A Moment of Strategic Choice: U.S. Policy in a Post-Maduro Hemisphere

Juan Luis Manfredi Sánchez: The New World Order

Venezuela’s Hybrid Criminal Networks and U.S. Regional Strategy

Should Regime Change be Reconsidered as a Strategic Option?

Women and the Path for Peace in Africa: DR Congo

Promoting Evidence-based Policy and Good Governance

Defense & Security, Americas

Feb 12 , 2026

Policy Brief

A Moment of Strategic Choice: U.S. Policy in a Post-Maduro Hemisphere

The capture of Nicolás Maduro on January 3, 2026 marks a strategic inflection point for the United States and the first real stress test of the 2025 National Security Strategy (NSS) in the Western Hemisphere. More than the apprehension of a leader, Maduro’s removal forces Washington to reconcile competing strategic

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Defense & Security, Americas

Feb 6 , 2026

Podcast

Juan Luis Manfredi Sánchez: The New World Order

Juan Luis Manfredi Sánchez

In this episode, host Marta Furlan talks with Juan Luis Manfredi Sánchez, reflecting on the new world order that is taking shape under President Donald Trump. Manfredi Sánchez talks about the end of the liberal order and a return to “areas of influence”. He goes on to note that the

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Crime & Justice, Transnational Crime, Americas

Feb 4 , 2026

Policy Brief

Venezuela’s Hybrid Criminal Networks and U.S. Regional Strategy

Jackie Ducharme

Editor’s Note: This policy brief is Part I of an Orion Policy Institute (OPI) Transnational Crime Project (OPI-TCP) series and culminating report examining Venezuela’s transnational criminal networks, their regional security implications, and the evolving U.S. policy response. For years, U.S. policy toward Venezuela has fluctuated between sanctions, diplomacy, and public

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Defense & Security, Americas, Middle East

Feb 2 , 2026

Policy Brief

Should Regime Change be Reconsidered as a Strategic Option?

Colin Pascal

Hard experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan made the United States reticent to ever pursue regime change. These conflicts instilled a useful humility about the limitations of American power, but also an unproductive self-doubt about America’s ability to manage post-conflict governance. This lack of confidence is shaping American behavior, encouraging the

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Democracy & Human Rights, Africa

Jan 27 , 2026

Research

Women and the Path for Peace in Africa: DR Congo

Ayse Ergene, Virginia Buffum

This research article draws on in-depth interviews with Dr. Susanne Alldén, who is a senior lecturer in Peace and Development Studies at Linnaeus University in Sweden and has extensive field experience in conflict-affected regions, particularly in central and western Africa. She has also led and managed stabilization, peacebuilding, and gender

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Defense & Security, Terrorism & Extremism, Middle East

Jan 23 , 2026

Expert Panel

Syria at a Turning Point: Power Shifts, Actors, and U.S. Policy

Colin P. Clarke, Caroline Rose, Suleyman Ozeren

In this Expert Panel Series, three prominent subject-matter experts assess recent developments in Syria, including the ceasefire and integration agreement transferring control of Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor from the SDF to the Syrian government. We posed three questions to Colin Clarke, Caroline Rose, and Suleyman Ozeren to evaluate shifts in

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Cyber Security & Info Technologies

Jan 17 , 2026

Policy Brief

Post-Quantum Cryptography: An Urgent Need for AI Infrastructure

Suleyman Demirci, Sevde Nihan Demirci

Post-quantum cryptography is typically framed as a problem in quantum computing. It is something to address once fault-tolerant machines arrive. So, this framing is still incomplete. Every scaled AI system today depends on encrypted data pipelines, protected model weights, and secure inference infrastructure. The cryptographic standards protecting that infrastructure are

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Defense & Security, Americas

Jan 15 , 2026

Op-Ed

Will Cuba be the Next After Maduro?

Imdat Oner

President Donald Trump has started to frame U.S. policy in Latin America through a tougher reading of the Monroe Doctrine. Some observers call this the “Donroe Doctrine,” reflecting his view that the Western Hemisphere is a region where Washington should assert control and limit the influence of hostile governments. In

Suleyman Demirci, Sevde Nihan Demirci

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Defense & Security, Africa

Jan 13 , 2026

Policy Brief

Israel’s Recognition of Somaliland: Strategic Logic and Regional Implications

Federico Donelli

Rather than an isolated diplomatic gesture, Israel’s decision to formally recognise the Republic of Somaliland constitutes a deliberate strategic intervention in the Horn of Africa. By extending recognition to a de facto sovereign entity that is not officially recognised, Israel has challenged long-standing international norms governing statehood, territorial integrity, and

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