South East Asia

No End in Sight to U.S.-China Tensions Over Taiwan

On Monday, China’s People Liberation Army flew 25 aircraft, including fighter jets and bombers, through Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, marking the largest such incursion since the self-ruled democracy began making its data on them public last September. Taiwan has continued to monitor the movements of the Chinese aircraft, transmit …

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Will Biden Seize the Opportunity for an Alliance With India?

President Joe Biden faces a slew of important foreign policy challenges. But with India, he has a historic opportunity to forge a strategic alliance to help build a stable balance of power in Asia and the wider Indo-Pacific region. India has been a bright spot in U.S. foreign policy over …

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India and Pakistan Pursue a Thaw in Kashmir—Again

In late February, India and Pakistan announced a cease-fire along their de facto border in the contested region of Kashmir. In a joint statement, the two countries’ military authorities said that there will be a “strict observance of all agreements, understandings and cease firing,” while also claiming they will seek …

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No plans for full US withdrawal from Iraq, top general says

The United States may be leaving Afghanistan but troops will remain in Iraq for the foreseeable future, the CENTCOM commander told Congress. The top commander of US forces in the Middle East told lawmakers that he does not foresee a full US withdrawal from Iraq amid continued dialogue with officials …

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Afghanistan war cost more than $2T and 240,000 lives, report finds

When you add up the cost of Defense and State Department funds sunk into Operations Enduring Freedom and Resolute Support, then throw in the cost of caring for the conflicts’ veterans and the interest on the money borrowed to cover it all, you’re looking at over $2 trillion, according to …

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Pentagon Says Any Terrorist Attack On US Military Drawdown In Afghanistan To Be Met Forcefully

The United States is well aware of Taliban threats to the U.S. military drawdown, which are scheduled to begin May 1 and be completed by Sept. 11, 2021, Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby told the media Friday at the Pentagon. “We’ve seen their threats, and it would be imprudent …

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India And France Enhancing Strategic Cooperation In Indian Ocean Region – OpEd

Quite recently, on 30th March 2021 two ships of the French Navy ‘assault helicopter carrier-Tonnerre’ and ‘frigate Surcouf’ reached Kochi (a port city on the South-West coast of India) to participate in the three-day joint naval exercise ‘La Pérouse’. Though the exercise was led by France, four other members of …

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Iran Opens Pandora’s Box With Attacks Against Rivals In Iraq – OpEd

A drone attack on Irbil airport in northern Iraq, where US forces are stationed, and a rocket attack on a military compound in the nearby town of Bashiqa, where Turkish troops are deployed, took place on Wednesday. The latter resulted in the death of a Turkish soldier and injured a …

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America’s Neoliberal Financialization Policy Vs. China’s Industrial Socialism – OpEd

Nearly half a millennium ago Niccolo Machiavelli’s The Prince described three options for how a conquering power might treat states that it defeated in war but that “have been accustomed to live under their own laws and in freedom: … the first is to ruin them, the next is to …

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Afghanistan Withdrawal Could Pose ‘Significant Risk’ To US, Intelligence Officials Say

The plan to pull troops from Afghanistan could give terrorist groups like al-Qaida and Islamic State a chance to regenerate the capabilities they would need to carry out an attack against the United States, according to top U.S. intelligence officials. Their warning, coming the same day U.S. President Joe Biden …

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