Strategic Assessment: US Prepares to Strike Iran
Executive Summary The United States and Iran are currently in a high-stakes stand-off that has reached a boiling point this February. Following a massive and bloody crackdown on domestic protesters in Iran last month, President Trump has shifted the US military into a strike-ready posture. While diplomacy remains technically active through indirect talks in Geneva, […]
Strategic Assessment: The False Promise of a China Pivot
Executive Summary The European Union’s emerging re-engagement with the People’s Republic of China (PRC), frequently characterised by policymakers as a pragmatic or transactional recalibration, constitutes a strategic misjudgement with compounding long-term risks. While framed as a stabilising response to transatlantic uncertainty and a means of sustaining Europe’s green and industrial transitions, the empirical record demonstrates […]
China’s Quiet Non-Wins at Davos
Executive Summary At Davos 2026, China avoided overt confrontation and instead deployed a strategy of calculated restraint, positioning itself as a predictable and non-combative interlocuteur amid visible Western tensions. This posture may have created the appearance of quiet advantage, but did not translate into a substantive diplomatic or strategic win. Beijing largely reiterated long-standing talking […]
Berlin and Rome Rewire Europe’s Security Architecture
Executive Summary The signing of the “Agreement on Enhanced Co-operation on Security, Defence, and Resilience” in Rome on 23 January 2026, represents a fundamental shift in European power dynamics. Beyond a standard defence treaty, this document formalises a partnership focused on three high-stakes geopolitical arenas: the African continent, orbital strategic autonomy, and transnational cyber resilience. […]
Iran’s Post-Protest Trajectories: What Comes Next
Executive Summary The current volatility in Iran has transitioned from localised domestic unrest to a systemic risk threatening the architectural stability of the Middle East and the global East-West balance. B&K Agency assesses that the “muddling through” strategy of previous decades is no longer a viable baseline. We further assess that the Iranian state is […]
Arctic Hold’em: The High-Stakes Trade War for Greenland
The current diplomatic friction between the United States, the Kingdom of Denmark, and the European Union regarding the status of Greenland represents a significant shift in Arctic governance and transatlantic relations. For B&K Agency stakeholders, this situation requires an objective understanding of the underlying strategic motivations and the structural changes occurring within the North Atlantic […]
B&K Explains: Portugal’s Presidential Run-Off
Executive Summary The Portuguese Republic has entered a period of unprecedented institutional tension following the first round of the 2026 presidential election. For only the second time in the five decades since the restoration of democracy, the country will proceed to a second-round run-off on 8 February. The results from 18 January have crystallised a fragmented political landscape. Moderate […]
The Commission Unveils the New Cybersecurity Act
On 20 January, the European Commission unveiled a proposal for the new Cybersecurity Act, signaling a switch in how the Union views the digital component of its economy. While the original 2019 Cybersecurity Act was characterised by a focus on softer measures, including voluntary certification schemes and the institutional strengthening of European Agency for Cybersecurity, this revised version is a far more assertive legislative instrument. […]
The Digital Networks Act: A Single Framework for Digital Connectivity
The Digital Networks Act, which is being unveiled in January 2026 by the European Commission, is the European Union’s attempt to pull together all the main standards that govern digital connectivity into one single, predictable framework. This will be the beginning of a lengthy process towards final approval, which we can expect in about a […]
Iran’s Black Swan Moment. Strategic Assessment
Executive Summary Iran is currently navigating its most profound period of domestic instability since the 1979 revolution. This wave of unrest was precipitated by a catastrophic systemic economic failure and the geopolitical repercussions of the “12-Day War” with Israel in mid-2025. What began as localised demonstrations on 28 December 2025 has rapidly transitioned into a comprehensive nationwide […]