Friendship Bridge from Uzbekistan to Afghanistan 23. With eyes on Taliban, US to reset Uzbek ties When Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman lands in Tashkent on Sunday, she will be practically carving on a tiny piece of ivory. This is not to blame Sherman who is arguably a strategic asset for the Biden Administration …
Biden makes eye contact with Saudi Crown Prince
Top White House aide Jake Sullivan met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Neom, Saudi Arabia, September 27, 2021 What is absolutely certain about the visit by the US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan to Saudi Arabia and his meeting with the powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Monday, is that it couldn’t have …
Continue reading “Biden makes eye contact with Saudi Crown Prince”
Reflections on Events in Afghanistan-22
Chinese ambassador Wang Yu met Acting Foreign Minister of Taliban Mawlavi Amir Khan Muttaqi, Kabul, September 26, 2021 22. US, UK prepare to re-engage Taliban Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has written yet another opinion piece in the Washington Post, sensing a turning point lies ahead with the Biden Administration assembling a sustainable, durable …
Rise of centre-left in Germany
The big take-away of Germany’s first election of the post-Merkel era is that none of the parties has ‘won’ and each of the parties has reason to look miserable and feel disappointed with their performance. A new political landscape is struggling to be born. For the ruling Christian Democrats [CDU], this has been their worst …
What Biden told the Indians
Given the state of the Indian media today, it is difficult to cut through the Indian-American rhetoric from a distance of 10,000 kilometres and get a rounded view of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United States and his meeting with President Biden. So much has changed since Modi last visited America two years …
Quad is turning & turning in widening gyre
US President Joe Biden at Quad Summit, White House, Sept. 24, 2021. Seated clockwise Australian PM Scott Morrison, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Japanese PM Yoshihide Suga & Indian PM Narendra Modi By coincidence, perhaps, on the same day that President Biden hosted the first Quad summit, he also cleared the way for a senior …
Continue reading “Quad is turning & turning in widening gyre”
Reflections on Events in Afghanistan-21
Acting Prime Minister of Taliban Interim Government Mohammad Hasan Akhund and senior ministers met the special envoys of Russia, China and Pakistan in Kabul, Afghanistan, September 21, 2021 21. Pakistani diplomacy is on a roll An Indian news website that is wired into Panjshir Valley reported this morning that Amrullah Saleh, former Afghan vice president and security tsar …
Iran’s SCO membership is a big deal
Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi (R) participated in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Dushanbe on Sept 16-17, 2021 Like in a Wagnerian music drama, there is an associated melodic theme that accompanies the situations behind the two big regional developments last week — the announcement of the AUKUS, security alliance of three “maritime democracies” on …
Ruckus over AUKUS isn’t an edifying sight
French President Emmanuel Macron (L) and US President Joe Biden enjoy a light moment at the G7, Cornwall, UK, June 12, 2021 The diplomatic fallout from the new security agreement between the Australia, United Kingdom and the United States [AUKUS] is just about beginning. The debris will take time to clean up. Might there be …
Continue reading “Ruckus over AUKUS isn’t an edifying sight”
Reflections on Events in Afghanistan-20
Iran’s then-Foreign Minister Javad Zarif (R) welcoming Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar (C), Tehran, Jan. 31, 2021 20. Iran takes good look at Taliban rulers Some strongly worded statements from Iran deploring the clashes in Panjshir Valley created a perception that Tehran might be distancing itself from the Taliban government. Of course, Tehran is …