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James Horncastle

Assistant Professor and Edward and Emily McWhinney Professor in International Relations, Simon Fraser University
James Horncastle is an assistant professor in the Department of Humanities and holder of the Edward and Emily McWhinney Professorship in International Relations at Simon Fraser University. He is also a member of the steering committee for the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Centre for Hellenic Studies. His recent manuscript, The Macedonian Slavs in the Greek Civil War, 1944–1949, examines how the Macedonian Slavs participation in the conflict, and the attempts by other groups to manipulate them, gave rise to modern issues that continue to affect politics in the region today. His research interests include: refugee and migration studies; international relations; conflict studies; history of modern Greece; and Yugoslav studies.

Why the fall of Bashar al-Assad is unlikely to lead to peace in Syria

Dec 10, 2024 05:05 am UTC| Insights & Views Politics

The Syrian oppositions recent capture of the countrys largest city of Aleppo caught much of the international community by surprise. After the involvement of Russia, Iran and Hezbollah in the prolonged Syrian civil war,...

Delays in western aid have put Ukraine in a perilous position

May 18, 2024 11:59 am UTC| Insights & Views

Russia recently began another offensive against Ukrainian forces, this time in the Kharkiv region. This attack was not a surprise development Russian forces had been preparing themselves over several months for the...

Global Geopolitics Series

Western leaders threaten to undermine Navalny’s legacy in Russia

Feb 22, 2024 06:27 am UTC| Insights & Views

The recent death of Alexei Navalny brought immediate condemnations from world leaders, with the American president immediately pointing the finger of blame at Vladimir Putin. One cannot say with certainty the Russian...

Global Geopolitics Series

The West's strikes against Houthis risk igniting a powderkeg in the Middle East

Jan 23, 2024 05:24 am UTC| Insights & Views

The United States and the United Kingdom are launching missile and drone strikes against the Yemeni armed group Ansarallah, commonly known as the Houthis. Houthis, a faction in the ongoing Yemen civil war, had been...

Global Geopolitics Series

Ukraine can still defeat Russia, but it needs the right tools to do it

Dec 26, 2023 23:17 pm UTC| Insights & Views

Ukraines strategic position has declined over the last six months. The summer offensive, which sparked hope among Ukraine and its supporters, failed to deliver significant territorial gains. Furthermore, support for...

Global Geopolitics Series

Israel's ground offensive in Gaza City is ignoring the past lessons of urban warfare

Nov 29, 2023 06:06 am UTC| Insights & Views

Mediators are seeking to extend the truce between Israel and Hamas beyond Wednesday amid the exchange of hostages for prisoners. But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to resume the war with full force...

Global Geopolitics Series

How Serbia-Kosovo tensions hang like a spectre over the European Union

Oct 17, 2023 06:53 am UTC| Insights & Views

An armed band of Serb militants recently ambushed police in Kosovo. In the resulting firefight and retreat, four people including a police officer died from their wounds. The incident sparked official recriminations...

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Economy

Morgan Stanley Warns Against Overestimating EV Demand Boost from Rising Oil Prices

Morgan Stanley is urging caution among investors who believe that surging oil prices will automatically trigger a rapid recovery for South Korean battery manufacturers. While recent headlines have painted an optimistic...

Australia Extends Fuel Sulphur Relaxation Amid Iran War Supply Disruptions

Australia has extended its temporary easing of fuel-quality standards through September, as ongoing disruptions from the Iran war continue to strain the countrys fuel supply chains. Energy Minister Chris Bowen confirmed...

Stocks Surge as Strait of Hormuz Reopens, Oil Prices Plunge

U.S. stock markets closed sharply higher on Friday as easing Middle East tensions and the temporary reopening of the Strait of Hormuz sent investor confidence soaring. The SP 500 gained 1.2% to finish at 7,125.36, the...

Oil Prices Plunge as Strait of Hormuz Reopens Amid U.S.-Iran Ceasefire Talks

Global oil prices fell sharply on Friday after Iran and the United States jointly announced the temporary reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, easing fears over a major disruption to the worlds oil supply. Brent crude...

