Global Politics

On February 4, 2026, the New START Treaty — the last remaining legally binding nuclear arms control agreement between the United States and Russia — expired. No replacement was agreed, no extension signed. For the rst time since the early Cold War, neither Washington nor Moscow faces any legal ceiling on the size of their deployed nuclear arsenals. Experts warn that the loss of transparency mechanisms built into the treaty could accelerate miscalculation and mistrust between

In an extraordinary display of executive defiance, President Trump responded to a US Supreme Court ruling — which struck down his previous emergency tariffs as illegal — by immediately announcing new 15% global tariffs under a different legal provision of the 1974 Trade Act. Global stock markets dropped sharply as investors scrambled to reassess trade positions. The European Union halted ratification of a trade deal with the US; India postponed negotiations entirely. UNCTAD a

The world is holding its breath as one of the most volatile geopolitical standoffs in recent memory tightens. President Donald Trump has renewed explicit threats of military action against Iran, with reports conrming Washington would back Israeli strikes against Iran's ballistic missile programme if a nuclear agreement is not reached. Oil prices surged to a six-month high amid the escalating tensions and stalled nuclear negotiations. The UN Security Council met in emergency s

The 2026 Munich Security Conference delivered a stunning statement to the world: the era of unquestioned American leadership in global affairs is over — at least for now. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz stood before world leaders and openly challenged the United States' unpredictable foreign policy, warning of the dangers of unilateralism. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney went further, calling on nations to build an entirely new global architecture less dependent on any s

The buffer zone is gone. The instability in the Sahel is no longer a "neighbor's problem." The Threat: With Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso exiting ECOWAS to form their own alliance, intelligence sharing has collapsed. Jihadist groups in southern Burkina Faso are increasingly moving freely. The porous nature of our northern border makes containment difficult. THE GHANA ANGLE: DEVELOPMENT AS DEFENSE You cannot fight ideology with just guns. The recruitment tool for these grou

The New START Treaty has expired. The last legal barrier stopping a full-scale nuclear arms race is gone. The Context: For decades, the US and Russia allowed inspections of each other's nuclear silos. That trust is dead. With the treaty's expiration this month, both nations can now build frequent, uncapped arsenals without oversight. The geopolitical temperature has dropped to freezing. Global defense spending is skyrocketing as smaller nations realize the "Big Powers" are no

The single currency dream has been deferred again. And frankly, we should be relieved. The Delay: ECOWAS has officially admitted that the 2027 target for the "Eco" currency is unrealistic. The convergence criteria (inflation rates, deficit limits) have not been met by the heavyweight economies, including Nigeria and Ghana. The political fracture with the Sahel states (Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger) makes a unified monetary policy nearly impossible. THE GHANA ANGLE: FIX THE HOM

Farmer holding cocoa pods (thoughtful expression) While Ghanaians were focused on local fuel price hikes, a quiet policy shift in Washington, D.C. last week may have just made our economic problems worse. The Trump administration has officially begun rolling back key greenhouse gas regulations, signaling America’s withdrawal from global climate consensus—again. For a cocoa-dependent economy like Ghana’s, this isn’t just an environmental story. It’s an economic survival story.

The 39th African Union Summit convenes in Addis Ababa this weekend (February 14-15, 2026), but there’s an uninvited guest dominating the conversation: former US President Donald Trump’s return to power and his anticipated shift in America’s approach to the continent. While the official theme is “Assuring Sustainable Water Availability and Safe Sanitation Systems,” diplomats and heads of state are privately consumed by a more pressing question: What happens when Washington rep

Accra, Ghana  – In a move that brilliantly converts online mockery into cultural capital, the Government of Ghana has officially designated every Wednesday as "Fugu Day." The decision comes just days after a spirited social media debate between Ghanaians and Zambians. The online "banter" began when President John Dramani Mahama wore the traditional northern smock during a state visit to Lusaka. Some Zambian netizens playfully mocked the garment, referring to it as a "blouse,"

