Saudi Arabia and Iran are beginning a competition for influence with the new government led by Imran Khan in Pakistan. Both have big stakes involved. The Saudi position is much weakened by the war in Yemen, which is unpopular in Pakistan. Pakistan’s position is crucially important to both Riyadh and Tehran. Pakistan is the second-most …
Continue reading Saudi Arabia, Iran Battle for Influence in Pakistan
It may seem paradoxical that any American interest would seek to deliberately prolong the Afghan quagmire. Costing trillions of dollars to the national debt, one would think that US planners are anxious to wind down the war and cut their immense losses. Not so, it seems. Like the classic 1960s satire film, Dr Strangelove, and …
We warned previously thatsomething big is coming in Syria as the final showdown for al-Qaeda held Idlib looms with the Syrian Army and Russian aerial and naval forces taking position. Pentagon and US officials continue pushing the gambit, setting the stage to play the "Assad is gassing his own people" card should so much as an inkling …
According to Ugur Ergan, Hurriyet Daily News, (yet to be confirmed) the US is installing an Air Defense system and electronic radar systems in Northern Syria, in Kobani, close to the border with Turkey. The Western media has not covered these developments. The Kobani region is controlled by US supported YPG Kurdish rebels, together with a …
The New Silk Roads, formerly One Belt One Road, then Belt and Road Initiative, were launched almost five years ago by President Xi Jinping, first in Astana (the Silk Road Economic Belt) and then in Jakarta (the Maritime Silk Road). Way beyond the acronym purgatory – and the “lost in translation” factor that neither name …
Continue reading The New Silk Roads Are Just Pieces in a Giant Puzzle
The Philippines is willing to go forward with a prospective Russian submarine deal despite heavy American pressure. President Duterte rebuffed the earlier criticism of his plans that US Assistant Defense Secretary for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs Randall Schriver warned “wouldn’t be a helpful thing to do in our alliance” by rhetorically asking “who are you to …
Continue reading Russia’s Sub Sale to the Philippines Would Stabilize the South China Sea
Tensions between the United States and China seem to be defining the bilateral relationship between the two countries these days. From a growing trade war to the Trump administration’s characterization of China as a “strategic competitor seeking to undermine U.S. power and influence” in its 2017 National Security Strategy , political and economic relations appear …
Continue reading How China Is Trying to Dominate the Middle East
The EU’s de-facto leader officially acknowledged an irreversible sub-bloc integrational reality by requesting to partner with the Polish-led “Three Seas Initiative”. Poland received an unprecedented boost to its rising international prestige after Germany requested to partner with the Warsaw-led “Three Seas Initiative” (TSI) ahead of the sub-regional integrational bloc’s upcoming summit in Bucharest from 17-18 …
Continue reading Germany’s Request to Partner with the Three Seas Initiative Is a Win for Poland
Americans no longer carry gold and silver money in our pockets and purses as our grandparents did. But we still carry the history, legacy, and spirit of those gold and silver coins in our language. “Sound money” embodies a clear message recognized for centuries around the world. It describes the musical, metallic ring of a …