IMF Warns Middle East War to Deepen Economic Divide Across Latin America and Caribbean

The ongoing Middle East conflict is expected to widen economic inequality across Latin America and the Caribbean, according to the International Monetary Fund. While oil-exporting nations stand to gain short-term...

Politics

North Korea Fires Multiple Ballistic Missiles Amid Growing Nuclear Ambitions

North Korea launched several ballistic missiles toward the sea off its eastern coast on Sunday, according to South Korea and Japan, marking Pyongyangs seventh ballistic missile test this year and its fourth in April alone....

U.S.-Iran Tensions Escalate as Hormuz Crisis Deepens Amid Ceasefire Strains

Fragile ceasefire negotiations between the United States and Iran are facing serious pressure after a dramatic weekend of escalating confrontations in and around the Strait of Hormuz. New reporting from the Wall Street...

Brazil, Spain, and Mexico Unite to Support Cuba Amid U.S. Blockade

During a high-profile international summit held in Barcelona, the leaders of Brazil, Spain, and Mexico came together to announce a strengthened commitment to providing coordinated humanitarian aid to Cuba. The meeting,...

Trump's Iran Claims Spark Market Confusion Over Strait of Hormuz

Global financial markets and world leaders are navigating a wave of cautious optimism mixed with uncertainty after President Donald Trump announced a breakthrough in U.S.-Iran negotiations, including what he described as...

Anthropic CEO Meets Trump Officials to Discuss Powerful New AI Model Mythos

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei sat down with senior Trump administration officials last Friday in what analysts are calling a pivotal move to repair a strained relationship between the AI company and the federal government....

Science

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

NASA Artemis II: First Crewed Moon Mission Since Apollo Takes Four Astronauts on 10-Day Lunar Journey

NASAs Artemis II mission launched Wednesday, marking humanitys return to crewed lunar exploration for the first time since the Apollo era. Carrying four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft, this historic 10-day mission...

NASA's Artemis II Mission: First Crewed Lunar Journey Since Apollo

NASA's Artemis II Crew Arrives in Florida for Historic Moon Mission

The four astronauts chosen for NASAs Artemis II mission have touched down at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the beginning of final launch preparations for the first crewed lunar journey in over 50 years. NASA...

SpaceX Pivots Toward Moon City as Musk Reframes Long-Term Space Vision

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has revealed a significant shift in the companys near-term space exploration strategy, announcing that SpaceX is now prioritizing the development of a self-growing city on the Moon rather than focusing...

Technology

Iran’s AI memes are reaching people who don’t follow the news – and winning the propaganda war

A Lego-style Iranian military commander raps over a gangster beat: Our inbox is flooded with Americans saying they dont watch the news. They listen to our songs instead since your media is full of shit. This is the opening...

Apple Wins ITC Ruling, Keeping Blood-Oxygen Feature on Apple Watch

A U.S. trade tribunal sided with Apple on Friday, rejecting Masimo Corporations push to reinstate an import ban on Apple Watch. The U.S. International Trade Commission chose not to review an earlier judges ruling that...

OpenAI's $20 Billion Cerebras Deal Signals Massive AI Infrastructure Push

OpenAI is reportedly set to spend over $20 billion with AI chip startup Cerebras over the next three years, marking a significant expansion of an already substantial computing partnership. According to The Information, the...

Tesla's Terafab: AI Chip Factory Eyes Taiwan's Semiconductor Talent

Tesla is actively recruiting semiconductor engineers in Taiwan for its ambitious Terafab project a fully vertically integrated AI chip manufacturing facility that aims to consolidate logic, memory, packaging, testing, and...

Japan to Subsidize Sony's Image Sensor Plant in Kumamoto with $380 Million

The Japanese government has announced plans to provide Sony with subsidies of up to 60 billion yen, equivalent to approximately $380 million, to support the construction of an image sensor manufacturing facility in...