Mitchel Stuffers
Assistant Editor at CIGH Exeter & PhD Candidate in History, University of Exeter

From the Thailand-Cambodia conflict to Friedrich Merz’s appeal for European strategic autonomy, here are this week’s top picks in imperial and global history.

---

Thailand attacks Cambodia in blow to Trump-backed ceasefire deal

Editorial Team
Irish Times

Thailand launched air strikes on Cambodian military sites on Monday after a deadly border skirmish, the most dramatic escalation in months that endangers a peace deal demanded by US president Donald Trump. The Thai military said it carried out ground and F-16 air operations after Cambodian forces opened fire at multiple border locations using small arms, machine guns, mortars and artillery, which killed at least two Thai soldiers and injured eight.

Both sides accused each other of cross-border fire over the weekend, rekindling a conflict that has flared occasionally for decades and left dozens dead during a brief but severe clash earlier this year. [Continue reading]

Seizure of South Yemen by UAE-backed forces could lead to independence claim

Patrick Wintour
The Guardian

The United Arab Emirates-backed military leadership in South Yemen has seized power across the whole of the south of the country, a move that opens up the possibility that the South will declare independence and revert Yemen to being two states for the first time since 1990.

As many as 10,000 troops from the Southern Transitional Council (STC) poured into the oil-rich Hadramaut governorate last week and later into Marah, the less-populated governorate bordering Oman, which had not previously been under its control.

The victories mean the STC now controls all eight governorates that previously made up South Yemen, the first time it has achieved this. [Continue reading]

Canada Joins EU’s SAFE Initiative, Securing Expanded Access for Canadian Defense Industry

Editorial Team
Europe Today

Ottawa, December 2, 2025 – The Europe Today: Canada has reached an agreement to join the European Union’s Security Action for Europe (SAFE) initiative, a move that will grant Canadian defense companies broader access to European markets, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office announced on Monday, according to foreign media reports.

In a statement, Prime Minister Carney said Canada’s participation in SAFE would help “fill key capability gaps, expand markets for Canadian suppliers, and attract European defence investment into Canada.” He emphasized that the decision reflects Canada’s commitment to strengthening transatlantic security cooperation at a time of mounting geopolitical uncertainty. [Continue reading]

Roshel confirms over 2,000 Senator vehicles sent to Ukraine

Dylan Malyasov
Defence Blog

The Canadian defense manufacturer Roshel has delivered more than 2,000 Senator armored vehicles to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, according to company CEO Roman Shimonov.

The confirmation came in a public reply on X, where defense expert Jeff21461 asked Shimonov for an update on delivery figures, referencing a previous count of 1,700 units. Shimonov responded, “Over 2000,” directly confirming the expanded number of vehicles now in service with Ukrainian forces. Roshel’s Senator family of armored vehicles has become a cornerstone of Ukraine’s tactical ground mobility. [Continue reading]

U.S. strategy shows need for more European security independence, German chancellor says

The Associated Press
NBC News

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the Trump administration’s new national security strategy underscored the need for Europe to become “much more independent” from the U.S. in terms of security policy. Merz also pushed back against the notion that European democracy needed saving.

The U.S. strategy, published on Friday, paints European allies as weak, while offering tacit support to far-right political parties, and was critical of European free speech and migration policy. Speaking on Monday, European Council president Antonio Costa warned the U.S. against interfering in Europe’s affairs and said only European citizens could decide which parties should govern them. [Continue reading]