Author: Shalini Pandey

Impact of Saudi-Iran rivalry in MENA region Diplomats and officials of Saudi Arabia are privately revealing that if the present Gulf crisis persists it may lead to a round of war where Iran may take side to spread its influence. In recent years, the foreign policies of the Gulf Arab states, namely Saudi Arabia, the […]

Chinese foreign policy towards Central Asia China has endeavored to build and strengthen its relations with the five Central Asian states of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. While originally the main focus of its political and diplomatic activities was to settle the Soviet legacy of disputed borders, its ties with Central Asia later started […]

Piracy in Asia-Pacific region is growing and the pirates are graduating from mere bandit like organization to a full-fledged regular militia which is seizing commercial ships and demanding ransoms more frequently than ever before. There were not any incidents involving the abduction of crew from ships in the Sulu-Celebes Sea and waters off Eastern Sabah […]

Libya turning into a failed state again Libya is again turning into a failed state and rule of law may evade the tiny North African nation for another decade or so as hundreds of Islamic fighters are entering into the country without any verification. Indeed, it is far from surprising that Libya is still ravaged […]

Myanmar’s Rohingya crisis A fresh outbreak of violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine state has caused hundreds of thousands of Rohingya civilians to flee to Bangladesh. Tens of thousands of Rohingya are fleeing for their lives after an escalation of violence against them in Rakhine, the poorest state of Myanmar. A tide of displaced people are seeking […]

The growing tension in Korean Peninsula Tensions have continued to rise around the Korean peninsula since Pyongyang carried out its sixth nuclear test, prompting a new round of UN sanctions. North Korea’s tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles and an alleged hydrogen bomb have escalated tensions over the nuclear nation’s military ambitions. North Korea has launched […]

Japan-China relation is stagnant yet military buildup continues Japan and China have series of disputes at political level, military sphere and economic challenges but Japan is catching up with its massive investment into steady military buildup and technological superiority against a formidable China. China’s belligerence against Japan is not new, it has a sense of […]

War may be won in Mosul but Sunni Jihadis may come back The ISIS may have fought the battle of Waterloo in Mosul but it is now fast reorganizing itself in Syria and northern parts of Iraq to set up its headquarters and rehabilitate some of the remaining battle hardened guerrillas who are keen to […]

China’s falling conglomerates and economic squabble China’s red princelings have jumped into running vast business empires due to their right connections with right links but their entrepreneur skills have failed to pass the litmus test after they climbed certain heights. There are now hundreds of examples where families or past leaders belonging to Communist Party […]

China’s focus on Russian Far East can be a long term threat Russia is fast tracking a Chinese proposal to pump water from Lake Baikal, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and carry it across two borders to help alleviate water shortages which seem to be a problem solver but some Russian environmentalists have started opposing […]