Trump's second presidency reached one year without triggering predicted catastrophes, yet fundamental tensions remain unresolved. Alliances strained but held, tariffs disrupted without collapsing trade, and military force came in sharp bursts. Dr. Richard Weitz examines what this volatile year reveals about Trump's instincts, how the world adapted to his methods, and whether avoiding disaster equals success or simply deferred reckoning.

Thousands dead, internet blackouts, and a currency in freefall, Iran is facing sustained nationwide unrest met with unprecedented brutality. Wikistrat convened Dr. Sina Azodi, Ahmad Hashemi, and Alex Vatanka to assess what makes this wave different, why elite cohesion still matters, and the scenarios ahead, from continued repression to IRGC consolidation, regime collapse, or fragmentation.

Taiwan is not on the brink of a 2027 invasion; the real danger is unfolding quietly in the gray zone. Dr. Minxin Pei dismantles the countdown narrative, arguing Beijing's destabilizing tools are already in motion, from military drills to pressure on undersea cables. The flashpoint is 2028, when elections in Taipei, Washington, and the Philippines collide with a Chinese leadership refining hybrid warfare options that stop short of war yet carry strategic shockwaves.

Physical AI is ending 50 years of rigid robotics. Robots now understand intent, learn from each other via the cloud, and will soon cost less than a year's salary. Dr. Graham Ong-Webb maps out four scenarios for the decade ahead, from accelerated stability to chaotic tipping point, and warns that the real threat isn't the humanoids themselves, but the widening gap between technological capability and institutional readiness.