Category: South East Asia

The Big One

Preparing for a Long War With China Over the past decade, the prospect of Chinese military aggression in the Indo-Pacific has moved from the realm of the hypothetical to the war rooms of U.S. defense planners. Chinese leader Xi Jinping has significantly accelerated his country’s military buildup, now in its third decade. At the same time, China has become increasingly […]

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Out Of The Hills: The War Is Coming To Myanmar’s Cities – Analysis

Operation 1027, launched on Oct. 27 by the Three Brotherhood Alliance, has led to coordinated attacks throughout Myanmar and seen the fall of 20 towns and over 300 military posts. But violence is now starting to spread to the cities, a strategic tipping point. Since that offensive against the military in northern Shan state by the alliance – the Arakan […]

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Why The US Must Monitor The Taliban – OpEd

As the world witnessed the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, concerns have escalated regarding the potential resurgence of the Taliban and the subsequent threats it might pose to global security. This piece delves into the historical context, post-withdrawal concerns, and the imperative for the United States to actively monitor the Taliban, ensuring that Afghanistan does not become a threat […]

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Peace Superpower Vs. War Superpower: Will Beijing Win The Soft Power War Against Washington? – OpEd

The US became a superpower through the two world wars and the Soviet collapse. China emerged as a superpower in the post-Soviet peace era. For the US, war is an opportunity to achieve its goals. This is evident in its involvement in the conflicts between Ukraine and Russia, and Hamas and Israel. However, for China, war is a disruption to […]

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Myanmar’s Civil War Blowing Up India’s Act East Policy – Analysis

After the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in 2014, India has accelerated its ‘Act East Policy’ (AEP) to link more closely with its Southeast Asian neighbours to consolidate its geo-political power through trade and infrastructure development that reflects China’s Belt and Road Initiative. But, with civil war in neighbouring Myanmar spilling over the porous 400km long border into […]

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Taliban Reportedly Dismantled Islamic State Bases in Western Afghanistan

Taliban security forces in Afghanistan have reportedly killed an Islamic State operative and captured several others during overnight raids on the militant group’s bases near the border with Iran. “important network” of the regional branch of Islamic State known as Islamic State-Khorasan, or IS-K, said a Taliban-affiliated media outlet Friday. The network was involved in some of the recent attacks […]

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The Plot To Assassinate A Sikh Activist: A Challenge For US-India Partnership – OpEd

The US Justice Department has filed a chargesheet against an Indian national, Nikhil Gupta, in connection with an alleged assassination plot targeting a Sikh separatist leader, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun who lives in New York. According to the Justice Department, Gupta was arrested on June 30 in the Czech Republic and is awaiting extradition to the US. He faces up to […]

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India: An Unexpected Accord With UNLF In Manipur – Analysis

On November 29, 2023, the Government of India (GoI) and Government of Manipur signed a Peace Agreement with the United National Liberation Front (UNLF), in New Delhi. A Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) release noted, “While political settlements have been finalised with several ethnic armed groups of the North East as part of conflict resolution initiatives of Government of […]

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Philippines: Islamic State Claims Responsibility For Bombing At Catholic Mass

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for a bomb attack at a Catholic Mass on Sunday that killed four people and injured dozens in the southern Philippines, counter-terrorism experts said. The explosion occurred at 7:30 a.m. at the Mindanao State University gymnasium in Marawi city, which was taken over by militants linked to IS in 2017. During the five-month battle […]

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WaPo’s Information Provocation Against India Tries Way Too Hard To Stir International Drama

It took three journalists nearly 5,000 words to convey a single point, namely that an alleged Indian intelligence agent is supposedly behind a site that sometimes criticizes anti-Indian Americans. That’s it. Everything else was just dramatic flair and fluff to manipulate naïve readers into thinking that the Indian government is meddling in US affairs when it’s actually the US that’s […]

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