Asia

Russia-Ukraine Conflict: Analyzing the possibilities of war and impact for India
Analysis, Asia, Featured, World

Russia-Ukraine Conflict: Analyzing the possibilities of war and impact for India

The stalemate from 2014 has evaporated to the threat of a full-blown invasion after Russia amassed troops in the Russia- Ukraine border. The US is taking a strong stance against Russia in the issue of Ukraine after a string of foreign policy failures. The EU doesn’t have a united stand against Russia because Germany prefers not to antagonize Russia because of the Nord Stream pipeline. A military conflict between Russia and Ukraine can also negatively impact India due to possible sanctions on Russia by the West. Ukraine, once a part of the mighty Soviet Union, got independent in 1991. After Independence, Ukraine has been trying to align with the West like the European Union (EU) and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). But the internal tussle between the Ukrainian speaking ma...
The End of SAARC?
Asia, Featured

The End of SAARC?

Regional organizations in South Asia will fail to reach full potential in the absence of higher levels of trust and regional community-building among participants. The South Asian states are largely victims of the activities of violent non-state actors in the region. The SAARC as a regional organization failed to provide peaceful settlement of disputes, fighting against common issues such as cross-border terrorism and climate change.Rise of extremism and cross-border terrorism and the emergence of multilateral arrangements in the region may lead to the end of SAARC Regional organizations have contributed immensely to regional integration, development, and governance in the globalized world. The regional institutions influence states to enter a regional cooperation framework to en...
Crisis in Kazakhstan: How can it avoid an impending disaster?
Asia, Featured, World

Crisis in Kazakhstan: How can it avoid an impending disaster?

Kazakhstan is a landlocked country in Central Asia. It borders Russia in the north and west, China in the east, and Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan in the south. It is the ninth-largest country in the world with a population of 18.8 million. Kazakhstan is the dominant nation of Central Asia economically and politically, generating 60% of the region's GDP, primarily through its oil and gas industry. It is a member of the OPEC+ alliance and has also sent uranium prices higher as it accounts for around 40% of the global supply of the mineral. It also has vast mineral resources. Kazakhstan was the last of the Soviet republics to declare independence during the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Nursultan Nazarbayev led the country from 1991 to 2019. He was succeeded by K...
Anti-India Campaign in Maldives – Pawns in China’s geopolitical game
Asia, Featured, World

Anti-India Campaign in Maldives – Pawns in China’s geopolitical game

Over the past few months, 'India Out' campaign in the Maldives has gained momentum soon after the release of former president and progressive party leader Abdulla Yameen from his prison sentence in a money laundering case. He has been seen as a prominent face in the campaign and has been attending a series of public rallies giving out speeches and expressing his differences on Indian Military Presence in the Maldives and demanding for its 'sovereignty'. The Maldives Journal quoted him saying during one of the opposition rallies that the "Maldives is not an Indian town, and its President should not be a governor appointed by India”. The campaign started and spread on social media, over the past three years. Maldivian online news outlet co-founder Ahmed Azam expressed his disple...
China’s Threat in East Asia: South Korea the latest victim!
Asia, Featured, World

China’s Threat in East Asia: South Korea the latest victim!

South Koreans protest against China by tearing its flag Prior to 1910, Korea was a unified country. From 1910-1945 it was colonised by Japan. During liberation in 1945 it got divided into Communist North Korea and Capitalist South Korea. For Military purposes what was a military demarcation land became a permanent border. In the present day, South Korea as a democratic country has seen a booming economy with multi-national companies like Samsung, LG, Hyundai, Daewoo, Lotte, SK, Hanwha and more. On the other hand, North Korea has become a Hermit Kingdom with a family ruling since its establishment and has become infamous for cruelty, human rights abuses, nuclear tests, illegal missile technology transfer and more. In a recent poll conducted by South Korea's state-run Korea Institute ...
Can the National Resistance Front upstage Taliban in Afghanistan?
Asia

Can the National Resistance Front upstage Taliban in Afghanistan?

