Category: South East Asia

Pakistan, Afghanistan Agree To Immediate Cease-Fire During Talks In Doha

Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to an immediate truce during talks mediated by Qatar and Turkey in Doha, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry announced early October 19 on X. “During the negotiations, the two sides agreed to an immediate cease-fire and the establishment of mechanisms to consolidate lasting peace and stability between the two countries,” the Qatari Foreign Ministry said in a statement. […]

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Beijing’s Minerals Brinkmanship May Backfire

The Communist Party’s anxiety reflects how quickly investor confidence and allied coordination hardened after the announcement. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s call for a coordinated response to Beijing’s coercion is long overdue (“Allies United Against China on Rare Earths,” Review & Outlook, Oct. 17). But Xi Jinping’s latest moves suggest something deeper than strategy—a sign of strain. China controls roughly 70% […]

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Dar-ul-Uloom Deoband Seminary Of India Accords Hero’s Welcome To Afghan Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi As India Courts The Taliban And Upgrades Embassy

On October 11, 2025, Afghan Taliban’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi was given a grand reception by the students and teachers of Dar-ul-Uloom Deoband in the town of Deoband, about 180 kilometers from New Delhi. Dar-ul-Uloom Deoband is the largest Islamic seminary in the world after Cairo’s Al-Azhar University and is considered the spiritual fountainhead of the extreme religious teachings […]

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The Miseducation of Xi Jinping: How a Father’s Struggle Revealed the Price of Power

Given the flood of books on China that has poured forth in recent years, one might think the rest of the world would have figured out that provocative country by now. But much of China’s historical evolution continues to defy Western understanding, and many of its leaders remain tantalizing conundrums—few more so than Xi Jinping, the general secretary of the […]

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Infructuous ‘ceasefires’

On October 18, 2025, successive air strikes by Pakistan in Paktika Province killed eight people, including three club cricketers attending a post-match gathering. The incident sparked particular outrage and inflamed public sentiment in Afghanistan. The Afghanistan Cricket Board subsequently withdrew from a planned triangular T20 series with Pakistan and Sri Lanka. A new ceasefire between Pakistan and Afghanistan came into […]

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Taliban defense minister says Durand Line not part of ceasefire deal with Pakistan

The Taliban’s defense minister Yaqub Mujahid said Sunday that the Durand Line, the disputed border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, was not addressed in Saturday’s ceasefire agreement signed by both sides in Doha. Speaking at a virtual press conference from the Qatari capital, Mujahid referred to the Durand Line as an “imaginary border” and said the matter “belongs to the nations,” […]

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Guerre des aimants : comment la Chine freine la production d’armement occidentale avec un simple formulaire

Sans aimants, pas de moteur, pas de radar, pas d’avion. Et sans la Chine, pas d’aimants. Environ 90% de la production mondiale d’aimants à terres rares provient de la République populaire. Ils sont présents dans chaque moteur électrique, chaque drone, chaque F-35. Ce qui peut sembler être un détail technique est en réalité la colonne vertébrale de l’armement moderne. Et […]

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TTP & ISKP: Two Sides of the Same Coin

In recent days, the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) has claimed responsibility for several terrorist attacks in South Waziristan (Pakistan), targeting polio workers and tribal elders. These incidents, occurring within a short span of time, highlight the persistent threat posed by these terrorist factions in Pakistan. However, these acts of violence underscore a deeper issue: the close relationship between ISKP […]

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Khawarij’s Patronage, Support & Facilitation from Afghanistan

Afghanistan has been a platform for operations by the Khawarij or the extremists, even though they claimed to be non-interference; indeed, they have received patronage from the Taliban government for their activity. With increasing activities of groups such as the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Afghanistan, security concern in Pakistan and other parts of the world has become of great concern. […]

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Global Terrorism Index 2025: A Wake-up Call for Pakistan’s Counterterrorism Gaps

The Global Terrorism Index (GTI) 2025 has ranked Pakistan second, painting a bleak reflection of an even bleaker security reality. The report highlights a fifth consecutive year of rising terrorism, with attacks surging from 517 in 2023 to 1,099 in 2024—the largest increase yet. This, coupled with the recent major incidents of terrorism in the country, necessitates a comprehensive strategy […]

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