Asia Pacific

Robert Scales The flurry of self-congratulatory prose emerging from multi-domain warfare literature today obscures the fact that a slogan such as “multi-domain” is not doctrine, and doctrine rooted in the fundamental tenets of warfare is a prerequisite for meaningful reform. Nowhere is the gap between sloganeering and meaningful doctrine more …

James M. Dorsey When Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi next week, the elephant in the room is likely to be what weighs more: the issues the two men agree on or the ones that divide them. As a matter of principle, …

By Shehab Al-Makahleh From March 25 to 28, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un paid a sudden visit which surprised the world; however, some world leaders and heads of states have lauded the visit as a step towards defusing tension between North Korea and the US. The United Nations …

Peter Korzun The Afghan province of Badakhshan borders China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. It used to be part of an artery between the East and West known as the ancient Silk Road. Today, that road is being revived as an element of China’s “One Belt, One Road” (OBOR) initiative, which has …

Maria Dubovikova What is China’s incentive for a greater involvement in Syria? The new Chinese involvement in Syria would lead to a further competition between the Washington and Beijing. China will deploy troops in Syria as Beijing is very concerned about the amounting number of militants of Chinese-origin …

Deputy head of the international Committee of the Russian State Duma, Alexey Chepa, told RIA Novosti: “The issue of North Korea would not be solved through the pressure on Pyongyang, there is need for diplomatic negotiations, however, it is beneficial for some circles in the United States to …

Pepe Escobar  The United Nations Security Council’s 15-0 vote to impose a new set of sanctions on North Korea somewhat disguises the critical role played by the Russia-China strategic partnership, the “RC” at the core of the BRICS group. The new sanctions are pretty harsh. They include a …

Monday, 04 September 2017  Oil exporters such as Russia and Iran will soon be able to bypass the US dollar — and convert their yuan into gold The world’s top oil importer, China, is preparing to launch a crude oil futures contract denominated in Chinese yuan and convertible …

By Li Hui • The world is now casting its eyes on Xiamen, the coastal city in China’s Fujian Province, as it will host the ninth BRICS Summit themed “deepening the BRICS partnership and opening up a brighter future” in early September. “BRICS”, since its birth as a new concept, …