Iran and Pakistan’s 20th century relations have constituted an incredibly varied dynamic, ranging from warm relations in between the 1940s and late 1970s while relations deteriorated in the 1980s with an even more rapid degradation occurring in the 1990s. While the 1990s saw relations between Islamabad and Tehran become deeply tense over contradictory positions in …
Continue reading Iran and Pakistan Can, Should and Must Unite
In the complex political picture that looms in the Indian and Pacific region, the various processes that are taking place in all of its geographical elements deserve attention. At the same time, it makes sense once again to designate the special significance of the sea band between the coast of the PRC and the so-called …
Continue reading The Indian Ocean Region is Going to Heat Up
This ultra-geostrategic South Asian archipelago state is front and center in the Chinese-Indian New Cold War. The Maldivian military surrounded parliament today and reportedly arrested several individuals just days after the Supreme Court ruled that 9 opposition figures would be freed from custody and have their terrorism cases retried. The highest law in the land …
Continue reading Is Modi Carrying Out a Coup in the Maldives?
The shooting down of a Russian warplane over northern Syria on Saturday threatens to dramatically escalate the confrontation between Washington and Moscow over the US-backed proxy war to oust the Russian-supported regime of President Bashir al-Assad. The Russian media and senior political figures are already accusing the United States of involvement. The Russian Defence Ministry …
Continue reading Downing of Russian Fighter in Syria Threatens Wider War
The semi-secret security alliance between Saudi Arabia and Israel may be expanding into the sphere of ideology and street politics, but Riyadh may be at risk of tripping a conservative Islamist backlash. The existence of some form of security and intelligence cooperation between Saudi Arabia and Israel is hardly news for Middle East observers. United …
Continue reading Riyadh Explores Anti-Iranian Embrace of Israel – But Risks 1979-Like Blowback
Separatists just liberated South Yemen. Clashes broke out in the country’s interim capital of Aden, which was also the seat of government for the formerly independent country of South Yemen, over the weekend after President Hadi banned the “Southern Transitional Council” (STC) and its supporters from protesting him. The STC had given the Yemeni leader …
Continue reading Hadi’s Fall = Rise of South Yemen = End of the War?
Three brief reports on January 25 concerning Israel-Palestine-US relations sum up the new situation created by Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move the US embassy there in the near future. First is Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s absurd claim that there is “no substitute for the United States as honest …
Continue reading The Middle East Peace Process: A Cruel Joke
The retrograde Donald Trump administration is planning a military coup in Venezuela to oust the socialist government of President Nicolas Maduro. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, speaking at the University of Texas prior to embarking on a multi-nation tour throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, said the military in Latin America has often intervened …
Continue reading Trump Administration Planning Pinochet-type Coup in Venezuela
The cancer-fighting potency of plant- versus marine-derived omega-3s has always been debated. Omega-3s from fish pack a stronger punch than flaxseed and other oils when it comes to cancer prevention, according to a first-ever University of Guelph study. In modern diets, there are few sources of omega-3 fatty acids, mainly the fat of cold water …
