Politics
US Troops Trying to Break Through from Afghanistan into Central Asia
Armenian Genocide Recognition, Game Changer and Threat to NATO’s Continued Existence
With Turkey in tatters, Joe Biden has added insult to injury with the Armenian Genocide recognition, a campaign promise he has now kept. A few weeks ago, Turkey’s currency lost 17% in one day, and COVID is at its highest peak there. It goes without saying that the Turkish leadership is facing disaster, both…
US Encirclement of China: A Progress Report
Tensions between Washington and Beijing are not merely the recent results of former US President Donald Trump’s time in office – but rather just the latest chapter in US efforts to contain China that stretch back decades. Indeed, US foreign policy has for decades admittedly aimed at encircling and containing China’s rise and maintaining primacy over the Indo-Pacific…
Don’t Hold Out Hope: A Biden-Putin Meetup May Not Change Much
I can imagine the upcoming meeting between US President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The meetup will probably be held somewhere in Europe. It seems logical to assume the sit-down will start with something like, “Okay, we both hate each other’s guts. So, what kind of deal can we hash out that will satisfy all concerned…
Where are the US and NATO Withdrawing their Afghan Troops to?
On May 1, US President Joe Biden announced the beginning of the official withdrawal from Afghanistan of the remaining troops — about 3,000 American troops and about 7,000 fighters of NATO countries. There is no reason to talk about even a ghost of victory for the US in this war, and Joe Biden did not try to cover this up when he announced…
United States Plans to Recalibrate the China-Russia Relationship Doomed to Fail
This week the United States secretary of state Anthony Blinken travels to Ukraine for meetings with the Ukrainian leadership. It is likely that he is taking a message that the Ukrainians do not want to hear: that they must cease the undeclared war against the two breakaway republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. Although it is not a message that Ukrainians…
Biden Wants a Pliable Turkey: Will his Strategy Work?
By dropping the “genocide bomb” the sitting US president seems to have unleashed a process that, in his opinion, would force Turkey into falling in line with US policies, as Erdogan’s political fortunes are apparently falling. Let’s not forget that Joe Biden had pledged during his election campaign to recognise the Armenian genocide. As such, while the Trump…
Economics
Is Vietnam Gravitating Toward a Russian Orbit Now?
Given Russia’s significant shift eastward, news of new cooperation with Vietnam and other southeast Asian nations bears watching. President Putin’s recent call with General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Nguyen Phu Trong over Sputnik V shipments highlights moves by Moscow to engage the region. Vietnam began vaccinating citizens using…
Iranian Alternative to the Suez Canal
With the recent blockage of the Suez Canal by the container ship Ever Given, many countries are already actively involved in the search and discussion of a possible future alternative to this maritime transport route connecting Europe and Asia. For instance, Russia proposed the Northern Sea Route, and Israel recalled the idea of the Ben-Gurion Canal, which could connect…
Has Washington Lured Erdogan into a Bear Trap?
After failing to block Turkey’s purchase of the advanced S-400 Russian air defense system, Washington diplomacy in recent months appeared to have managed to “flip” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to support of US interests in several critical countries from Libya to Armenia to Ukraine, even Afghanistan. With the Turkish economy on the brink…
Australian Self Interest Sacrificed in a Needless Economic War with China
This week the Australian government took its expected step and cancelled the Belt and Road Initiative agreement that the Australian State of Victoria had signed with the Chinese. The move was not unexpected and had been signalled by the government some time ago. The ostensible reason for the cancellation was that it was…
How China Aims to Navigate the Complex Middle East
While China has already made its mark in the Middle East and is already outsmarting the US, the recently signed China-Iran pact is perhaps the biggest economic venture China has made in the Middle East so far. However, while China does have big ambitions with respects to its economic engagement with countries in West Asia, Middle East remains…
Egypt and Israel are Contemplating Alternatives to the Suez Canal
The now infamous blockage of the Suez Canal, along with the incident that nearly led to its repetition that occurred in early April, as well as a series of terrorist attacks committed by Israel against Iranian ships, has forced the international community to actively look for a possible alternative to this vital maritime transport artery. Against…
There's No Disputing the Strategic Importance of the Suez Canal and Bab-el-Mandeb Strait
The transport collapse that was triggered by the recent grounding of a giant container ship called Ever Given along with the strategies that can prevent such collapses from reoccurring remain hot topics in the media these days. About 12% of all trade passes through the Suez Canal…
Society
Seven Years since the Sewol Ferry Disaster
April 16, 2021 marks seven years the Sewol ferry disaster, which killed more than 300 people, mostly high school students. This makes us look at how work is progressing during the reign of Moon Jae-in to identify and ultimately punish the perpetrators of this tragedy. From the author’s point of view, the Sewol problem – from the standpoint of establishing justice – consists…
“Without Remorse” Peddling Lies and Hate for Amazon
In 1943, a Hollywood film was made depicting the courage of Russian partisans fighting Nazi Germany in World War II. Directed by Louis Milestone, who had also directed the anti-war classic, All Quiet on the Western Front, the script was written by Lillian Hellman. However, the version of that film I saw, growing up during the Cold War, had a different message. Most confusingly…
US-Russian Relations: A Middle Eastern Perspective
The relationship between the United States and Russia has been a topic of discussions among Middle Eastern experts and in media outlets in light of Washington’s recent disruptive actions. After the telephone conversation between Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden, tensions between the two leaders were expected to ease but these hopes were dashed…
Anti-French Protests in Pakistan: the Causes and Consequences
In Pakistan, on April 11, 2021, massive anti-French protests erupted. The call for citizens to take to the streets came from the head of the Islamist party Tehreek-e-Labbaik – a group banned in the Russian Federation – Muslim cleric Allama Saad Rizvi. Subsequently, people went on strike over the fact that Rizvi was arrested on…
Queen versus Knave: The Battle for the Soul of the United Kingdom
The death of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, after a long and fulfilling life as consort to Queen Elizabeth II, provoked the usual debates about whether the British monarchy should continue, and what it actually does. Then just when everyone was getting involved in these debates they were given a sharp reminder of why the monarchy continues…
Vaccines and the Ugly Path of Healthcare Politicization
It’s rather unfortunate that the fight against the novel coronavirus pandemic has turned the search for an effective vaccine against COVID-19 into one of the most expensive and politicized scientific endeavors of this century. However, Big Pharma is not the only one take to the blame here, as administrative entrepreneurs and heads of regulatory agencies…
Russia and China Have Big Plans in Space
The trend of shifting away from the Washington-led unipolar “international order” toward multipolarism is not just unfolding here on Earth but far above it in orbit and even beyond. Washington’s continued campaign of belligerence toward Moscow has even complicated one of the few fields of constructive cooperation between the two nations…
