With President Vladimir Putin signing a law last week that could keep him in power until 2036, surpassing even Joseph Stalin’s tenure in office, Russia’s foreign policy is becoming emboldened again. 

The 10th anniversary of Fidel Castro’s resignation from the Cuban Communist Party’s central committee falls this month, at a time when the US Biden administration is under growing pressure from Congress to nail down its stance toward the socialist island state.

Following the deepest review of the UK’s foreign posture since the end of the Cold War, Prime Minister Boris Johnson this month launched a long-awaited, integrated international relations strategy.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is in the middle of a key six-country Middle East tour, but the eyes of the world are as much on the deepening geopolitical alliance between Beijing and Moscow, which warmed further last week.  

Joe Biden’s laser-like focus on domestic policy has yielded his first big win with a $1.9 trillion pandemic stimulus, but his presidency could yet be remembered more for its foreign policy legacy.   

Japan’s growing geopolitical importance will be showcased in the coming days, as the country helps convene a virtual Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) leaders’ meeting on Friday before hosting the US secretaries of state and defense on Monday.

The Scottish National Party (SNP) expects a triumph in May’s national elections, but internal feuds threaten not just this goal but also its aspiration for Scottish independence.

European presidents and prime ministers meet at the end of this week, with Friday’s discussion focused on international relations. Post-Brexit, the EU’s foreign policy is in flux in one important, but much overlooked, outcome of the UK’s withdrawal.