A ship passing passing through a gate on the Volga-Don Shipping Canal, Russia (File photo) Consequent upon the Ukraine war, as the Sea of Azov becomes an inland sea for Russia, bracketed by the Crimean Peninsula and the mouth of the River Don, the sea and rail networks of the region extend to Iranian hubs …
Continue reading “Russia, Iran open a trade route heralding a bloc”
When the whole world is lamenting that the US is quitting Afghanistan in ignominy, the Biden Administration is snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. What an audacity of hope! The agreement reached in principle in Tashkent on Friday between the representatives of the United States, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan “to establish a new quadrilateral …
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan (L) and Turkish President Recep Erdogan (R), Ankara, Oct. 2019. File photo. The Indian establishment, including the political leadership, is running into a strange predicament. Never before has India’s image looked so visibly sullied in comparison with Pakistan’s as much as in the most recent years under the present government. …
Continue reading “Pakistan at crossroads. Turkish footfalls beckon.”
Pakistan is turning into an arena of acute US-China contestation. Pakistan’s decision to approach the IMF for a full-fledged bailout package (instead of Stand-by Arrangement) will accentuate it. The decision to opt for a bailout package implies that with its back against the wall, Imran Khan government may agree to undertake structural reforms under IMF’s …
