South East Asia

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets Pakistan army chief

Pakistani chief of army staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Friday met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, crown prince, deputy prime minister and minister of defense of Saudi Arabia, and reviewed bilateral relations, Saudi state news agency SPA reported. Bajwa arrived in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. Pakistani prime …

Read More »

Nigerian Expert: ‘Lest We Forget, China Trained African Freedom Fighters’

In an article, Nigerian expert Socrates Mbamalu wrote that China sees itself as “a trusted and consistent comrade” to Africa, and that China had offered military intelligence, weapons, and training of “freedom fighters” to Algeria, Angola, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Guinea Bissau, and Namibia. He added: “The often racist and unjust antics …

Read More »

South Korea Is Staying Out of the U.S.-China Rivalry

South Koreans often refer to their country with a famous proverb: “In a fight between whales, the shrimp’s back gets broken.” But rather than a shrimp, Seoul is betting that it can become a dolphin, giving it more agency and maneuverability as competition heats up between the United States and …

Read More »

US Presses Taliban To Ease Violence, Resume Peace Talks

The United States appears upbeat about the resumption of stalled peace talks between warring parties in Afghanistan, even as fighting escalates amid the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops from the country. A senior U.S. official said Tuesday during a background briefing in Kabul that Washington’s diplomatic efforts are continuing …

Read More »

Is America hoping its withdrawal from Afghanistan makes that war-ravaged country China’s problem now?

A car bomb attack in Pakistan, possibly aimed at a Chinese diplomat, has demonstrated just how important peace and stability in the region is to Beijing and its $65 billion Belt and Road Initiative. On April 21 Wednesday evening a deadly blast struck a Pakistan hotel stemming from a car …

Read More »

Biden’s Withdrawal from Afghanistan Undermines His Own Global Strategy

Far worse than failing to intervene is intervening to fail. The withdrawal from Afghanistan is just that. US allies who have themselves invested huge military and economic resources in Afghanistan fear a Taliban return to power and the blood-bath that would likely accompany it. Their concerns are shared by General …

Read More »

‘Insider Attacks’ on Afghan Forces Increased by 82%, US Agency Reports

A new quarterly U.S. report has documented a staggering 82% increase in “insider attacks” on Afghan government security forces in the first quarter of 2021, resulting in 115 personnel killed and 39 wounded. The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) reported Thursday to the U.S. Congress that overall Afghan …

Read More »

Pentagon preparing for Taliban attacks during US withdrawal from Afghanistan

The Pentagon is preparing for possible Taliban attacks on U.S. and coalition forces as they withdraw from Afghanistan, a prospect that complicates the outlook for winding down America’s longest war. May 1 was the date all U.S. and other foreign forces were to have departed Afghanistan under a February 2020 …

Read More »

US troops begin leaving Afghanistan

The U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan has officially begun in line with President Biden’s order for all U.S. troops to be out by Sept. 11, the White House confirmed Thursday. “A drawdown is underway,” deputy White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters traveling on Air Force One. Biden ordered …

Read More »

Top US military intelligence official says Russian military poses an ‘existential threat’ to the US

The top US military intelligence official said during a congressional hearing on Thursday that the Russian military is an “existential threat” to the United States. “The Russian military is an existential threat to the United States,” Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, said during a Senate …

Read More »