"South American MBTs: upgrades and payload modernisation could shape procurement paths"
Wilder Alejandro Sanchez
Land Warfare
Shephard
8 June, 2026
While South American geopolitics are complicated, the likelihood of inter-state warfare is low, calling into question the future of the venerable main battle tank.
"Ankara-Tashkent relations: What’s the next milestone?"
Wilder Alejandro Sanchez and Marin Ekstrom
6 June 2026
Modern Diplomacy
Published: https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2026/06/06/ankara-tashkent-relations-whats-the-next-milestone/
How far integration will go between Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye, and Uzbekistan is debatable.
The Organization of Turkic States (OTS) recently held a summit focused on “Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development.” While the May 15 meeting itself did not offer any groundbreaking resolutions, all five heads of the OTS member states participated and reaffirmed their commitment to greater cooperation and integration. This summit was just one example in a series of events that demonstrate growing unity and collaboration among the Turkic states.
How far integration will go between Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye, and Uzbekistan is debatable. There are several regional initiatives that are bringing these countries, as well as other states across the Caucasus and Central Asia, together, including connectivity projects such as the Middle Corridor and the Uzbek-Kyrgyz-Chinese railway, as well as agencies such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and the Eurasian Economic Union.
"Operations in the Amazon: The Peruvian Military’s Riverine Operations"
Wilder Alejandro Sanchez
Irregular Warfare Initiative
20 May, 2026
This article is a Focus Area self-published piece, and the content has not undergone standard editorial review. IWI hosts these pieces to facilitate rapid dialogue among practitioners, but the analysis, research, and original thought within the article remain the sole responsibility of the author.
The United States military is in the middle of a hard pivot to focus on the Western Hemisphere, as codified by the recent publication of the 2026 National Defense Strategy, which identified securing U.S. interests “from the Arctic to South America” as critical to its lines of effort. The capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in Operation Absolute Resolve was confirmation that the United States military will become more involved in South America. And if further evidence were needed, in January 2026, the Army redesignated the 1st Security Forces Assistance Brigade as the Army Security Cooperation Group – South, and it will take over the Combined Jungle Operations Training Course in Panama.
This increasing focus on operations in the Western Hemisphere will require closer integration with allies and partners in the region – as well as a better understanding of the region’s geography and how it shapes those allies and partners. This analysis will focus on the Peruvian military’s riverine operations, their importance, and their unique contributions to Amazonian military operations.
"Why the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation isn’t Nato for Iran"
By Cao Jiaxuanin Beijing
South China Morning Post
30 May, 2026
Central Asia is tilting more decisively towards China as geopolitical uncertainty deepens, with Beijing’s expanding influence recasting the former Soviet states’ strategic orientation. In the final instalment of a three-part series, Cao Jiaxuan examines how Central Asian members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation have shaped the bloc’s response to the US-Iran conflict. Read the first part here and the second part here.
"До 40% воды теряется впустую: эксперты из США назвали главную проблему Центральной Азии " / "Up to 40% of Water Goes to Waste: US Experts Identify Central Asia’s Main Problem"
By: Rustem Kozhybaev
KazInform
2 June 2026
По мнению Уайлдера Алехандро Санчеса, управление водными ресурсами пяти стран ЦА невозможно рассматривать вне региональной геополитики.
According to Wilder Alejandro Sanchez, water resource management in the five Central Asian countries cannot be considered outside of regional geopolitics
"Latin America: Donations and Sales of Second-hand Hulls"
Wilder Alejandro Sanchez
The Southern Tide
Center for International Maritime Security
3 June, 2026
Published: https://cimsec.org/latin-america-donations-and-sales-of-second-hand-hulls/
Written by Wilder Alejandro Sanchez, The Southern Tide addresses maritime security issues throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. It discusses the challenges regional navies face including limited defense budgets, inter-state tensions, and transnational crimes. It also examines how these challenges influence current and future defense strategies, platform acquisitions, and relations with global powers.
Analyses of the status and strength of the US Navy, the Chinese Navy, and other global navies focus not only on the size of their respective fleets but also on the modernity of their hulls and their new capabilities, particularly vis-à-vis integrating new technologies. But what happens to decommissioned platforms that global naval powerhouses no longer operate? Some are kept in reserve or sent to scrapyards. However, many decommissioned vessels find a second life when sold or donated to partners and allies.
"Republic of Moldova: Integration and Tensions Between Chisinau and Găgăuzia"
Wilder Alejandro Sanchez
Global Encyclopedia of Territorial Rights
22 May, 2026
P 1-9
Published: https://link.springer.com/rwe/10.1007/978-3-319-68846-6_878-1
The Autonomous Territorial Unit of Găgăuzia (Unitatea Teritorială Autonomă Găgăuzia) is an autonomous region in the south of the Republic of Moldova, primarily populated by the Gagauz people, who are primarily Eastern Orthodox Turkic. The region, divided into four enclaves, has a population of around 150 thousand inhabitants and is generally underdeveloped. Găgăuzia has strong relations with both the Russian Federation and Türkiye. Moldovan President Maia Sandu and her administration have attempted to improve relations between Chisinau and Găgăuzia to promote national integration. However, the general Gagauzian population is generally Moscow-friendly and remains skeptical of Moldova’s plan to join the European Union. The region overwhelmingly voted against President Sandu and a pro-European Union referendum during the country’s October–November 2024 presidential elections, underscoring skepticism among Gagauzians about Sandu’s pro-Europe project. Sandu (who was re-elected) will continue to face a tough challenge to convince Gagauzians to support EU membership. The August 2025 conviction of Gagauzian leader Evghenia Guțul will make this situation even more problematic.
"The Upcoming C5+1 Dialogue on Critical Minerals"
Wilder Alejandro Sanchez
Crossroads Asia
The Diplomat
1 June 2026
Published: https://thediplomat.com/2026/06/the-upcoming-c51-dialogue-on-critical-minerals/
On the sidelines of the Astana Mining & Metallurgy Congress, the C5+1 aims to deepen cooperation on critical minerals.
