Category: Geopolitics
Backgrounder: Why Next Week’s ASEAN Summit is Worth Watching
Attendees at next week’s Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) leaders’ summit will face a roster of tough issues. In addition to the alarming rise of tensions in the South China Sea and the ongoing military dictatorship in Myanmar, the region is also facing the economic slowdown in ...
Modi Comes Under Intense Criticism Back Home After “Brief Conversation” With Xi
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi came under withering criticism this weekend from his political rivals and the media back home for the way he handled a short, "informal" exchange with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of last week's BRICS summit in Johannesburg -- their first ...
Xi-Modi Talks in Joburg Sparks New Optimism About Improving Ties With India
Reactions in China to last week's brief conversation between President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi were far more upbeat than those in India. To be sure, there was nowhere near as much commentary about the meeting in the ...
Modi Subtly Blames China for the Global South Debt Crisis
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi re-surfaced longstanding suspicions that China is fueling the Global South debt crisis by engaging in predatory lending. In an interview with India Today published on Friday, the Prime Minister insinuated that unnamed "forces" are ensnaring ...
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