Desperate mass evacuation efforts in Afghanistan make it clear nothing went according to plan. There are multiple tragedies unfolding all at once. Will every American get out? How many Afghan nationals, who were promised American protection, will be rescued? And what about the future of everyone else under Taliban rule, …
Read More »How Afghanistan withdrawal could lead to a harder policy against China
Biden is getting attacked on all sides for putting its ‘credibility’ on the Taiwan issue at risk. Will he cave to it? In an interview on Wednesday, ABC’s George Stephanopoulos asked President Biden whether the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan called into question the credibility of America’s commitment to …
Read More »To Start Democracy In Afghanistan, We Need To Stop Pakistan – OpEd
On 15 August 2021, the Taliban arrived in Kabul and the Afghan President fled the country. A week earlier, the Taliban barely had half the country under their control. Afghanistan is often called the ‘graveyard of empires’, since from the British Empire in the 19th century to the USSR in …
Read More »Ethiopia spy drone downed in Al-Fashqa
A source in the Sudanese Armed Forces on Friday confirmed the downing of an “Ethiopian spy drone that penetrated the airspace” on the border of the Al-Fashqa area. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, disclosed: “The army shot down an Ethiopian spy drone that penetrated the Sudanese airspace …
Read More »Taliban control over Afghanistan will affect Israel’s security, warns official
Taliban forces have taken control of the Afghan capital, Kabul, after President Ashraf Ghani fled the country The Taliban’s control of Afghanistan will affect Israel’s security, former Defence Minister, Moshe Ya’alon, warned yesterday. “Despite the great distance between Afghanistan and Israel, the withdrawal of the United States forces and the …
Read More »Who Really Are the Taliban? Is There a Taliban 2.0?
Who are the Taliban? We still see this question floating around a fair amount on social media and online. People also tend to confuse them with al-Qaeda. Now that the Taliban have taken over Afghanistan at a lightning pace over the last two weeks they claim to have been “reformed.” …
Read More »The Next Act in the Afghan Tragedy
The collapse of the US’s position in Afghanistan has limited read-across to its relations with its NATO and Asian allies. But it is a stark reminder of the constraints on the UK as a global power. This is a desperate time for the people of Afghanistan, as they await their …
Read More »Wasted Water: Leaking Pipelines Threaten to Let Balkans Run Dry
As climate change becomes more evident and droughts worsen, Balkan cities need to reduce the huge amount of water leaking each year from pipelines. Every day a woman went to a deep well in the middle of a vast meadow to fill her pots with water. The well had a …
Read More »US Must Refocus On Central Asia – Analysis
In the past few days, hundreds of Afghan soldiers have sought refuge in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Several dozen helicopters and planes, formerly of the Afghan air force, fled the Taliban’s advance and landed in Uzbekistan. At the time of writing, almost 600 Afghan pilots and crews remain in the country. …
Read More »Big Barriers On FDI In Indian Defense – Analysis
In 2020, India changed its foreign direct investment (FDI) regulations to allow investments of up to 74 per cent in the defence manufacturing sector under its automatic route, which was previously limited to 49 per cent. This is an important decision for a sector that is struggling to attract investment. …
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