Tag Archives: diplomacy

White Paper: Failure Modes When a Fragile State Holds a UN Security Council Seat: The Case of Somalia (2025–2026)

Posted on January 5, 2026 by nathanalbright

Executive summary Somalia’s election to a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council (UNSC) for the 1 January 2025–31 December 2026 term is a diplomatic milestone.  But the same conditions that make Somalia’s experience valuable—protracted conflict, high external dependence, contested … Continue reading →

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White Paper: Failure Modes Revealed by the Venezuela Escalation Narrative

Posted on January 4, 2026 by nathanalbright

Executive Framing Whether the events are fully real, partially real, or strategically misrepresented, the situation exposes multiple layered failure modes across information systems, legal regimes, executive restraint, alliance governance, and public epistemology. Crucially, these failures are orthogonal—they reinforce one another … Continue reading →

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White Paper: Legal Questions & Second-Order Effects of the U.S. Military Operation in Venezuela

Posted on January 3, 2026 by nathanalbright

January 3, 2026 edition This white paper analyzes the legal underpinnings and emerging second-order regional and global consequences resulting from the reported U.S. military action in Venezuela—specifically the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and assertions by Donald Trump that the … Continue reading →

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White Paper: The Analytical Value of Minor Powers: Why Comparative Analysis Must Include the Small, the Marginal, and the Overlooked

Posted on December 27, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary Historical, political, and institutional analysis has long privileged the goals and achievements of major powers—empires, great states, dominant institutions, and hegemonic actors. While such focus is understandable, it is analytically incomplete. This white paper argues that examining the … Continue reading →

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The Multiplication of Enemies: A White Paper on the Failures of German Diplomacy Leading to Defeat in World War I

Posted on December 26, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary This white paper argues that Germany’s defeat in World War I was not primarily the result of military incompetence, but rather the consequence of systemic diplomatic failure. German leadership repeatedly transformed limited strategic problems into existential conflicts by … Continue reading →

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White Paper: Governance Capabilities of the STC and Prospects for Diplomatic Recognition

Posted on December 20, 2025 by nathanalbright

1. Introduction Since 2017, the Southern Transitional Council (STC) has evolved from a protest movement channeling southern grievances into a de facto governing authority across much of southern Yemen, especially Aden and surrounding governorates. In December 2025 it moved rapidly … Continue reading →

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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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A Typology of Great Generals: A White Paper for Strategic Studied and Leadership Analysis

Posted on December 12, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary Military history reveals that “great generals” do not constitute a monolithic archetype. Their excellence emerges from distinct, interlocking domains: grand strategy, operational art, battlefield tactics, logistics, diplomacy, intelligence, innovation, and organizational leadership. Some commanders excelled primarily in one … Continue reading →

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White Paper: Intelligence and Counterintelligence Techniques for Capable but Ordinary People

Posted on December 3, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary While intelligence work is often imagined as the domain of government agencies and clandestine services, the underlying disciplines—situational awareness, structured information gathering, threat analysis, influence assessment, and protective behavior—are universally applicable. Ordinary people face adversarial environments in business, … Continue reading →

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White Paper: A Biblicist Typology of Political Behavior Among the Patriarchs, Old Testament Prophets, and New Testament Figures

Posted on November 21, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary This white paper presents a biblicist typology of political behavior as revealed in the lives of the patriarchs, Old Testament prophets, and New Testament figures. Rather than imposing external political theory, this analysis draws strictly from the canonical … Continue reading →

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