The Power of Siberia Deepening China-Russia Partnership Magazine Desk December 2nd was a notable day in the strategic relationship between Beijing and Moscow, which saw the first shipments of Russian natural gas to China via the much-awaited Power of Siberia pipeline. The $55 billion project is Russia’s most significant energy undertaking since the collapse of the Soviet Union, part of …
Read More »Nato at 70 The moment of crisis has arrived
Nato at 70 The moment of crisis has arrived Magazine Desk It was meant to be a celebration of the 70th anniversary of NATO. But the mood at a gathering of the alliance’s leaders this week in London was anything but celebratory. There was no disguising the fact that NATO is in deep — even existential — trouble. Nothing illustrated …
Read More »Motivations for South Asian Nuclearisation
Motivations for South Asian Nuclearisation Shafqat Javed The twentieth century witnessed an exponential growth in war technology. The century witnessed the machine-gun, main battle tank and armoured fighting vehicles, the aircraft, and the nuclear weapon. These weapons added a cataclysmic dimension to that war when they were dropped on Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Nuclear weapons not only injured …
Read More »Israel-Palestine Peace Process Unconditional US support for Israel impedes the way
Israel-Palestine Peace Process Unconditional US support for Israel impedes the way Dr M. Usmani On November 18, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced a major shift in US policy, reporting that Washington now no longer considers civilian settlements by Israelis in the occupied West Bank to be in breach of international law. Pompeo’s statement, in effect, reverses a 1978 …
Read More »India’s Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 A Hindu Rashtra in the making?
India’s Citizenship Amendment Act 2019 A Hindu Rashtra in the making? Abdul Rasool Syed Passage of the contentious bill titled “Citizenship Amendment Bill, 2019” (CAB) by the Indian parliament has sparked violent protests throughout India. The bill as well as the intention behind has attracted scathing stricture from the people from all walks of life. It has, undoubtedly, shaken the …
Read More »COP 25 Long but barely fruitful
COP 25 Long but barely fruitful Aftab Hussain Wahla COP or Conference of Parties is the supreme decision-making body of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and is responsible for monitoring and reviewing its effective implementation, including institutional and administrative arrangements. The body is represented by 197 parties—countries and territories—and aims at curbing greenhouse gases (GHGs) to limit …
Read More »UK Elections 2019 A Quick Guide
UK Elections 2019 A Quick Guide On 31st October, the British Parliament, owing to disagreements in the House of Commons about Brexit, passed legislation to make provision for a snap general election. Resultantly, The United Kingdom is going to have a general election on December 12. These national votes, to choose a government to run the country, are supposed to …
Read More »The Unholy Mess of US Middle Eastern Strategy
The Unholy Mess of US Middle Eastern Strategy Fear of instability looming large Anatol Lieven President Donald Trump’s recent surprise acquiescence to a Turkish incursion into northern Syria is being increasingly seen as a betrayal of a loyal partner, and it has made American allies in the region jittery as they are alarmed by his sheer unpredictability. His inconsistent and …
Read More »The Spirit of 2019 Another unfinished spring?
The Spirit of 2019 Another unfinished spring? Protests have erupted around the world over the past few months, with hundreds of thousands of people from the Middle East to Asia, South America and the Caribbean calling for change. On the surface, some protests have appeared to be spontaneous outbursts of anger over seemingly minor concerns. But almost all of this …
Read More »Regional Comprehensive Economic programme (RCEP)
Regional Comprehensive Economic programme (RCEP) The world’s biggest trade deal On November 04, fifteen Asian countries agreed to terms for the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) that is being termed the world’s biggest trade pact. What began in 2012 as a routine harmonizing of agreements between members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) is now set to turn …
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