South East Asia

Is a Chinese Invasion of Taiwan Imminent?

Is China really on the verge of invading the island of Taiwan, as so many top American officials seem to believe? If the answer is “yes” and the U.S. intervenes on Taiwan’s side — as President Biden has sworn it would — we could find ourselves in a major-power conflict, possibly even a nuclear one, in the not-too-distant future. Even if confined to Asia and fought with conventional weaponry alone — no sure thing — such a conflict would still result in human and economic damage on a far greater scale than observed in Ukraine today.

Will Pakistan defy US sanctions to complete ‘Peace Pipeline’ with Iran?

Pakistan risks major financial setbacks if it fails to construct its part of a gas pipeline with Iran. Islamabad must follow India’s lead in resisting US sanctions to secure vital national energy supply.

Islamabad has formed a diplomatic channel to convince Washington to ease sanctions on Iran, which would finally allow for the completion of a crucial pipeline project to bring cheap Iranian natural gas to Pakistan.

How The US Lost The Plot In Afghanistan – Analysis

The new Republican-controlled House of Representatives has begun its investigation into America’s disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021. The chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Mike McCaul, best summed up the logic behind the investigation: “What happened in Afghanistan was a systemic breakdown of the federal government at every level — and a stunning failure of leadership by the Biden administration,” he said. He is correct.

Le Sahel un nouvel Afghanistan? Le désert de la peur

Le phénomène qui à toujours présidé à la constitution et à l’évolution du terrorisme jihadiste au Maghreb et au Sahel est celui de réseaux de plus en plus lâches, constitués d’une part de branches qui ne sont pas nécessairement organisées, dont on connaît mal l’extension, et qui se sont construites à travers des parcours individuels et des rencontres survenues lors des déplacements…

The Treacherous Triangle Of Syria, Iran, And Russia – Analysis

Both Russia and Iran have deep, multifaceted, and long-standing connections to Syria. During the Cold War, Damascus emerged as the Soviet Union’s most loyal Middle Eastern ally, and the relationship regained vibrancy in the 2000s as Vladimir Putin strove to reestablish Moscow’s regional preeminence. Meanwhile, the 1979 Iranian revolution reversed Tehran’s pro-U.S. orientation. Hafez al-Assad’s Syria was the first Arab state to recognize the Islamic Republic of Iran and the only Arab state (apart from Libya) to support Iran during its 8-year war against Iraq (1980-88). In subsequent decades, Tehran intensified its political, economic, and military ties with Damascus.[1]

US-trained Afghan special forces recruited by Wagner Group in Ukraine: Report

New reports of US-trained Afghan special forces joining the fight in Ukraine, but on the Russian side, are emerging. The Wagner Group, a Russian private military contractor firm that has played a vital role in the battle for the town of Bakhmut in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, is recruiting Afghan fighters that US special forces spent decades training.

In a US-China confrontation, West Asia will bow out

The prospect of a US-China war has entered the realm of reality. Increased provocations from US military and political officials regarding the status of Taiwan – which China considers to be part of its historic territory – have heightened the possibility of confrontation in recent years.