Latest posts
No One Is Coming: Psychological Resilience as the True Power of Small Nations

This article is Part One of an eight-part series by Iliana Drakonis — a child of war, and later, a practitioner of it. Through this series, she unpacks both personal memory and professional experience to examine how nations and individuals endure under the weight of conflict. Her reflections bridge the emotional and the analytical, offering…
China’s Fishing Flotillas as Paramilitary Economic Warfare

In the darkness of the eastern Pacific, a floating city of light drifts beyond Ecuador’s territorial waters. Hundreds of Chinese fishing vessels illuminate the horizon, their floodlights cutting through the night while satellite transponders flicker off one by one. To the untrained eye, this looks like ordinary commerce. To regional navies and maritime analysts, it…
What Large States Can Learn from Small States’ Total Defense Strategies

When Size Stops Being an Advantage Large nations often assume that sheer volume ensures survival. They trust in their populations, economies, and geographic depth to absorb shocks. Yet the last decade has demonstrated that abundance can conceal fragility. Critical systems fail not from external invasion but from slow corrosion of coordination and trust. Small states…
Political Will: The Secret Weapon in Great-Power Competition

The Fear That Governs Action Nuclear weapons define the outer boundary of great-power conflict, but it is not the warhead that decides whether a fighter jet is shot down or a convoy is struck. It is a matter of political will — the readiness of leaders, parliaments, and alliances to bear the risks of escalation.…
Irregular Warfare in the Arctic: Why the High North Matters

The Arctic was once dismissed as a frozen frontier. For centuries, thick ice and harsh conditions kept the region isolated from global competition. That insulation is disappearing. Climate change has reduced sea ice cover, making the High North more accessible than ever before. New shipping routes such as the Northern Sea Route along Russia’s Siberian…
Introducing “The Resistance Hub” Podcast—Now Streaming on Spotify

We launched The Resistance Hub Podcast on Spotify to make the art and theory of resistance accessible to everyone. Too often, these conversations are by elites, for elites. While policy-facing content is important, our brand is designed for everyday people — those who need to understand how these forces shape their lives. With 39 episodes…
Deceived and Deployed: How Russia Lures Foreign Nationals Into Its War in Ukraine

The War That Found Them Russia is drawing foreign nationals from Asia, Africa, and Latin America into its war in Ukraine under false pretenses. They arrive believing they have secured legitimate jobs, university placements, or fast-track residency opportunities. Within days, or in some cases, mere hours, they find themselves on a battlefield they never agreed…

