OPINION

Robert Kaplan   “Geography does not determine individual character, but it does matter.” – Robert D. Kaplan, Earning the Rockies: How Geography Shapes America’s Role in the World “It is the freedom to concentrate military equipment in key locations around the world that has preserved American military might.” …

Giancarlo Elia Valori The Covid-19 pandemic, which since the beginning of last year has affected the entire planet with tragic effects and, due to inertial pressure, seems destined to continue for most of the current year, has not only had very severe effects in terms of general mortality …

Digital transformation and renewed regional cooperation in Asia and the Pacific can spur the region’s equitable, sustainable, and resilient recovery from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and deliver progress on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), according to a new report. The report, Responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Leaving …

Giancarlo Elia Valori In 2020 the world public opinion was rightly and understandably distracted by the tragedy of the Covid-19 pandemic. ..For this reason, many events of great geopolitical relevance which, in other times would have polarised the attention of media, analysts and the public, went almost unnoticed, …

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) partnered with the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) to lead a conversation on what the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on global tourism means for development across the Asia-Pacific region. Held as part of the World Trade Organization’s Aid-for-Trade Stocktaking Event, the special session brought …

Giancarlo Elia Valori On December 14, 2020, Russia signed an agreement with Sudan to establish its first naval outpost in Africa. A few days ago (precisely on February 28) a Russian warship, namely the frigate Admiral Grigorovič, entered Port Sudan. Pursuant to the agreement, the Russian Federation’s armed …

Khashaf Sohail India and Israel have a deep rooted strategic partnership ever since the 1990’s. Initially, India did not recognize Israel in 1950 because India did not want to ruin its relations with USSR as USSR was at good ties with the Muslim states around Israel. So Israel …

Degum Burak Turkey’s human rights record has been on decline in recent years. Women’s rights issue is at the heart of this debate. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has withdrawn Turkey from the Istanbul Convention through a presidential decree issued last Saturday. The move shocked everyone as country has …

James Dorsey Amid Washington chatter about the future of US-Saudi relations, the kingdom has launched an unprecedented public diplomacy campaign to marshal business and grassroots support beyond the Beltway to counter anti-Saudi sentiment in the Biden administration and Congress. To do so, the Saudi embassy in Washington has …