South East Asia

The US Must Ditch Its Incoherent Policy on Taiwan

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, moreover, provides a timely illustration of what can happen when the West does not take sufficient action to safeguard the security of its allies.

In February, for example, the US approved a $100 million support package to improve the island’s missile defences, which were designed to improve its Patriot missile defence system. But bureaucratic wrangling in Washington means Taipei has still to receive the support it needs.

America Must Prepare for a War Over Taiwan

Being Ready Is the Best Way to Prevent a Fight With China

Why isn’t the United States doing more to prepare for war with China over Taiwan—precisely to deter and thus avoid it? The visit to Taiwan this month by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Beijing’s dramatic response to it have crystallized the gravity of this issue. A war with China over Taiwan has gone from what many regarded as a remote scenario to a fearfully plausible one.

China and Russia—With Help from Biden—Attack the Dollar

Russia and China have launched another attempt to develop a “new global reserve currency.” In other words, they are again attacking the dollar.

There is only one country that can dethrone the dollar, and it is not a BRICS nation. It is the United States. President Joe Biden is China’s and Russia’s biggest ally in “dedollarizing” the world.

On Controversial Ship’s Visit To Sri Lanka, China Says It Is ‘Senseless’ To Invoke ‘Security Concerns’ – Analysis

China says that Sri Lanka has the “sovereign” right to decide on the visit of the tracking ship Yuan Wang 5 without interference from third parties

The Chinese Foreign Ministry told the media in Beijing on Monday, that it is “senseless” to invoke “security concerns” to “pressure” Sri Lanka to deny entry to Chinese ships that are carrying out legitimate tasks.

ISIS targets Shiites in Afghanistan, further roiling Taliban rule

KABUL — Rustam Haidery, 22, was watching a TikTok video in his bedroom Wednesday morning when a bullet smashed into the window ledge above his head. Leaping up, he saw uniformed Taliban forces setting up barricades in the street below. From a 12-story apartment building on the next block, he thought he heard someone crying for help.

U.S. Military Activity Near Taiwan

U.S. Navy ships and planes will transit the Taiwan strait in the next two weeks.

U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby condemned Chinese military drills in the area and said the Pentagon had ordered the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and her escorts to remain near Taiwan to “monitor the situation.”

After al-Zawahiri’s Killing, What’s Next for the U.S. in Afghanistan?

His location in Kabul suggests a form of Taliban sanctuary, undermining the regime’s claims to cutting ties with transnational terrorists.

On Monday, President Biden revealed that a U.S. drone strike killed al-Qaida leader, and mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, Ayman al-Zawahiri over the weekend. Al-Zawahiri was reportedly on the balcony of a safe house in Kabul, Afghanistan. Last week, the United States participated in a regional conference in Tashkent, Uzbekistan focused on counterterrorism, where Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi said his regime had followed through on commitments to not allow Afghanistan to be used as a base for transnational terrorism. Al-Zawahiri’s presence in Kabul seemingly undercuts Muttaqi’s remarks and the Taliban’s supposed promise to cut ties with groups like al-Qaida. It also complicates discussions held last week between Taliban and U.S. officials on unfreezing Afghan Central Bank assets, which could help ease Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis.