Archive for February, 2023

Realism on China

What is clear is that, intentionally or not, China has shown America’s need to get serious about the threat posed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its expansionist global aims. As the latest provocation by the CCP plays out, it gets more disturbing. The media, and even US President Joe Biden, describe the CCP as a “competitor” and downplay […]

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Taliban Restrictions on Women’s Rights Deepen Afghanistan’s Crisis

What’s new? The Taliban have ordered the most sweeping rollbacks of women’s rights since retaking power in 2021, part of a series of escalating moves to enforce the group’s heterodox conservatism. Girls and women are losing access to education, employment and public spaces as well as other basic freedoms. Why did it happen? The Taliban leader, Hibatullah Akhundzada, appears to insist upon […]

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China Aids and Abets Russian Disinformation Efforts in the Ukraine Conflict

Throughout nine years of conflict in Ukraine, Russia has leaned heavily on disinformation as part of the war effort. Russian-backed/aligned disinformation campaigns and narratives have primarily sought to undermine support for Ukraine and amplify anti-US and anti-NATO sentiments on a global scale. With Chinese support for Russia showing increased strength of late – rather than abating – it seems likely […]

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Je ne suis pas loin d’envisager que c’est la Chine qui récoltera l’essentiel de la gloire de la victoire de la Russie

« L’impérialisme stade suprême du capitalisme ». Je ne suis pas loin d’envisager que c’est la Chine qui récoltera l’essentiel de la gloire de la victoire de la Russie ! Le fait nouveau de la situation c’est l’implication de la Chine. Elle vient coup sur coup de prendre plusieurs initiatives historiques. Cette semaine, la Chine a fait ce qui pourrait […]

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US To Deploy More Troops To Taiwan To Train Local Army

The Pentagon plans to quadruple the number of American troops in Taiwan and Taipei is to send a combined arms battalion to the United States, both for training purposes in the face of a growing threat from China, according to media reports. The United States will deploy between 100 and 200 troops to Taiwan to bolster a training program for […]

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Deal On Philippine Bases Gives US Firmer Foothold In Asia – Analysis

Giving the United States greater access to Philippine military bases would allow the superpower to respond more swiftly to flashpoints in the region, as potential conflicts brew in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea, analysts say. The U.S. and Philippine defense secretaries announced recently that the allies had struck a deal for granting American forces access to four more […]

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Pakistan Stock Exchange Witnesses 10.4%WoW Decline In Average Daily Trading Volume

During the week ended on February 24, 2023, Pakistan Stock Exchange remained volatile due to news flows regarding the IMF deal and approval of Financial Supplementary Bill for raising additional taxes of PKR170 billion Unease amongst the participants increased as T-Bills cut-offs in the latest auction by State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) went up to 19.95%, contributing to the fears […]

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China: Economic Slowdown May Prompt Reluctant Reform – Analysis

At a press conference on 28 May 2020, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang told reporters that China was considering joining the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). Following Li’s comments, Wendy Cutler, former US chief negotiator of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, argued that China’s interest should be taken seriously because the economic reforms that China would be required to undertake […]

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Does Uzbekistan Need A Nuclear Power Plant? – Analysis

Uzbekistan does not possess nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons and is a member of the Central Asia Nuclear Weapons Free-Zone Treaty. That is the good news. However, the disturbing news is a 2018 agreement with Russia’s state atomic energy corporation Rosatom to build a nuclear power plant in Uzbekistani territory. While Tashkent needs additional power sources, the nuclear plant is […]

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Is Pakistan Poised to Take on the TTP?

Amid Pakistan’s economic crisis and the Taliban’s rule in Afghanistan, the Pakistani Taliban have reemerged as an increasingly potent threat. The Pakistani Taliban’s late January attack in Peshawar, the capital of Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, claimed the lives of more than 100 worshipping at a police compound mosque. The bombing was claimed by a faction of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP, […]

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