https://youtu.be/VnuPIITk--8 The National Resistance Front (NRF) of Afghanistan has vowed to keep its momentum strong against the Taliban. The NRF is a grassroots resistance movement that emerged from the rugged terrain of the Panjshir Valley. Historically, the Panjshir Valley has served as a pocket of resistance in the past against the Soviet invasion. Subsequently the grassroots movement from Panjshir has fought against the rise of Taliban since 1990s. The NRF is led by Ahmad Massoud, son of Ahmad Shah Massoud or the “Lion of Panjshir”. Ahmad Shah Massoud played a critical role in forming an anti-Taliban resistance after it came to power in 1996. NRF says it has respect for the law, human rights, women’s rights, children’s rights and freedom. The group is making both pol...
Diplomatic boycott of Beijing 2022: Does it matter?
Asia, World

Diplomatic boycott of Beijing 2022: Does it matter?

https://youtu.be/t00MWBDU8V0 The 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics has been hit by a flurry of diplomatic boycotts from countries including the US, Australia, and Britain. These countries have accused the Chinese government of widespread atrocities against the Uyghur community in its North-Western region of Xinjiang. China denies this, saying its network of detention camps there is for "re-education" of the Uyghurs and other Muslims. China has accused the US of using the Games for political manipulation and vowed "resolute counter-measures". Human rights groups have accused China of genocide in Xinjiang and crackdown on political freedoms and pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong. The Western governments have stopped-short of a full boycott as their athletes will be partici...
Kim Jong Un’s decade of rule: Nuclear Ambitions, Consolidation of Power & Failed Diplomacy
Asia, World

Kim Jong Un’s decade of rule: Nuclear Ambitions, Consolidation of Power & Failed Diplomacy

https://youtu.be/2reDMazfG2s December 17 marks 10 years since Kim Jong Un, the third generation of his family to rule North Korea, took power after his father’s sudden heart attack. Initially considered inexperienced, Kim quickly showed his ruthless willingness to consolidate his power to rule over the East Asia country. He consolidated his position as the country's leader by having his powerful uncle and other potential rivals executed or purged. Despite a failing economy, he has ensured a continuous run of nuclear and missile tests in recent years which many fear could result in a second Korean War. On December 30, 2011, Kim Jong Un was named supreme commander of the North’s 1.2 million-strong military, his first top job after his father’s death. Under his rule, Nort...
What is the “Pillar Of Shame” and Why did China force Hong Kong to remove it?
Asia, Featured, World

What is the “Pillar Of Shame” and Why did China force Hong Kong to remove it?

The towering “Pillar of Shame” at the University of Hong Kong was dismantled and removed in the dead of night. The 26-foot sculpture remembered the victims of China’s 1989 crackdown on pro-democracy protests at Beijing’s Tiananmen Square. Its removal is testament to the Communist Party’s efforts to erase the bloody events at Tiananmen from the public consciousness. The removal of the "Pillar Of Shame" is a testimony to CCP's attempts to snuff out any democracy left in Hong Kong. The pillar is a work of art by Danish sculptor Jens Galschioet depicting a mass of torn and twisted bodies in a tall pile. The bodies symbolise the devaluation of the individual, and the sculpture expresses the pain and despair of what happened. It was erected in Hong Kong in 1997 during an annual candle...
Is ASEAN becoming a lackey of China?
Analysis, Asia, Featured, World

Is ASEAN becoming a lackey of China?

In view of what's happening in the South China Sea, Myanmar, Taiwan,  Diplomatic Boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics over Human Rights abuses and ASEAN's silence on China's role in these Beijing Winter Olympics 2022 has turned into a political mess of global powers. The U.S. is leading an international diplomatic boycott as a sign of protest against state-sponsored “crimes of humanity” and other human rights abuses. Many countries Canada, the UK, Australia and a clutch of smaller countries in the Western Bloc have sided with the USA by pointing out that one reason was the Covid scare. France and Italy were among the bigger western countries that will send both athletes and government representatives for the event. “Sports is a world apart that needs to be pr...