South East Asia

Taliban And Islamic State Continue To Fight For Afghanistan’s Future – OpEd

The Taliban’s ability to lead Afghanistan remains questionable and ongoing instability has provided the Islamic State the opportunity for expansion.

On April 25, 2023, U.S. officials confirmed that the Taliban had killed the head of the Islamic State (IS) cell operating in Afghanistan. Though his identity has not been revealed, the IS leader is believed to have masterminded the 2021 Kabul airport attack that killed 170 Afghan civilians and 13 U.S. military personnel.

Why Is Pakistan Moving Towards A Failed State? Drastic Structural Reforms Are Required – OpEd

During the Second World War, the allied powers of the US, former Soviet Union, Great Britain, Germany, and France, being eminent winners in the war, laid the foundation of the United Nations and made international arrangements at the end of colonialism. Consequently, post-colonial nations emerged, and geographical boundaries were drawn for political and economic reasons to protect their interests in a future global order. Pakistan is one of those nation-states in post-colonial nationhood.

China’s support may not be ‘lethal aid,’ but it’s vital to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine

It’s the conventional wisdom in Washington and in most European capitals: China is only providing limited support to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In Beijing, meanwhile, officials attempt to portray neutrality, emphasizing that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is not providing weapons to Russia. As PRC leader Xi Jinping told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a recent call, according to state media, “China has always stood on the side of peace.”

American Nightmare of Separation from Afghanistan: Is the Mujahedin-e Khalq the Next?

The United States has shown since its beginning that it is not a credible country. For the United States, every group, organization, country, and even political figure is supported only as long as it benefits the USA, and when it loses its effectiveness, it will be replaced very quickly, and all US obligations to that group or country will be severed. As we have seen in recent days, the United States, in a shocking move in the Taliban civil war with Afghan government, left Afghanistan very quickly after 20 years that it spent 1 trillion USD, and left Afghan people defenseless. The Afghan army, which was under the direct training of the US military and had all kinds of military equipment, could not even resist the Taliban, with such simple military equipment, for two weeks.

Af-Pak Strategy; Indian Arrow in the Pentagon Quiver

Pentagon considers Indian Arrow in running battle with Region

New Af-Pak strategy veiled that the USA is not ready to leave Afghanistan for long-term geopolitical objectives because of extensive stay of the NATO forces in this region. So, Washington is not only escalating American troops but it is also demanding NATO and its allies for more troops on Afghan soil. In fact, the America, the deep state, has decided to use Afghan hostile situation by dispersal of three evils; Extremism, Terrorism, and Separatism to all regional countries with the aim to alter the geopolitical landscape of the Eurasia, especially in Muslim World.

What Russia’s First Gas Pipeline to China Reveals About a Planned Second One

Russia is now in a far worse negotiating position than in 2014. Finding itself at the mercy of a monopsonist buyer, there is very little it can actually do.

A key topic of discussion during the Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s recent visit to Moscow was the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline project planned to export Russian natural gas from the Yamal Peninsula in Western Siberia to China. In the wake of the war in Ukraine and ensuing collapse of trade with Europe that has left Russia’s gas reserves stranded, the pipeline has taken on new importance and urgency. While the terms of the contract remain under negotiation and shrouded in secrecy, the future outlines of its pricing formula can be discerned from the existing Russian-Chinese gas contract: for the original Power of Siberia pipeline.

Pakistan: Origins, Identity And Future – Book Review

Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy is a prominent nuclear scientist, well-known author, columnist, and human rights activist. In his latest volume, he presents robust and provocative arguments in what can only be described as a daring, and must-read book. He sets the stage in his introduction by asking striking questions: was the partition of India worth the price in Muslim blood? What is the ideology of Pakistan, and why does it matter? Why couldn’t Pakistan become an Islamic state? Why is Pakistan a praetorian state? Just what are Pakistanis, and how do they self-identify?