Where Are the Female Assassins? – Ellis Cashmore

From Emergency Lifelines to Strategic Levers: Dollar Liquidity and the UAE Pivot – Masaaki Yoshimori

After Pope Francis, Pope Leo XIV Combines Continuity With Change – Anton Schauble

Incompatible Clocks: Why US–Iran Talks Challenge Pakistan’s Mediation – Ashraf Haidari

How to Talk to Young People About AI – Mark Cummings

Regimentation in Education: Stricter the School, Sneakier the Child – Ira Tanwani

Cyprus at a Crossroads: Why Stability in Northern Cyprus Matters Now More Than Ever – Damla Güçlü

South America Has Tilted Right. Will Colombia Follow? – German Peinado Delgado, Glenn Ojeda Vega

Donroe Doctrine Makes Guyana Key for US Latin America Policy – Atul Singh

Xi-Trump Summit in Beijing Was Great Theater, Little Substance – David Mahon

Putin–Xi Summit Was an Exercise in Diplomatic Discipline and Strategic Alignment – David Mahon

Neither Fukuyama nor Huntington: The Age of Fragmented Interdependence – Maciej Bazela

Cairo’s Double Game: Egypt Arms a Sanctioned General While Playing Peacemaker – Hollie McKay