For years, Washington hoped it could reach one big deal with Saudi Arabia. The United States would strengthen rits security relationship with Riyadh and help the kingdom build a civilian nuclear program. In return, Saudi Arabia would recognize Israel. If it worked, Washington would bring Saudi Arabia closer to Israel while strengthening its own position in the Gulf. That plan […]

Key Takeaways:Saudi Arabia, Türkiye, and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement on Aug. 7, 2026 (“attack on one is an attack on all,” UN Charter Art. 51); full text is still unpublished as of Sept. 1. An Aug. 31 Istanbul committee set a Riyadh secretariat (Pakistani SG for three years) and talked industry and cohesion—not NATO’s SHAPE, NDPP, or […]

The clearest example is the recent “Eagles of Civilisation 2026” military exercises with Egypt. The drills demonstrated capabilities that went beyond symbolic military diplomacy. China deployed J-16 fighter aircraft, a YY-20A aerial tanker, a KJ-500 airborne early-warning aircraft, an electronic warfare aircraft, and other support assets to Egypt. For the first time, Chinese jet formations flew more than 6,000 kilometres […]

Je n’ai cessé de parler de la Chine ces derniers temps. Mais lorsqu’on découvre ce qui s’apparente à un univers parallèle, un univers presque totalement invisible depuis le point de vue de celui dans lequel on vit, on se doit d’agir ; on se doit de faire connaître ce que les médias grand public s’efforcent assidûment de dissimuler. On peut […]

An Amu review of reports by Iranian human rights organizations found that at least 20 Afghan citizens have been executed in Iranian prisons since the beginning of 2026, amid concerns over access to lawyers, fair trials and a lack of transparency surrounding executions. The figures show that the executions were carried out between Jan. 1 and Aug. 28. At least […]

Local sources in Badakhshan told Amu that a civilian was killed in an armed clash between two Taliban officials that they said began over a dispute about fishing. The clash occurred Saturday afternoon in the Duabi area of Baharak district between Mullah Hafiz, the Taliban governor of Farah province, and Ibrahim, the Taliban police chief for Baharak district, according to […]

In late July, Washington imposed sweeping Section 301 tariffs targeting 60 trading partners that it alleged had failed to ban imports from China’s Xinjiang region. In this interview, Victor Gao argues that Beijing should turn the situation to its advantage by routing rare-earth exports through a Xinjiang-based hub. Guancha: In late July, the United States rolled out the so-called “forced […]

Key Takeaways:On the Taliban’s fifth anniversary in power, the author says fighting has intensified in Badakhshan: NRF (Ahmad Massoud), AFF (Gen. Yasin Zia), smaller local groups, and a brief revolt by former commander Juma Khan Fateh.The province matters because it is Tajik-majority, mineral-rich, and borders Tajikistan, Pakistan, and China via the Wakhan; attacks near Zebak, Kuran wa Munjan, and Faizabad […]

Key Takeaways:China and Indonesia held a brief Aug. 12 passing exercise east of Taiwan—Beijing’s first joint naval activity with a foreign military in those waters—which Taipei sees as an attempt to normalize Chinese presence, not a change in the military balance.Jakarta calls it routine diplomacy by a ship already transiting home from Vladivostok; analysts say the value for Beijing is […]

Alors que la guerre américano-israélienne contre l’Iran entre dans son sixième mois, l’attention se tourne vers la Chine et sa position dans ce conflit. Cependant, les calculs de Pékin ne se limitent pas à déterminer qui gagne et qui perd, mais portent davantage sur les répercussions de la guerre sur l’énergie, le commerce, la stabilité et l’équilibre des pouvoirs au […]