The “extended Troika” on the Afghan problem comprising the United States, Russia, and China — and Pakistan — have announced in Doha on Friday a road map in consultation with the Ashraf Ghani government and Taliban as regards the way forward in immediate terms for reaching a peace settlement. The announcement followed consultations in Doha …
India’s agony and ecstasy over Quad
A flurry of diplomatic activities through the past fortnight starting with the first-ever summit meeting of Quad on March 12 mark a historic transition in the world order. While the western world has been the locus of international politics for the past five centuries, that is most certainly shifting toward the Asia-Pacific region. Not only …
Asymmetry in US-Russia-China triangle
US-China dialogue in Anchorage, Alaska on March 16, 2021 The privilege of posing the first question to the Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the customary press conference last Sunday on the margins of the 13th National People’s Congress in Beijing went to the Tass correspondent. The extraordinary gesture, dripping with symbolism, …
Biden kickstarts China re-engagement
What distinguishes the new US administration is that there has never been an American president before with anywhere near the foreign policy experience that Joe Biden possesses. Biden brings into the presidency enormous experience spanning over half a century, through his continuous stretch in the US Senate and the White House from 1973 to 2016 …
China draws the analogy of Korean war to warn US
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (R) placing wreath at monument to martyrs of Chinese People’s Volunteer Army who fought in Korean War. Kim separately placed a floral basket at the tomb of Mao Anying, eldest son of China’s Mao Zedong, Hoechang County, DPRK, Oct 22, 2020. The ceremony at the Great Hall of the …
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The Sino-Russian Alliance Comes of Age — Part 3
Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) signed the statements on the “comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era” and on “strengthening contemporary global strategic stability”, Moscow, June 5, 2019 The first part of the three-part essay is here. The second part is here. Discourse of shared legacies The …
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US-China decoupling is hard to do
Top US and Chinese officials participated in a scheduled call for a “constructive dialogue” on trade issues, Aug 24, 2020 The cracking sound of ice breaking in the frozen US-China relationship is audible with the two big powers holding a high-level “virtual meeting” on Tuesday to discuss trade and related issues. In spite of everything, the …
China sees Biden as tough but predictable
Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden arrives to give his acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention, Chase Center, Wilmington, Delaware, August 20, 2020. Joe Biden’s acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention on August 20 has been widely acclaimed in America and it enhances the growing perception that he is likely to …
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Trump lame duck bodes well for international security
Volunteers load free groceries at a community food bank in the Crenshaw neighbourhood of Los Angeles, United States, in July. (AFP photo) The commencement of the lame duck period of the Donald Trump presidency is marked by the departure of two high-ranking officials of the US state department in the last two days. Secretary of …
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Putin had a dream to reset the world order
Russian President Vladimir Putin delivered a speech at Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial center, Jerusalem, January 23, 2020, to mark 75 years since the liberation of Auschwitz Moscow has a way of signalling to the White House on critical issues from time to time through public statements calibrated to catch President Trump’s attention. It happens usually …
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