South East Asia

The Biden administration continues to talk with Turkish officials about Ankara’s proposal to take over security at Kabul International Airport after US and NATO forces leave Afghanistan later this summer. The discussions come ahead of President Joe Biden’s planned first meeting since taking office with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan …

As the U.S. prepares to withdraw from Afghanistan, China seeks to leverage opportunities for influence while avoiding potential security risks. In early June, foreign ministers from China, Afghanistan, and Pakistan met to discuss how to maintain security amidst a U.S. troop withdrawal. China’s growing visibility in the region means Beijing …

The US bridles at China’s growing Middle East footprint. But the two are not necessarily doomed to be regional rivals. Last month the Wall Street Journal reported that a planned sale of F-35 fighter aircraft and Reaper drones by the US to the UAE might fall through. The story was …

Islamic identity has been a critical part of Pakistan’s national ethos and has remained a principal determinant of its political history and foreign policy. But it also creates awkward situations, such as the question of the Uyghurs in relations with China. Pakistan is one of only a few states where …

An Analysis of Chinese International and Defense Strategies to Outcompete the United States ocusing on the international and defense dimensions of U.S.-China competition, the authors of this report make three contributions. First, they intend this report to serve as a planning tool by positing international and defense strategies that could …

Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, head of US Central Command, on Monday warned about Iran’s destabilizing activities and the roles of Russia and China in the Middle East. During a special briefing, he spoke about his visit to Iraq and Syria and the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. “Another priority is deterring Iran’s …

Earlier this month, the United Kingdom’s foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, delivered a speech in Parliament setting out measures to ensure that British businesses do not profit from what he called the “industrial scale” forced labor of minority Uighur Muslims in China’s Xinjiang region. However, Raab’s remarks made no mention of …

The Taliban have urged Afghans who worked for departing U.S. and NATO militaries in Afghanistan over the years not to “desert” their war-ravaged nation for fear of retribution by the insurgent group. Monday’s Taliban pledge comes as thousands of Afghans employed, mostly as interpreters, by the United States and allied …

Pakistan’s top diplomat on Saturday publicly stated for the first time that his ministry had severed ties with Afghanistan’s national security adviser, Hamdullah Mohib, over incendiary remarks about its southern neighbor that undermined regional peace efforts. Shah Mehmood Qureshi made the disclosure a week after a highly placed Pakistani official …

U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad and an U.S. inter-agency delegation, including the National Security Council, Department of Defense, and USAID departed on June 4 for travel to Kabul, Doha, and the region. In Kabul, the delegation will meet with the Afghanistan government, other political leaders, and …