In this pool photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik, Vladimir Putin enters a hall to meet with graduates of higher military educational institutions at the Kremlin on June 23, 2025. (Alexander Kazakov via Getty Images)
A formation of Dongfeng-41 nuclear missiles takes part in a military parade celebrating the seventieth anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China in Beijing on October 1, 2019. (Xia Yifang via Getty Images)
Senior lecturer in the Department of Security Studies and Criminology at Macquarie University, Council of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute
President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pose for a picture with European leaders following a meeting at the White House on August 18, 2025. (Win McNamee via Getty Images)
A US Marine Corps VXE30 Stalker unmanned aerial system is staged during a maritime domain awareness training exercise in southern Finland on July 31, 2025. (DVIDS)
Afghan men gather around the grave of Khalil Ur-Rahman Haqqani during the funeral ceremony in Sarana, Kabul, on December 12, 2024. (Wakil Kohsar via Getty Images)
Afghan security forces patrol during ongoing clashes between security forces and Islamic State militants in eastern Nangarhar province on July 26, 2016. (Noorullah Shirzada/AFP via Getty Images)
The Russian foreign minister and the deputy foreign minister of the Taliban government in Afghanistan attend the Moscow Format in Moscow, Russia, on October 4, 2024. (Sefa Karacan/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Taliban security personnel stand guard at a checkpoint in Kandahar, Afghanistan, on the eve of the third anniversary of the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan on August 13, 2024. (Sanaullah Seiam/AFP via Getty Images)