Scene from a ceremony marking the first anniversary of the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani, Tehran, Dec 31, 2020 On the first anniversary of the killing of the leader of Iran’s elite Quds Force, Gen. Qasem Soleimani in a targeted drone strike on Jan. 3, 2020 that was approved by President Donald Trump, something had to …
China-EU deal is a reality check for India
After seven long years of negotiations, China and the European Union announced on December 30 that they have reached a Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI). It is a hugely consequential event for the world economy and international politics. The agreement is destined to rebalance the trade and investment relationship between two of the top three …
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China’s mission to Nepal gains traction
Nepal’s Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli (R) received the vice-minister of International Department of Chinese Communist Party Central Committee Guo Yezhou (L) at Kathmandu, Dec. 27, 2020 There can be no two opinions that China has huge stakes in Nepal’s stability. The leitmotif of the visit to Kathmandu by the delegation from the Chinese …
Turkey upgrades ties with Israel. This is why
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) met Hamas’s political bureau chief Ismail Haniya, Istanbul, December 2019 (AFP) The upgrade of Turkey-Israel diplomatic ties to ambassadorial level has not come as surprise. Where all can agree is that this is not an extension of the Abraham Accords. In essence, Turkey is posting a new envoy to …
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US risks confrontation with Russia
The Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov remarked last week that Moscow expects nothing good in relations with a “deeply hostile” US under the incoming administration of Joe Biden. He further said in an interview with the Interfax published Wednesday, “We are heading from bad to worse. The next US president has been left with …
China to strengthen military coordination with Russia
Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) & Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping The joint aerial strategic patrol held by the air forces of Russia and China on December 22 over the Sea of Japan and the East China Sea makes a big statement in the geopolitics of the Asia-Pacific region. Chinese experts have hinted that such events could …
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Turkey gets an ally in Ukraine
Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar (L) and Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (L2); Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba (R2) and Defense Minister Andriy Taran (R) held a press conference after meeting in a ‘2+2’ format, Kiev, Ukraine, Dec, 18, 2020. Turkey under President Recep Erdogan has been variously accused of ‘neo-Ottomanism’, revanchism or radical Islamism. But …
India’s military diplomacy is delusional
India’s chief of the army staff General Manoj Mukund Naravane (L) met top Saudi generals, Riyadh, December 14, 2020 The recent visits by the army chief General MM Naravane to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia generated some excitement among Indian analysts that a brave new world of ‘military diplomacy’ has dawned. Bombastic coinages …
US drawdown spurs Afghan peace talks
Internally displaced children sit outside a tent at a refugee camp, Khost province, Eastern Afghanistan, November 17, 2020 Prospects for the resumption of the Afghan peace talks at Doha on January 5 look bright despite the recent spike in violence involving the Taliban, Afghan government forces and the US Air Force, which have caused large …
Red, red Kerala hails Pinarayi’s leadership
Jubilant communist party supporters savour massive election victory in Kerala’s local body elections, December 16, 2020 Malayalis attribute high importance to democratic elections in general, but the elections to the local bodies and the state assembly are of exceptional importance. Like in any part of the world where the roots of democracy and representative rule …
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