Accra, Ghana  – President John Dramani Mahama has convened an urgent Cabinet meeting today, Wednesday, February 11, 2026, to tackle the escalating crisis in Ghana’s cocoa sector. The high-level summons follows a wave of agitation from farmers over delayed payments and warnings from industry players that the financing model is near collapse. Minister of State in charge of Government Communications, Felix Kwakye Ofosu, confirmed the meeting, which aims to find immediate solutio

A second-year student at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has died following a fall from his hostel building on Sunday evening. Ransford Amankwah Asomani, a level 200 student pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Agribusiness Management, fell from the storey-building hostel located at Ayeduase, outside the main university campus, on February 8, 2026. Emergency Response Fellow students, with assistance from a police patrol team, immediately tra

Civil society organization OccupyGhana has intensified its campaign to make vote buying in political party internal elections a criminal offense, warning that the practice threatens Ghana's democratic integrity from its foundation. In a letter dated February 9, 2026, addressed to key government and parliamentary officials, the advocacy group argued that the absence of explicit criminal sanctions for vote buying within party primaries has created a dangerous loophole in Ghana'

Ghanaian social media personality Frederick Kumi has filed a constitutional challenge against multiple government agencies over his December 2025 arrest, alleging violations of his fundamental human rights during detention and interrogation. The applicant, widely known on Snapchat as "Abu Trica," submitted the lawsuit through his legal counsel at the Human Rights Division of the High Court, targeting the Minister of the Interior, the Narcotics Control Commission, the U.S. Fed

The European Union  has taken the unprecedented step of adding Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)  to its official terrorist list, marking a significant escalation in the West's response to Tehran's violent suppression of recent protests that human rights groups say killed thousands of demonstrators. The decision, announced on Thursday, January 29, 2026, places the IRGC—a powerful military, economic, and political force that controls much of Iran's state apparatu

US President Donald Trump  asserted on Friday, January 30, 2026, that Iran wants to negotiate an agreement rather than face American military action, even as Tehran insists its missile defense systems are non-negotiable and rejects accusations about its nuclear ambitions. The competing narratives emerge against a backdrop of escalating tensions, with a large US naval fleet positioned near Iranian waters and diplomatic efforts intensifying to prevent potential military confron

Iran's highest authority issued a stark warning on Sunday, February 1, 2026, declaring that any American military action against the Islamic Republic would trigger a broader regional conflict, as tensions escalate between Tehran and Washington amid a significant US naval buildup in nearby waters. The warning from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei , Iran's supreme leader, comes even as both sides claim to be engaged in diplomatic discussions aimed at resolving disputes over Iran's nuclea

A wave of Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip  killed at least 32 Palestinians on Saturday, January 31, 2026, in what residents describe as the heaviest bombardment since the second phase of a US-brokered ceasefire took effect earlier this month. The strikes have reignited tensions over ceasefire compliance and raised questions about the viability of the fragile truce negotiated by US President Donald Trump  last October. Local authorities report that children and women

Kennedy Agyapong , a businessman and former Member of Parliament for Assin Central, has conceded defeat in the New Patriotic Party (NPP)  presidential primary, urging his supporters to respect the delegates' will and rally behind the party's chosen candidate. The gracious concession, delivered on Saturday, January 31, 2026, ahead of official results, demonstrates democratic maturity and sets a tone for party reconciliation following the competitive internal election. Agyapong

Imagine living in your own home, wearing a winter coat, hat, and resting your feet on a pot of hot water just to keep from freezing. That's the harsh reality facing millions of Ukrainians as temperatures prepare to plummet below -20°C  this weekend—and a much-hyped "energy truce" from Russia offers little relief. Yulia Hailunas  doesn't complain much about the electricity cuts anymore. After months of Russian airstrikes targeting Ukraine's power infrastructure, she's learned