Caption
Samarkand, Uzbekistan, on April 10, 2025. (Getty Images)
Security Alliances
Security Alliances
Caption
(What Really Matters Logo)
Caption
Heads of state of the Organization of Turkic States are seen at the Heydar Aliyev Congress Center in Gabala, Azerbaijan, on October 7, 2025. (Getty Images)
Caption
A US flag and an Israeli flag in front of the US Consulate in Frankfurt, Germany, on January 16, 2026. (Getty Images)
Caption
President Donald Trump arrives at a signing ceremony with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in the State Dining Room of the White House on August 8, 2025. (Getty Images)
Caption
(Screenshot via YouTube)
Caption
President Donald Trump greets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Mar-a-Lago on December 28, 2025, in Palm Beach, Florida. (Getty Images)
Caption
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on December 2, 2025, in Dublin, Ireland. (Getty Images)
Caption
Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a meeting with Ukrainian officials headed by Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Rustem Umerov in Hallandale Beach, Florida, on November 30, 2025. (Getty Images)
Caption
(Screenshot via CNN)
Caption
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaks to workers during a visit to BAE Systems in Warton, Preston, on October 28, 2025. (Getty Images)
Caption
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping ahead of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit on September 1, 2025, in Tianjin, China. (Getty Images)
Caption
(Screenshot via YouTube)
Experts
Michael Doran
Senior Fellow and Director, Center for Peace and Security in the Middle East
Taro Hayashi
Japan Chair Fellow (Nonresident)
H.R. McMaster
Chair of the Advisory Board, Japan Chair
