Welcome to Mid-Afternoon Map, our exclusive members-only newsletter that provides a cartographic perspective on current events, geopolitics, and history from the Caucasus to the Carolinas. Subscribers can look forward to interesting takes on good maps and bad maps, beautiful maps and ugly ones — and bizarre maps whenever possible. *** Over the past...

After almost 59 years of controversial existence, the last vestige of the British Empire in the Indian Ocean, the British Indian Ocean Territory, is set to be wound up. On Oct. 3, Britain and Mauritius released a joint statement detailing a historic agreement via which sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago, including Diego Garcia, will be transferred...

On Sept. 17, at the University of Texas at Austin, General (Ret.) Kenneth F. “Frank” McKenzie Jr. spoke about his book, “The Melting Point: High Command and War in the 21st Century.” This discussion, moderated by Joseph Maguire, covers Gen. McKenzie’s military career, with a particular focus on his time as commander of U.S. Central Command – which included...

In 2022, Zachary Selden wrote “Will Finland and Sweden Joining NATO Deepen the Alliance’s Problems?” where he argued that their membership was likely to exacerbate tensions in the alliance. In the wake of their accession, we invited Zachary back to reflect on his article. Read more below. In your 2022 article “Will Finland and Sweden Joining NATO Deepen...

Chris, Melanie, and Zack discuss the American military footprint in Europe. Why does the United States maintain such a large presence there? Are there other ways to accomplish our goals with a smaller physical presence there? And what outcomes would we see if the United States made major troop reductions on the continent? Grievances for Tony Blinken’s...

In today’s chaotic world, professional intelligence analysts must contend with nearly endless data streams, which risk overwhelming them while also exacerbating the impact of cognitive biases. Is AI the answer, or do the flaws that currently afflict AI create yet more risks? In fact, AI is neither a panacea nor a peril. Like other emerging technologies,...