How Singapore, Astana and St Petersburg Preview a New World Order

How Singapore, Astana and St Petersburg Preview a New World Order

Ahead of the crucial Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Qingdao this coming weekend, three other recent events have offered clues on how the new world order is coming about. The Astana Economic Forum in Kazakhstan centered on how mega-partnerships are changing world trade. Participants included the president of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB)…

Why India is Ignoring US Sanctions and Sticking with Iran

Why India is Ignoring US Sanctions and Sticking with Iran

Pay very close attention to what India’s External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj, said after meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif earlier this week in New Delhi: “Our foreign policy is not made under pressure from other countries … We recognize UN sanctions and not country-specific sanctions. We didn’t follow US sanctions on previous…

Russia’s Grand Strategy in Afro-Eurasia (And What Could Go Wrong)

Russia’s Grand Strategy in Afro-Eurasia (And What Could Go Wrong)

Russia’s 21st-century grand strategy is all about becoming the supreme “balancing” force in Afro-Eurasia through the skillful diplomatic management of the hemisphere’s multiple conflicts, though the greatest danger to this vision comes not from the US’ Hybrid Wars, but from Russia itself if its diplomatic and expert community representatives don’t rise to the occasion in…