While China and Bangladesh remained uninvited to Washington’s Summit for Democracy, Pakistan has chosen to stay out of it despite being one of the invitees. This comes even as Islamabad continues to be upset over US President Joe Biden’s decision not to ring Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan since taking office. The Pakistan government has […]
The United States and China are competing for dominance in technology. America has long been at the forefront in developing the technologies (bio, nano, information) that are central to economic growth in the twenty-first century. Moreover, US research universities dominate higher education globally. In Shanghai Jiao Tong University’s annual Academic Ranking of World Universities, 16 […]
The Taiwan issue has become an increasingly dangerous focal point of tension and a headache for the USA and its allies. These tensions and headache, to a great extent, are intentionally created and self-inflicted. Ironically, the headache seems more severe in New Delhi and Canberra than in Washington. The other day, Brahma Chellaney, an Indian […]
India’s Democratic Backslide Recently, members of the far-right Hindu-nationalist organization Bajrang Dal confronted four Muslim men at a social event in the central Indian city of Indore. Clashes broke out, and the Bajrang Dal members turned the Muslim men over to the police, who arrested them to “restore peace.” (They were later released on bail.) The Hindu […]
On September 10, 2021, during an important diplomatic meeting that occurred by telephone, U.S. President Joseph Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping affirmed the necessity of a better relationship between their two nations. According to the official Chinese summary, Xi said that “when China and the United States cooperate, the two countries and the world will […]
With no back story at all, Australia has supposedly scrapped a $90 billion submarine contract with France, for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). The RAN will now allegedly buy US/UK nuclear subs. A remarkably inarticulate new-ish alliance, called AUKUS is also blaring away in the background. Frankly, from the lack of specifics, I don’t believe a […]
If you knew nothing about the war that has ravaged Afghanistan since 2001, and your only point of reference were reports aired on American cable news networks during the past two weeks, then you could be forgiven for believing two decades of American military occupation was responsible for keeping the Afghan people safe from the […]
Joe Biden’s swift, if not chaotic pull out of Afghanistan is going to make headlines for weeks and months to come. It is shocking on so many levels and the bumbling US president only seems to be making matters worse for himself with his endless statements and back peddling – assisted by a US media […]
It took a couple of days for US President Joe Biden to interrupt his vacation at Camp David and address his people and a world still in shock at the carnage in Afghanistan. In his 10-minute remarks, Biden defended his handling of the US withdrawal, while blaming his predecessor, former President Donald Trump, along with […]
The endgame of this phase of Afghanistan’s internal conflict should not come as a surprise to anyone, although many current and former officials and military leaders are expressing astonishment. The Taliban offensive was predictable, as was the ineffectiveness of the Afghan military, which has islands of good leaders in a sea of corruption. What was […]