Every five to six years, roughly, the United States comes out with a ‘new’ Central Asia strategy. The Indian automobile industry might call it “facelift” — cosmetic changes to create an air of novelty, such as a new radiator grill, a tweak in the rear bumper, exciting colour options and so on. The document titled …
Russia rejects Turkish narrative on Syria
A Turkish military convoy entering the town of Sarmada in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib. The Russian reaction to Turkey’s latest military moves in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib has appeared in the form of a lengthy interview with the government daily Rossiyskaya Gazeta by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on February 4, which has since …
Continue reading “Russia rejects Turkish narrative on Syria”
US uneasy as Iraq gets new prime minister
Iraq’s Prime Minister-designate Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi (L) receives appointment decree from President Barham Salih (R), Baghdad, February 1, 2020 In happier times, Washington and Tehran might well have zeroed in on Mohammed Tawfik Allawi as their consensus candidate for the post of Iraq’s prime minister. Why not? He was opposed to Saddam Hussein’s dictatorship — …
Continue reading “US uneasy as Iraq gets new prime minister”
Putin ushers Russia into transition period
Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered his annual address to Federal Assembly, Moscow, January 15, 2020 It is a common fallacy that authoritarian rulers can afford to be impervious to public opinion. On the contrary, leaders like Russia’s Vladimir Putin or Turkey’s Recep Erdogan who are democratically elected ‘strongmen’ and enjoy high popularity in their respective …
Continue reading “Putin ushers Russia into transition period”
Why Turkey won’t hitch Syrian wagon with US
Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad on rare visit to frontline in northwestern Idlib province, October 2019. (File photo) The remark by President Recep Erdogan on Friday that Turkey might militarily intervene in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province fuelled speculation that tensions between Ankara and Moscow have reached a point of no return. However, this is nothing but …
Continue reading “Why Turkey won’t hitch Syrian wagon with US”
Moscow pips Pompeo at the Syrian post
A street in Maarat al-Numan town in Idlib captured by Syrian forces after heavy fighting with al-Qaeda affiliates The capture of the town of Maarat al-Numan in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib bordering Turkey on Wednesday by the government forces must be counted as the first ‘new facts on the ground’ since the murder of …
Russia stood by Iran in showdown with US
Russian President Vladimir Putin watches Black Sea navy exercise from Marshal Ustinov missile cruiser, Jan. 9, 2020. The US President Donald Trump first said there were ‘no casualties’ in the Iranian missile attack on the Ain al-Asad military airbase in Iraq on January 8. “We suffered no casualties, all of our soldiers are safe, and …
Pakistan’s exit from FATF list puts India on the spot
US Acting Asst Secy of State Alice Wells met Pakistan’s Interior Minister Ijaz Shah, Islamabad, Jan. 20, 2020 The media reports that in the Indian estimation there is “a 75 per cent chance” of Pakistan exiting the ‘grey list’ of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) at the plenary of the international body on February 16 …
Continue reading “Pakistan’s exit from FATF list puts India on the spot”
US plotting return of ‘strongman’ in Iraq
The departure of the former Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani is beginning to be felt in Iraq. The two meetings that the US President Donald Trump had with the leader of Iraq’s Kurdish Regional Government Nechirvan Barzani and the president of Iraq Barhem Saleh in Switzerland on Wednesday on the sidelines of the World Economic …
Continue reading “US plotting return of ‘strongman’ in Iraq”
India’s neighbourhood first policy crumbles
Massive anti-CAA rally at Kochi, Kerala, on New Year Day Two of South Asia’s most prominent national figures have made critical remarks regarding India’s Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and related issues. The criticism is striking not only because it is unprecedented but both Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and former Afghan President Hamid Karzai have …
Continue reading “India’s neighbourhood first policy crumbles”