South East Asia

US Intelligence Warns China, Russia Determined to Erode Washington’s Influence

The global coronavirus pandemic has done little to stop adversaries, especially China, from targeting the United States and making gains at the country’s expense, according to a newly unveiled U.S. intelligence assessment. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) issued the declassified 27-page report Tuesday, a day before …

Read More »

Behind China’s Military Build-Up, an Effort to Project Power Globally

China is expanding its amphibious military capabilities with an aim to “project power far from home,” Reuters reported this week, posing a challenge to America’s naval dominance. For decades, China’s main aspiration for its military was to secure its borders and dominate its coastal waters. But recent evidence suggests that …

Read More »

US Intelligence Sees ‘Significant Risk’ in Afghanistan Withdrawal

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 …

Read More »

China Will Loom Large in Balkans Once Pandemic is Over

Despite the West’s growing suspicions about China, its role in the Western Balkans is likely to become even more central in the post-COVID-19 era. The global public has never talked as much about China as it has during the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 struck China first, causing mayhem in Hubei Province. …

Read More »

The U.S. Must Prepare for the Worst in Afghanistan

Afghanistan’s president, Ashraf Ghani, stands between the proverbial rock and a hard place. Faced with the fact that the United States has lost patience with the Afghan government’s dithering negotiations with the Taliban, Ghani now has little choice but to orchestrate a deal that will likely end his presidency—and almost …

Read More »

China looms large in Turkey’s controversial waterway project

Turkey is reportedly gearing up to partner with China in the construction of an artificial waterway parallel to the Bosporus, a project with likely implications for Russia and the United States in the Black Sea. While Turkey remains stuck between the West and Russia on a number of strategic issues, …

Read More »

China Sanctions Intensify, Escalating Trade Risks – Analysis

Western trade and investment interests in China are facing new threats as sanctions trigger retaliation, heightening tensions over human rights, national security and territorial control. Since the start of President Joseph R. Biden’s term in office on Jan. 20, there have been several exchanges of new sanctions announced by the …

Read More »

Chinese Incursions In South China Sea Heightens Tension – Analysis

China’s increasing incursions in the contested South China Sea in defiance of global norms has heightened tensions in the region. In view of its massive military muscle and economic power that China has accumulated in the recent decades emboldens it to ignore and violate the sensitivities of other small claimants …

Read More »