Asia and Pacific

While the European Union worried about Russian involvement in the Western Balkans, China has been taking advantage of the last few years to quietly become one of the big players in the region.

India is considered to be the largest democracy in the world and on the verge of becoming one of the super-nations on Earth alongside the United States and China. But while India’s economic future may be global, its security issues are very much local.

Mohammed Bin Salman is demonstrating Saudi Arabia’s intention to create a strategic counterweight to its ties with western partners.

A less obvious yet important consequence of President Duterte’s drug war is its public health fallout - especially for the very poorest demographics. But the clear warnings issued by medical professionals and human rights observers have been routinely ignored.

Optimistically, there is a chance that 2018 will be studied in the future as a positive watershed in nuclear proliferation and diplomacy. However, there is an equal chance that 2018 will be hallmarked by errors and nuclear instability.

On 25th August 2017, in response to militant attacks against the government, the Myanmar military launched “clearance operations” against its Rohingya Muslim population. This involved the burning down of villages, the murder of civilians – including at least 730 children ...

Rather than simply being name changes, the appointments of Mike Pompeo, John Bolton and Gina Haspel may signal the beginnings of a shift in White House foreign policy stance.

Russia's expansive and modern range of missile defense and anti-satellite capabilities are not simply for defensive purposes. Instead, they are intended to enable offensive operations by hindering the ability of the US, as well as its allies and partners, to counter offensive operations.

Beijing’s pursuit of missile defense and anti-satellite systems call into question how justified its hostility to the defensive measures of its rivals are, while raising concerns over Chinese intentions.

A definitive judgment of the aftermath of Sri Lankan cannot yet be reached. At best, all that can be determined at present is that the post-civil war settlement in country has had mixed results, and has left it with an unclear future.