Voters waiting patiently in hours-long queues in South Africa’s parliamentary election, May 29, 2024 The results of the election to the South African parliament on Friday confirmed the widely-held belief that the ruling African National Congress (ANC) which spearheaded the country’s liberation from apartheid in 1993 and since dominated the political landscape like a banyan tree …
Continue reading “South Africa tiptoes towards coalition politics”
The aftermath of a Ukrainian attack on Belgorod, Russia, in May The United States’ proxy war with Russia is at another inflection point. The battleground is shifting dramatically to Russian territory — something without precedent even in the Cold War. How this pans out will be a momentous event in 21st century politics. …
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (C) addressing the Council for Foreign and Defence Policy, Moscow, May 18, 2024 In international diplomacy, summit meetings stand apart from regular high-level meetings when they are held at key moments or important junctures to reinforce partnerships and/or launch major initiatives. The summit meeting at Beijing last Thursday between Chinese President …
Continue reading “The ‘inside track’ of Putin-Xi Jinping talks”
The state visit by Russian President Vladimir Putin to China underscored that the two superpowers’ choice of entente-type alignment has gained traction. It falls short of explicit military obligations of support and yet will not entirely rule out military support either. By embracing a form of strategic ambiguity, it provides them the optimal means to …
Continue reading “Sino-Russian entente shifts the tectonic plates of world politics”
Russian Foreign Ministry, Smolensky Square, Moscow For the historic occasion at the hallowed St Andrew’s Hall of the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow, as Russia is poised at a tumultuous juncture of sculpturing and moulding its tryst with destiny, President Vladimir Putin made a remarkably brief speech at the inaugural ceremony held on May 7. There was …
A surprise inspection of Russia’s non-strategic nuclear weapons carriers has begun in Belarus, May 7, 2024 A study by the Harvard Business School in experimental psychology relating to people’s tendency to “shoot the messenger” came up with a startling finding that such human behaviour stems in part from a desire to make sense of chance …
Continue reading “Countdown begins for Russia’s Ukraine offensive”
The US drone base ‘Base Aerienne 201’ in Agadez, Niger Such a thing never happened in the past one hundred years since the United States stepped out of the Western Hemisphere as an imperial power — an adversary barging into one of its military bases abroad. A military base is deemed sovereign territory and an …
US to transfer ATACMS system to Ukraine with 300 km range Russia’s free running in the Ukraine war in the most recent months is about to end as the Biden Administration has met with success, finally, in the US Congress on the long-stalled Ukraine aid bill. The aid approved by the House on Saturday would send $60.8 …
Shaded Relief and Radar Image of the narrow Bosporous Strait connecting Istanbul with the vast expanse of the Black Sea. Source: United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration Washington has dusted up its old toolbox to re-engage its cold-war ally Turkey and resuscitate their moribund alliance to serve the US’ geo-strategic interests in the …
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with newly drafted soldiers, Israel, April 16, 2024 The United States’ diplomatic initiative to issue a joint statement condemning Iran on its “Attack on the State of Israel” has ended in fiasco, as there were hardly any takers for it from outside of the western bloc of nations. This is a …
