2016 began with a dangerous rekindling of the Cold War that has existed for some time between Saudi Arabia and Iran. Given that this tension between the two states is in part fuelling the intensity of the wars in Yemen and Syria,…
Relatively little is being said about it in the French media because Afghanistan has been forgotten due to the crisis in Syria, and because Westerners are not, this time, on the frontline, but the inter-Afghan peace process is striving, with difficulty, to…
British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond was obviously detached from reality when he suggested, on March 08, that issue of Jammu and Kashmir should not be a precondition for resumption of India-Pakistan dialogue and emphasized the need for reopening of talks between the…
It is difficult to imagine a case where Europeans, Americans and Russians can so easily agree on Afghanistan. At least as much, if not more, than the West, the Kremlin is concerned about the weakness of the Afghan state and the terrorist…
During the recently concluded sixth ministerial-level Pakistan-US Strategic Dialogue, Pakistan’s nuclear programme and economy attracted the maximum attention of delegates. The US tried to arm twist Pakistan to reduce its nuclear arsenal. However, Pakistan firmly expressed the resolve by not accepting any…
China's Economic Engagement in the Middle East
China’s President Xi Jinping last month visited key states of the Middle East. During meeting with King Salman, President Xi agreed on closer strategic cooperation between Riyadh and Beijing. In Cairo, Xi and Egypt’s President signed…
Two suicide attacks one each in Kabul and Kunar provinces of Afghanistan and prompt claiming of responsibility by the Taliban could be another conspiracy to derail the upcoming direct talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban. Afghan conflict often throws up…
There was a time when the United States (US) fought against communist ideology of the then Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). The cold war mantra was dominated by holding capitalism dearer and then came a day when the US stood victorious.…
Trans-pacific Partnership (TPP) is a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) among 12 countries, namely the US, Japan, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Brunei, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, Chile and Peru. The presence of giant economies like the US and Japan in TPP raise the…
The US Defence Intelligence Agency Director Lieutenant General Vincent R Stewart has said in his recent testimony to the US Senate Armed Services Committee that Pakistan’s military operation Zarb-e-Azb and Karachi operation have been successful in reducing violence in Pakistan: “Counter-insurgency operations…