Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi met Acting Taliban Dy Prime Minister Mullah Baradar, Doha, Oct. 255, 2021 30. Taliban Government gains traction All indications are that the regional states are preparing to accord recognition to the Taliban government. The meeting of regional states and Taliban officials in the so-called Moscow Format last …
Biden’s Taiwan gaffe meant no harm
China-Russia naval exercise Joint Sea-2021 kicked off in Russia’s Peter the Great Bay on October 14 focusing on mine countermeasures, air defence, live-fire shooting, maneuvering & anti-submarine mission The probability is that the US President Joe Biden committed yet another diplomatic gaffe at a CNN town hall last Thursday that Washington had a commitment to …
Reflections on Events in Afghanistan-29
Taliban government’s deputy prime minister Abdul Salam Hanafi (C) and Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi (R) arrive in Moscow to attend international talks on Afghanistan, Oct. 20, 2021 29. Taliban is the winner at Moscow conference The Moscow meeting of ten regional states and the Taliban officials on Wednesday has produced an outcome that by …
Biden gets predictability in Russia ties
US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin (L) and Georgian Defense Minister Juansher Burchuladze signed a pact on Georgia Defense and Deterrence Enhancement Initiative, Tbilisi, Oct. 18, 2021 Moscow has butted the grand old transatlantic alliance in the chest on Monday with the foreign ministry announcing that it will suspend the NATO military liaison mission with …
Reflections on Events in Afghanistan-28
A batch of emergency humanitarian aid donated by China arrived at Kabul International Airport, Afghanistan, September 29, 2021 28. Moscow meeting is a landmark event The United States regretted its inability to take part in the talks on Afghanistan in Moscow this week. The Russian side was pinning hopes on a meeting of the exclusive …
Narrative traps in India’s decision-making
Bhutan announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with China on boundary negotiations, Thimpu, Oct 14, 2021 I read a stimulating essay recently co-authored by Paul Dolan, professor at the London School of Economics, and his research assistant Amanda Hedwood analysing, against the backdrop of the uncertainties of the Covid-19 pandemic, how dominant narratives …
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Reflections on Events in Afghanistan-27
Uzbekistan Foreign Minister Abdulaziz Kamilov (left) escorted by Acting Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi (R) and Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdus Salam (L), Kabul, October 7, 2021 27. Russia draws red lines for US Moscow has categorically stated that it will not accept a US military presence in the Central Asian region. This reiteration has …
A face-off over Nord Stream 2
Kremlin announced that President Vladimir Putin will deliver a major speech on October 13, 2021 on global energy issues The Russian President Vladimir Putin will be delivering “an informative and very important speech and then take part in a plenary discussion” on Wednesday in Moscow at the Russian Energy Week, an international forum on the …
US, Iran exchanging glances
Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian has said his country’s dialogue with Saudi Arabia is “on the right track” While on a ‘farewell’ visit to Israel, outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Sunday in Jerusalem at a joint press conference alongside Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett that negotiations in Vienna over the return to the …
Reflections on Events in Afghanistan-26
Taliban delegation led by Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi (C) left Kabul for talks with US team of State Department, CIA & USAID officials through the weekend at Doha, Qatar, October 8, 2021 26. Taliban back in American swing chair The US state department admitted belatedly late last night that the first face-to-face meeting between …