One cannot but feel mildly amused at the theatrical spectacle of the US troop pullout from Afghanistan, its completion day now postponed for maximum PR impact to 9/11, 2021. Nearly two decades and a staggering US$2 trillion after this Forever War was launched by a now immensely indebted empire, the debacle can certainly be interpreted […]
The still-unresolved Ladakh crisis has created a new strategic reality for India, marked by renewed political hostility with China, and an increased militarisation of the Line of Actual Control. This new strategic reality imposes unequal costs on India and China. Read Here | Lowy Institute
The Indian military is currently undergoing a fundamental transformation. These changes are made possible primarily due to the creation, in December 2019, of the post of a chief of defense staff. Armed with a mandate to create joint theater commands, the current chief of defense staff is at the forefront of an attempted structural and […]
The strategic importance of Alaska’s polar north is clear, as the US prepares for training exercises and China becomes more active in the Arctic region. China, Russia, the US – Alaska is in the middle of all of it, says former American intelligence officer. Read Here | South China Morning Post
China’s evolving security dynamics with the United States have compelled it to rethink its nuclear strategy to achieve effective deterrence. It is aiming to modernise its nuclear arsenal and increase its nuclear ambiguity through conventional-nuclear entanglement. Ambiguity will increase the risks of mischaracterisation and can have a destabilising impact on the Indo-Pacific region. Read Here […]
In recent weeks, senior Pakistani officials, including the country’s powerful army chief, have signalled or outright said that, from now on, their country’s foreign policy will emphasise geoeconomics. This is a welcome rhetorical shift. Read Here | Foreign Policy
Pakistan has unveiled a new “geo-economic vision” that offers to “bury the past” with neighbouring rival India if it reciprocates with a “relaxation” on the two sides’ long-running dispute over Kashmir. Pakistan’s olive branch announcement, made on March 18, comes after last month’s bilateral resolution to revive an 18-year-old ceasefire agreement to end Kashmir’s Line […]
Long before the present border dispute occurred, Sino-Indian relations had been steadily declining due to rampant misperceptions of the other side, contributing to a lack of trust. The most fundamental misperception between the two countries is the inability to comprehend each other’s international ambitions, yielding the fear that their foreign policies are targeted against the […]
Some twenty years after arriving in Afghanistan, the United States faces difficult choices. Should Washington proceed with a military withdrawal, as it pledged to do by May 1 in an accord struck with Afghanistan’s opposition leaders last year? Read Here | The National Interest
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga intends to continue Japan’s sweeping upgrades of its defense capabilities amid a major buildup of China’s military forces, increasing pressure from North Korea’s growing missile arsenal, and continued activities by Russia’s military in East Asia. Read Here | cfr.org
looking beyond borders 