Lima Charlie World Disrupting Geostrategic Thought

Lebanon: Beirut and the Polycentric Reality

The balance of power in Lebanon may be shifting. In a few days, I will again be involved in discussions with a Middle Eastern client on regional developments. Without disclosing anything sensitive,

April 2, 2026

Stably Unstable: The Architecture of Russia’s Hybrid War in the Western Balkans (2026)

Russia’s hybrid war in the Western Balkans in 2026 reflects a mature strategy. Rather than seeking escalation, Moscow seeks position. It is a case study in a long‑term, managed, condition. And, for Moscow, a

March 29, 2026

Working Hypothesis: Europe Seeks Relative Advantage from US Overextension

U.S. strikes on Iranian infrastructure are unlikely to achieve compliance goals. The more probable response is indirect escalation through asymmetric means, calibrated to impose cost without inviting immediate, decisive retaliation. This is

March 29, 2026

Mission Profile: Soft Power as the New Dominion

Donald Trump and his administration’s haphazard approach to alliance discipline, strategic continuity, and the maintenance of American primacy supplied the final lesson: Europe can no longer rely on the American security order.

March 29, 2026

Rest In Peace Vojvoda (Duke) Slavko (Ilije) Aleksić

Slavko Aleksić (Војвода Славко Алексић), a Bosnian Serb Chetnik commander (vojvoda) who commanded the New Sarajevo Chetnik Detachment of the Army of Republika Srpska during the Bosnian War, died December 18, 2025,

March 28, 2026

Soft Power as Dominion: Speaking Softly, Building Systems

The most durable power is not enforced at gunpoint; it is embedded in systems. My industry has a simple rule: never do something for one reason when you can do it for

February 20, 2026

The Currency War Nobody Wants to Name

Venezuela did not become problematic because it was authoritarian, corrupt, or illegitimate. It had been all three for years without provoking decisive action. The problem emerged when strategic resources began drifting outside

February 7, 2026

Vae Victis: Putin Wins

A frozen conflict would be a Russian victory in anything but name. Why a frozen conflict in Ukraine would amount to a Russian victory—and why Europe’s real vulnerability lies not in military

February 2, 2026

Europe’s Liberal Self-Deception

Order was once built; its absence is now assumed. Europe is not undergoing an ideological shift, but an analytical collapse. Great powers have not changed their behaviour. What has eroded is Europe’s

January 18, 2026

Weaponisation of the Suffering – Frozen Conflicts, Displacement, and the Utility of Human Movement

Human suffering scales efficiently when it is managed. The weaponisation of refugees is a low-cost, high-leverage instrument for states able to tolerate ambiguity and export instability. Public vocabulary treats refugees as a

December 28, 2025

Europe must decide whether it intends to remain a consumer of security or finally become its producer

The Russia-Ukraine conflict endures not because it is strategically complex, but because it is strategically convenient. But the truth beneath the rhetoric is simpler and colder: Europe must outsource violence deliberately if

December 13, 2025

Europe will survive only if it pays someone else to die in its place

Toute vérité n’est pas bonne à dire: Purchased Frontiers. “War is not about who is right, but who is left.” Sweden does not suffer from incompetence. We build precise instruments of violence

December 12, 2025

Lebanon: Beirut and the Polycentric Reality

April 2, 2026

by John Sjoholm

The balance of power in Lebanon may be shifting. In a few days, I will again be involved in discussions with a

Stably Unstable: The Architecture of Russia’s Hybrid War in the Western Balkans (2026)

March 29, 2026

by John Sjoholm

Russia’s hybrid war in the Western Balkans in 2026 reflects a mature strategy. Rather than seeking escalation, Moscow seeks position. It is a

Working Hypothesis: Europe Seeks Relative Advantage from US Overextension

March 29, 2026

by John Sjoholm

U.S. strikes on Iranian infrastructure are unlikely to achieve compliance goals. The more probable response is indirect escalation through asymmetric means, calibrated

Mission Profile: Soft Power as the New Dominion

March 29, 2026

by John Sjoholm

Donald Trump and his administration’s haphazard approach to alliance discipline, strategic continuity, and the maintenance of American primacy supplied the final lesson:

Rest In Peace Vojvoda (Duke) Slavko (Ilije) Aleksić

March 28, 2026

by John Sjoholm

Slavko Aleksić (Војвода Славко Алексић), a Bosnian Serb Chetnik commander (vojvoda) who commanded the New Sarajevo Chetnik Detachment of the Army of

Soft Power as Dominion: Speaking Softly, Building Systems

February 20, 2026

by John Sjoholm

The most durable power is not enforced at gunpoint; it is embedded in systems. My industry has a simple rule: never do

The Currency War Nobody Wants to Name

February 7, 2026

by John Sjoholm

Venezuela did not become problematic because it was authoritarian, corrupt, or illegitimate. It had been all three for years without provoking decisive

Vae Victis: Putin Wins

February 2, 2026

by John Sjoholm

A frozen conflict would be a Russian victory in anything but name. Why a frozen conflict in Ukraine would amount to a

The Reassurance Trap

January 24, 2026

by John Sjoholm

The Reassurance Trap: When Realism Is Rendered Consequence-Free With Trump’s appearance at Davos, the world on edge, and the frontlines unstable, reassurance

Europe’s Liberal Self-Deception

January 18, 2026

by John Sjoholm

Order was once built; its absence is now assumed. Europe is not undergoing an ideological shift, but an analytical collapse. Great powers

Weaponisation of the Suffering – Frozen Conflicts, Displacement, and the Utility of Human Movement

December 28, 2025

by John Sjoholm

Human suffering scales efficiently when it is managed. The weaponisation of refugees is a low-cost, high-leverage instrument for states able to tolerate

Europe must decide whether it intends to remain a consumer of security or finally become its producer

December 13, 2025

by John Sjoholm

The Russia-Ukraine conflict endures not because it is strategically complex, but because it is strategically convenient. But the truth beneath the rhetoric

Europe will survive only if it pays someone else to die in its place

December 12, 2025

by John Sjoholm

Toute vérité n’est pas bonne à dire: Purchased Frontiers. “War is not about who is right, but who is left.” Sweden does

Celebrating the First Republic of Armenia with a True Sense of Dignity, Victory and Pride

June 9, 2022

by Lima Charlie

OPINION: Can today’s Republic of Armenia claim it is independent, sovereign and democratic and celebrate the May 28, 1918 day of victory

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Lebanon: Beirut and the Polycentric Reality

Stably Unstable: The Architecture of Russia’s Hybrid War in the Western Balkans (2026)

Working Hypothesis: Europe Seeks Relative Advantage from US Overextension

Mission Profile: Soft Power as the New Dominion

Rest In Peace Vojvoda (Duke) Slavko (Ilije) Aleksić

Soft Power as Dominion: Speaking Softly, Building Systems

The Currency War Nobody Wants to Name

Vae Victis: Putin Wins

Europe’s Liberal Self-Deception

Weaponisation of the Suffering – Frozen Conflicts, Displacement, and the Utility of Human Movement

Europe must decide whether it intends to remain a consumer of security or finally become its producer

Europe will survive only if it pays someone else to die in its place

Lebanon: Beirut and the Polycentric Reality

Stably Unstable: The Architecture of Russia’s Hybrid War in the Western Balkans (2026)

Working Hypothesis: Europe Seeks Relative Advantage from US Overextension

Mission Profile: Soft Power as the New Dominion

Rest In Peace Vojvoda (Duke) Slavko (Ilije) Aleksić

Soft Power as Dominion: Speaking Softly, Building Systems

The Currency War Nobody Wants to Name

Vae Victis: Putin Wins

The Reassurance Trap

Europe’s Liberal Self-Deception

Weaponisation of the Suffering – Frozen Conflicts, Displacement, and the Utility of Human Movement

Europe must decide whether it intends to remain a consumer of security or finally become its producer

Europe will survive only if it pays someone else to die in its place

Celebrating the First Republic of Armenia with a True Sense of Dignity, Victory and Pride

The Currency War Nobody Wants to Name

Europe will survive only if it pays someone else to die in its place

Can the U.S. Counter China’s Growing Soft and Sharp Power Influence Through Sanctions?

Lebanon: Beirut and the Polycentric Reality

Working Hypothesis: Europe Seeks Relative Advantage from US Overextension

Mission Profile: Soft Power as the New Dominion

Cyber Warfare Now – Tales from the Digital Battlefield

Israel-Hamas Cyberwar, when old warfare meets new

Huawei – China’s telecom giant hits a giant wall

Strike a deal with which devil? The many faces of the Taliban

The fate of Afghanistan’s NATO Generation

Afghanistan – A Bold Solution