By Ella Harrison and Joseph Fitsanakis – Present-day Iran is arguably the most prolific state executioner state in the world. It currently holds the unenviable record of executing the largest number of people per capita globally.

Geopolitics, Strategic Intelligence, and the Emerging Security Architecture of the Eastern Mediterranean. This working paper examines Cyprus’s pivotal role in Eastern Mediterranean security dynamics, analysing the intersection of unresolved territorial disputes, intensifying energy geopolitics, strategic alliance shifts, and the evolving landscape of intelligence cooperation and hybrid threats.

This article examines the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) as a strategic instrument within Russia’s hybrid warfare toolkit, analyzing its historical evolution, ideological functions, and operational role in contemporary conflicts, particularly the war against Ukraine. Drawing on hybrid warfare theory and historical evidence of state–church symbiosis, the study demonstrates how the ROC has been systematically instrumentalized to advance Russian political, security, and foreign policy objectives.