South East Asia

He may have said it out of conviction or perhaps to please Rawalpindi. But by demanding that former army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa “must be questioned about why he resettled these [Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP] militants,” Pakistan Defence Minister Khwaja Asif could well have unwittingly annoyed the top brass …

When the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan in August 2021, the world watched with bated breath. Would this radical regime, after two decades of insurgency, succeed in transforming itself from a militant force to a functioning government? The answer is becoming increasingly clear: the Taliban’s fragile grip on power is …

The Indo-Pacific, a vast and geopolitically significant region stretching from the east coast of Africa to the Pacific Islands, has emerged as a focal point of global technological evolution. At the heart of this transformation lies artificial intelligence (AI), a disruptive force reshaping economic, security, and strategic dynamics. As countries …

In the quiet corners of Badghis province, a recent weapons audit has revealed a troubling security breach—large quantities of weapons, including US-made arms, have disappeared from the Afghan army’s 3rd Brigade headquarters, part of the ex-207th Al-Farooq Corps. The discovery has sent shockwaves through Afghanistan’s intelligence circles, with the provincial …

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur on Wednesday reiterated that a solution to terrorism cannot be found without engaging in talks with Afghanistan. “We have sent the Terms of Reference (TORs) for talks with Afghanistan to the federal government but despite repeated reminders, no response has been received. Terrorism …

Past and present policies indicate the president could be militarily hawkish or purely transactional, depending on the moment Only one month in, the foreign policy moves of the Trump Administration in Europe, the Middle East, and North America indicate that radical, tumultuous change, marked most notably by major reversals in …

How Trump Wields American Power Donald Trump has already transformed the American political order. Not since Ronald Reagan has a president so dominated the national landscape or shifted its ideological terrain. In his second term, Trump could reshape global order in ways no less profound. Today’s reigning, U.S.-led international system—call …

The Taliban has for years presented a united front to the outside world and kept a tight lid on dissent within its ranks. But unprecedented displays of discord have laid bare the rifts in the secretive militant group and exposed an intensifying power struggle. The internal divisions could spill over …

Under ‘Trumpism 2.0 Political Economy’ of the re-installed President Donald Trump, United States is experiencing a recurrence of socio-economic cycles in unprecedented stakes. After days of uncertainty, the U.S. has so far focused its tariffssolely on China, as Mexico and Canada secured a temporary exemption from the 25 percent tariffs …

Critical minerals and oil, a renewed focus on the Atlantic coast, and the West’s loss of influence in the Sahel are some of the reasons analysts believe Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has chosen the Republic of Congo, Nigeria, Chad and Namibia as the stops on his visit to Africa …