Iran’s retaliatory strike on Israel and Hamas’ October 7 surprise attack are reminders that Israel’s deterrence capabilities are not infallible. Major powers must pursue diplomatic solutions to ensure the region does not descend into greater turmoil and bloodshed.
Faced with US ambivalence and Israel’s rejection, the ceasefire demand risks becoming a political footnote. At the least, council members should organise a humanitarian task force and evolve a plan to implement the spirit of the resolution
Political deadlock at the UN Security Council and divisions in major democracies are stonewalling a ceasefire in Gaza as the death toll is expected to reach 30,000. China and other major powers must step up to provide relief and manage contradictions in the world system.
China has a rare opportunity to explore options for lowering the temperature in the Middle East, by first seeking to end the spiral of violence and enable tentative negotiations.
While the lukewarm responses to the US-led counter-attacks are understandable, the major powers must rise above their divisions to protect a global good – safe passage for the world’s ships and their crew.
The recent election of Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu has injected new impetus into India and China’s focus on Indian Ocean states. However, the real challenge for major powers will be dealing with exigencies, such as rising sea levels, that go beyond hard security issues.
Wang Yi’s visit to Washington is a welcome sign amid a backdrop of rising violence and increasingly chilly US-China relations. Next, Biden and Xi should meet at the Apec summit to prevent further cracks from appearing, and provide the leadership the world desperately needs.
The latest Indo-Pacific army chiefs’ meeting reflected growing US engagement and the region’s shared concerns about China’s military assertiveness.
While the addition of top oil-producing nations will give Brics greater heft, it is debatable whether the bloc will have enough cohesion to be effective. Strained India-China ties not only complicate the grouping’s dealings, but also hold back Asia’s potential to shine.
Nearly 80 years after the Hiroshima atomic bombing, the global nuclear taboo seems to be fraying amid Russian threats. The coming G20 summit is a chance to renew the global commitment to nuclear restraint.
The US and India have had a shared but muted strategic and security concern since the end of the Cold War in the rise of a revisionist China. How much New Delhi will benefit from Washington’s embrace is unclear, but Beijing faces the prospect of a growing coalition aimed at resisting it.
US-China tensions were on display at the latest Shangri-La Dialogue as their respective defence ministers largely kept away from each other. There were signs of progress elsewhere, though, with delegations from each side meeting in Beijing for ‘candid and productive’ discussions.
Public anger at the previously sacrosanct institution of the army, which Beijing has close links with, could risk Chinese interests in Pakistan, including the belt and road ‘economic corridor’.
Macron’s push for strategic autonomy and von der Leyen’s talk of ‘divide and conquer’ tactics in seeking a ‘distinct European approach’ reflect the EU’s dilemma in finding an effective China policy.
Russia’s decision to station tactical nuclear weapons in Belarus raises proliferation concerns, highlights geopolitical discord, and underlines the urgency of achieving an ethical consensus on the use of weapons of mass destruction.
Reports of spy balloons and other unidentified objects drifting through countries’ airspace call for making near-space use more consensual and transparent. Meanwhile, the breakdown in trust between the world’s two major powers bodes ill for a world weary after years of pandemic and conflict.
White supremacists and extremism remain a powder keg that could be ignited in the next presidential election. Also, if someone like Trump could be placed in charge of the ‘nuclear button’, are US nuclear codes secure enough?
Recent summits suggest the US and its allies will be in an extended tussle soon with the China-Russia partnership – an impasse that will hit geo-economic agendas across the world and doom the climate fight.
As the US marks out India as a major defence partner in the Indo-Pacific and China shows increasing resolve on maintaining its territorial integrity amid its border dispute with India, New Delhi is struggling to maintain its strategic autonomy.
The India-US relationship has grown from estrangement to one of engagement and is touted as one between partners and friends, but all is not well. New Delhi’s anger over Washington’s upgrades to Pakistan’s jet fighters is another example of US foreign policy clashing with India’s security interests.
The summit drew interest over a rare trip outside China for Xi Jinping, bringing him, Vladimir Putin and Narendra Modi together. However, the expressions of concern over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the lack of a Xi-Modi handshake show a petulance that augurs poorly for the SCO.
The docking of a Chinese ‘spy ship’ in Sri Lanka put India on its guard amid tense bilateral relations. Both nations depend on maritime security for economic growth, making the Indian Ocean a key arena for contests of power.
The NPT Review Conference should address concerns over the failure of nuclear weapon states to make progress on disarmament. A new treaty, which aims at the complete elimination of nuclear weapons, adds to the pressure on NPT signatories to act more decisively in the right direction.
From marine pollution and harmful fishing practices to biodiversity loss and increasing acidification, our oceans are in trouble but such long-term issues tend to get short shrift from leaders. Political squabbles over the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea is a case in point.
In highlighting Chinese territorial aggressiveness and singling out India for closer ties, the US is seizing on India’s swing-state status in the post-Cold-War strategic hexagon. The troubled Sino-Indian relationship may be the critical determinant in shaping Asian security.
While the Biden administration tries to bolster US alliances and partnerships in the region, internal differences threaten to undercut cohesion. Divergent positions on Russia, China, trade and Asean centrality will plague efforts to create a united front against regional concerns.
The sinking of the Ukraine-built Russian warship Moskva highlights the fratricidal nature of the conflict and its historical underpinnings. While Asia is being projected as the engine of the future, its principal stakeholders have inherited security dissonances they must work hard to resolve.
Even as border disputes and other issues remain unresolved, China and India – Asia’s two major powers – have an opportunity to play an effective role in bringing about a ceasefire and help remove the nuclear threat from the Ukraine war.
War has shaken convictions in the stability of Europe and its borders, while Putin’s threat of nuclear force casts doubt on the strength of modern treaties. The reverberations of this conflict will be felt in the coming decades as global security systems are debated and restructured.
Counterterrorism, development and other concerns have sparked renewed political interest in Central Asia. While India’s influence in the region is limited by a lack of direct access and China’s heft, it can still be an attractive alternative to Beijing.
