Category: Geopolitics
China’s “Aggressive Behavior” in the South China Sea Must be Checked, Says U.S. Navy’s Top Pacific Commander
The United States Navy is ratcheting up the pressure on China over recent confrontations between the Chinese Coast Guard and Philippines maritime forces in the South China Sea. "You've got to push back," warned the U.S. Navy's top commander in the ...
Saudi Arabia Eying China to Build Nuclear Power Program as Part of an Effort to Pressure U.S.
The U.S. wants Saudi Arabia to normalize ties with Israel, Saudi Arabia wants to build a civilian nuclear power program but the U.S. doesn't want Riyadh to enrich its own uranium for fear it could be used to build weapons -- so Saudi Arabia turns to China ...
The BRICS Gets Bigger. Six New Members Added to the Bloc
The BRICS group is going to need a new name to accommodate the admission of six countries that were officially invited to join the bloc as of January 1, 2024: 1) Argentina2) Egypt3) Ethiopia4) Iran5) Saudi Arabia
Indian Media Bashes Xi, Praises Modi Over Flag Markers at BRICS Photo Shoot
The South African organizers of the BRICS summit stupidly used small national flags as floor markers for where the five leaders should stand during a photo shoot on Wednesday. Putting a flag on the ground for someone to step on is ...
U.S.-Based Analysts Reflect on This Week’s BRICS Summit and What It Says About the Current State of International Relations
As the BRICS summit draws to a close in Johannesburg, international affairs analysts at prominent U.S.-based think tanks and universities are reflecting on many of the key takeaways from the three-day event: WEST'S FAILURE: "The enthusiasm of many developing ...
The Fate of the BRICS Depends on Xi and Modi
Forget about everything that you've heard about this week's BRICS summit in Johannesburg because none of it matters. The fact that Putin didn't go in person seems important, right? No, not really. What about the idea of a dollar-killing BRICS currency? ...
Relations Between China and South Africa Have Entered a “Golden Era,” Says Xi
Chinese President Xi Jinping began his visit to South Africa on Tuesday with a round of bilateral diplomacy with his host Cyril Ramaphosa. The two leaders met for talks in the capital Pretoria where Xi declared that relations between the two ...
Key Policy Differences Emerge on Day 1 of BRICS Summit
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva pushed back against the suggestion that the BRICS group should become an ideological opponent against the West. "We do not want to be a counterpoint to the G7, G20 or the United States," Brazil's Lula
New Development Bank Moves Forward With Local Currency Bonds in Bid to Reduce Dependence on the U.S. Dollar
The Shanghai-based New Development Bank, aka the BRICS Bank, said it is proceeding with plans to issue bonds and lend more money in local currencies as part of a larger effort to reduce reliance on the dollar. “We expect to lend ...
Possible Xi-Modi Meeting in Johannesburg?
One of the closest-watched interactions at the summit will be between India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and China’s President Xi Jinping. Tensions between the two Asian superpowers have been rising due to an ongoing border dispute and larger geopolitical wranglings. There are
Chinese Scholars: BRICS Is All About Confronting the West
Many Chinese scholars have weighed in on this week’s BRICS summit, and the framing of the discussion on Chinese-language platforms is revealing. Commentators tend to see the bloc's importance as mostly lying in how it directly confronts Western global primacy. This ...
Europe Needs a Reality Check to Remain Relevant in a Multipolar World
By Lukas Fiala The recent military coup in Niger was widely interpreted as the latest blow in a series of setbacks for Europe in Africa. After French disengagement yielded space to Russian mercenaries across the Sahel, it’s hard not to see the ...