Category Archives: International Relations

White Paper: Infantas as Brides in European Royal Diplomacy—and Whether the Alliances Held

Posted on December 16, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive summary From the late medieval period through the 18th century, the daughters of Iberian monarchs—infantas of Spain (and similarly in Portugal)—were among Europe’s most valuable diplomatic assets. Their marriages were not primarily “romantic unions,” but instruments designed to (1) … Continue reading →

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White Paper: Darfur: A Social and Political History from Regional Polity to Humanitarian Catastrophe

Posted on December 15, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary Darfur, a region in western Sudan roughly the size of France, has a long and complex social and political history that predates colonial boundaries and modern nation-states. Far from being an inherently violent or stateless zone, Darfur was … Continue reading →

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Egypt’s Repeated Efforts to Project Power into the Levant during the Third Intermediate Period (c. 1069–664 BCE): A Biblicist White Paper

Posted on December 14, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary The Third Intermediate Period (TIP) marks Egypt’s transition from New Kingdom imperial dominance to a fractured landscape of Libyan dynasties, rival priesthoods, and regional strongmen. Modern historiography often emphasizes decline and disunity. The biblical record, however, fills in … Continue reading →

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White Paper: Strategic Depth and Fragile Unity: Managing the Tensions Between Territorial Expansion and Internal Cohesion

Posted on December 11, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary States have long sought strategic depth—the acquisition or consolidation of geographic space that provides military buffer zones, control of transportation corridors, and protection of core population centers. Yet this expansion often incorporates peripheral regions with weak historical integration … Continue reading →

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The North Sea Empire in the Early Eleventh Century: A White Paper on Its Military, Political, and Economic History

Posted on December 2, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary The early eleventh-century North Sea Empire—principally associated with King Cnut the Great (r. 1016–1035)—represented one of the most ambitious and short-lived thalassocratic unions of medieval Europe. Encompassing England, Denmark, Norway, and intermittent influence over Sweden and parts of … Continue reading →

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White Paper: The Prospects of Independence, International Recognition, and State Viability for Badakhshan

Posted on November 29, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary Badakhshan—specifically the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAR) of Tajikistan—is a culturally distinct, geographically remote, and politically sensitive region with intermittent tensions between local populations and the Tajik central government. This white paper evaluates the likelihood that Badakhshan could break … Continue reading →

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White Paper: A Potential Framework For A Peace Deal In Sudan

Posted on November 20, 2025 by nathanalbright

1. Executive Summary Sudan’s war between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) has become one of the world’s worst humanitarian catastrophes: more than 11–13 million people displaced and over 30 million in need of aid, … Continue reading →

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White Paper: Æthelred the Unready in Contrast: A Study of Reputation and Historical Record

Posted on November 11, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary This white paper examines how three Anglo-Saxon rulers—Edward the Martyr, Æthelred II (the Unready), and Edmund Ironside—were judged by history, and how their reputations evolved. While Edward’s brief reign became sanctified by martyrdom, Æthelred’s long reign was vilified … Continue reading →

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White Paper: The Abraham Accords: Core Terms, Current & Prospective Members, and Strategic Implications (as of November 8, 2025)

Posted on November 9, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive summary The Abraham Accords are a set of U.S.-mediated normalization arrangements launched in 2020 that pair a short Abraham Accords Declaration with country-specific bilateral normalization agreements with Israel. Initial signatories were the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain (September … Continue reading →

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White Paper: The Western Sahara Settlement and Moroccan Sovereignty: Implications for Global Conflicts

Posted on November 8, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary The Western Sahara file moved sharply in late 2025 when the UN Security Council renewed MINURSO and—for the first time—explicitly framed Morocco’s 2007 autonomy plan as the basis for talks, a position long backed by the U.S. and … Continue reading →

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