It has been a breathless week, huddled in the shadow of the simmering, bubbling, politico-religious volcano that is Imran Khan’s Pakistan. And this week’s multi-faceted developments may just signal seismic shifts in Pakistan’s internal and external relations for the foreseeable future. Before moving on to bloodier matters, let’s start with the “Mr. Khan Goes to…
Mohammed bin Salman’s universe is shrinking quickly. After a prolonged absence in London, his uncle and nemesis, Prince Ahmad bin Abdulaziz, returned home to a hero’s welcome. Senior princes have flocked to greet him, at the airport and receptions held afterwards. The welcome includes heavyweights like former intelligence chief Khaled bin Bandar, former deputy defence minister Khaled…
Haikou, Hainan: In an unusual twist, financial experts have called upon China’s monetary authorities to let the Renminbi float to “ease risks” (China Daily, October 31, 2018). Sounds contradictory? At this juncture, at the height of Trump’s trade war against China, the Forex market has become weaponized. The policy of “Floating the Yuan” has contributed to the…
Trump ordered 5,200 US troops to the Mexican border in response to the approaching caravan, with some fearing that he intends to take kinetic action against it. From the looks of it, the President might be preparing to order a limited incursion into Mexico to stop the caravan from reaching American soil, which is something…
The current Russian – Japanese relations can be described as controversial. On one hand, there are no strong political contradictions between the 2 states. Russia and Japan are trying their best to develop their great potential for cooperation in various areas. On the other hand, the issue of the Kuril Islands stands in the way…
US National Security Adviser John Bolton announced an escalation of US sanctions against Cuba and Venezuela during a bellicose speech delivered in Miami on Thursday to an invitation-only audience of right-wing exiles and Republican functionaries. Bolton’s speech on the Trump administration’s policy toward Latin America amounted to a demand for regime change in Cuba and…
