South East Asia

As the Ukraine war nears its 500th day, the key issue on the minds of international policymakers is what impact last weekend’s extraordinary mutiny of Wagner forces will have on the conflict. The uprising, which exposed the growing internal fissures within Russia, will do nothing to strengthen the country’s already …

With U.S.-China ties at a low point, the resumption of high-level dialogue is a good sign — but there’s a long way to go to improve the relationship. Over the weekend, Secretary of State Antony Blinken finally made it to Beijing, where he met with senior-level Chinese Communist Party officials, …

What’s behind the dramatic increase in strategic cooperation? One word: China. Against the backdrop of tightening U.S.-India ties, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi heads to Washington this week for an official state visit — only the third President Joe Biden has hosted since taking office. The bilateral relationship has soared …

The army’s crackdown may appear to have been effective in undermining Imran Khan and dismantling his political party, but the long-term consequences could be serious. Too much time has been spent on ugly political manoeuvres, whereas the focus needs to be on the economy. A failure to address Pakistan’s economic …

If you have ever wondered what hell might feel like, ask an Afghan refugee. While you may not personally know any, there is a good chance that if you live near a major urban center in Europe, Canada or the United States, you’ve unknowingly passed someone on the street or …

FlashbackOn June 13, 2019, government of Pakistan issued a notification approving the creation of National Development Council [NDC] comprising 13 members under the then Prime Minister Imran Khan, which included the serving army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa. The ‘terms of reference’ assigned to this newly created body were, “set …

America Is Not In March, at the end of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin stood at the door of the Kremlin to bid his friend farewell. Xi told his Russian counterpart, “Right now, there are changes—the likes of which we haven’t seen for 100 …

The payment in non-US dollar denominated currency helps alleviate Pakistan’s balance of payments crisis and furthers the broader trend of de-dollarization in developing nations Pakistan paid for its first imports of discounted Russian crude oil in Chinese currency, Reuters reported on 13 June, marking a significant shift in the south …

As the Biden administration and Congress struggle to get their heads around the challenge posed by China today, they should reflect on lessons learned in America’s success in winning the Cold War with the Soviet Union. Just because fundamental and irresolvable differences in values and interests compel the United States …

The top German intelligence chief said the PKK is the biggest foreign terrorist group in the country, with around 14,500 supporters. Türkiye has complained that despite the group’s illegal status, European Union countries have long turned a blind eye to its activities on their soil, including media outlets, pro-terror demonstrations, …