Alarm is growing at the prospect of the Taliban unseating the Kabul government, but that outcome is just one of three scenarios for Afghanistan’s future amid mounting military uncertainty and an unfolding human tragedy.

While Joe Biden’s first overseas presidential trip was to Europe, it is becoming clearer by the day that his administration’s foreign policy priority is the Asia-Pacific region and the rise of China.

The Asia Pacific Economic Council (APEC) held the first extraordinary leadership meeting in its history on Friday as the region recovers from the pandemic after the biggest economic and political shock since the Second World War. 

England’s third by-election in as many months took place last week, with another surprise result in a nation where politics have shown unprecedented volatility after a series of shocks from the 2016 Brexit referendum to the aftermath of the 2008-09 financial crisis.

Geneva is home to the European seat of the UN and the international headquarters of the Red Cross, yet its unofficial status as the world’s “peace capital” may not be borne out by Joe Biden’s big summit with Vladimir Putin on Wednesday.

Western leaders, including US President Joe Biden, are making final preparations for this month’s face-to-face NATO leadership summit in Brussels, which will see a reset after the military alliance came under the greatest strain in its history during Donald Trump’s presidency.

While the G7 was originally conceived in the 1970s to monitor developments in the world economy, this year’s UK-hosted events are showcasing the body’s often under-appreciated importance as an international security linchpin.

While financial markets and many people in wealthy industrialised countries appear to believe that the pandemic is over, it is in fact accelerating globally and the worst may be yet to come, as the tragedy in India underlines.  

While the eyes of many environmentalists across the world are already focused on November’s COP26 summit in Glasgow, this week’s US-hosted climate conference is also vital in this most important year for global warming diplomacy since 2015.