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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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, […]

Kautilya, when ousted by the Nanda dynasty helped in buttressing the Mauryan empire through his academic and worldly teachings. Theoretical perspectives and reminiscent of his commandment established the significance of a peaceful neighborhood for Arthashastra. Although the states always looks for alliance beyond the first Mandala (circle of states), peace and influence in the immediate neighborhood remains the topmost priority. […]

The EU and India have launched a Trade and Technology Council (TTC), a bilateral forum to prioritise their partnership through cooperation in digital governance, green and clean energy technologies, and resilient value chains, trade and investment. The Council is a response to increasing great-power competition and a desire on both sides to bolster their respective strategic autonomies, with the potential […]

The South Asian neighbourhood is in flux. Sri Lanka and Pakistan are facing economic headwinds, with the former having gone through a full-blown economic collapse and the latter facing huge external debts, power shortages, and extreme inflation. Both are awaiting a bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The IMF has also sanctioned a precautionary loan of US $4.7 billion […]

China has become a global leader in the electric vehicles (EVs) sector, and Western governments are worried that its comparative advantage will become entrenched. Once again, mainstream pundits blame China’s success on government subsidies and unfair competition. This is just a pretext to argue for more government support in a sector which, from the very beginning, has not been driven […]

Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and police killed six ‘terrorists’ in a joint operation in the Lakki Marwat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. According to details, the CTD and police in a joint operation in Lakki Marwat’s Daddiwala area met an encounter with the terrorists. The terrorists were planning to carry out an attack at police station Abbasa, the police said. […]