Qassim Suleimani, the recently slain Iranian general, was named head of Iran's elite, paramilitary Quds Force in the late 1990s. Suleimani then became widely known for expanding his country's regional influence by bolstering (mainly) Shiite proxy forces around the Middle East to counter US, Saudi, and Israeli influence. Here's a look at militias and proxies in the region that are now broadly aligned with Iran.
Three years into the war in Ukraine, what does the future of European security look like without the United States? That’s the question European leaders and NATO officials at this year's Munich Security Conference asked themselves after announcing a 90-minute phone call between President Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin and a blistering speech from Vice President JD Vance criticizing European allies. On GZERO World, Ian Bremmer spoke with US Senator Elissa Slotkin, a former CIA analyst and Pentagon official, in Munich about Europe’s security, the war in Ukraine, and America’s role in an increasingly multipolar world.
As expected, the conservative Christian Democratic Union and its sister party, the Christian Social Union, came out on top in Germany’s election on Sunday with 28.6% of the vote. But the biggest celebrations were held by those supporting the far-right Alternative for Germany, or AfD, which scored a second-place finish with 20.8%, doubling its share of the vote since the last election. It beat the centrist SPD’s 16.4% and the Greens’ 11.6%.
Israeli machinery maneuvers during an Israeli operation in Jenin, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, on Feb. 23, 2025.
The Israeli government says it won’t return 600 Palestinian prisoners until Hamas commits to halting the hostage “ceremonies.” Moving beyond phase one of the ceasefire is dependent upon their return.
Mimicking a tactic he used to slash the size of Twitter’s workforce, White House senior adviser Elon Musk has instructed all 2.3 million federal employees to list five things they “accomplished last week" by midnight Monday. Some departments are instructing their employees to ignore the request.
Pope Francis is seen here during Holy Week in April 2022.
Struck by “initial, mild kidney failure” and pneumonia in both lungs, the pontiff sought to soothe his faithful on Sunday morning with a message of gratitude for letters he had received.
After nearly two years of armed conflict, Sudan’s rebel Rapid Support Forces, or RSF, signed a charter with allied groups on Saturday to establish a “government of peace and unity” in territories now under their control.
Monday marks three years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, triggering Europe’s largest and deadliest war since World War II. GZERO looks at where things stand on the battlefield, the state of Western support, and who supports a negotiated settlement.
Can Europe go it alone in defending Ukraine? That’s the question European leaders and NATO officials across the continent are asking themselves following President Donald Trump’s 90-minute phone call with Vladimir Putin and rapid about-face in US-Russia relations. On Ian Explains, Ian Bremmer looks at European security amid the diplomatic shift in Washington.
Listen: Three years into the invasion of Ukraine, and amid the Trump administration’s rapid shift in US-Russia relations, can European and NATO allies continue to rely on the United States for support? On the GZERO World Podcast, Ian Bremmer is on the ground in Germany on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference for a hard look at the future of European security with US Senator Elissa Slotkin.