The testimony of former US Under Secretary of State and Ambassador to Lebanon, Jeffery Feltman to the US Congress created a storm in a teacup in Lebanon, even though in the US administration he no longer holds any official position. Feltman, who works for The Bookings Institution, presented his detailed knowledge based on close attention to events…
Wells’ snide remarks were obviously driven by double standards whereby the US diplomat is making it clear that only Western loans to developing countries are allowed, not Chinese ones. *** Alice Wells, the US’ Acting Assistance Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, delivered some very snide remarks about CPEC last week while speaking…
The defining feature of today’s geopolitical reality is the reorganization of global order with new alignments, new divisions and new forces replacing former norms. At the turn of the century, the situation on the international stage became shaky and unstable, with massive shifts occurrying in the structure of interstate relations. As China began gaining more and more strength, transforming itself into a major player on the world stage, the existing bilateral ties between China and…
In a recent article entitled “China, Bolivia and Venezuela are proof that social democracy cannot thrive in the global capitalist order” my China-based friend and correspondent Jeff J. Brown asked me an exceedingly interesting and important question. He wrote: Russia is a social democracy, with a large, successful people owned industrial sector and many social…
Opposition leader and former Defense Minister Lieutenant Colonel Gotabaya Rajapaksa won the first round of elections and will become Sri Lanka’s next president, thus returning his family to power after his brother Mahinda’s 2005-2015 presidency. The latter was narrowly defeated in the January 2015 elections and attributed his surprise loss to foreign meddling, stating in…
This year, China as Intimidating Monster has become the popular motif in Canberra circles. Australian government members Andrew Hastie and Senator James Paterson have become vigorous moral, if hollow enthusiasts. Their criticism of China has led to the revocation of visas to the country, something that has given reason to flash their plumage for the…
