Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong visited New Delhi this week for the last meeting of Quad foreign ministers. Despite concerns that the group may not hold up amid the current realignment of the U.S. worldview under President Donald Trump, the meeting made clear that the Quad could still prove useful to each of its members with its emphasis on economic resilience, technological coordination and supply chain security. The bloc is increasingly concerned with regional systems rather than conventional defense. For Australia, this change is particularly significant. Canberra has long discussed that Indo-Pacific stability depends not only on military deterrence, but…
Author: Frank M. Everett
As temperatures rose sharply in May, China conducted four “joint combat readiness patrols” around Taiwan on May 1, 6, 19 and 25. Compared to similar activity in recent years, this high frequency of military operations is unusual. It also suggests that the assumption that a recent decline in the number of PLA sorties around Taiwan necessarily indicates a reduced threat may not fully correspond to the current security environment across the Taiwan Strait. This trend should also be compared to recent media reports that more than 100 Chinese ships had been deployed around the first island chain. Taken together, these…
There is a scenario in which Republicans find themselves in a much different situation right now. Imagine a United States where Donald Trump doesn’t sabotage the American economy with tariffs, health care cuts, and a war in the Middle East. PoliticusUSA is 100% independent. Support us by becoming a subscriber.It is estimated that inflation could have fallen by now and that US growth would have been 5% if Trump had done nothing. The president didn’t just create an economic crisis out of thin air. He also created a political crisis within his own party.The economic crisis opened the door for…
The meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Beijing on May 20 offered an important insight into the contemporary nature of Sino-Russian relations. While Putin greeted viewing the relationship as a “comprehensive strategic coordination paradigm,” the summit highlighted ongoing tensions between the ideological rhetoric surrounding the partnership, on the one hand, and the practical limits of cooperation as the relationship becomes increasingly dominated by Beijing, on the other. One reason why some commentators tend to ignore the limitations of the Sino-Russian partnership is that they fail to situate the relationship within the broader framework of…
In May 2026, the European Union accelerated its review of its policies regarding Afghan migrants, with the main objective appearing to be the return of migrants who fled Afghanistan to Afghan territory. Although the EU has not officially recognized the Taliban government, an Afghan delegation led by Abdul Qahar Balkhi, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is expected to visit Brussels in June to discuss migration issues, according to EU officials. Over the past decade, European countries have welcomed a very large number of migrants, a significant proportion of whom came from Syria and Afghanistan. This wave of…
The recent visit of Pakistani leaders to Beijing has injected new energy and solidity into the China-Pakistan bilateral partnership. During their visit, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir held numerous meetings with Chinese leaders, including Chinese President Xi Jinping, Prime Minister Li Qiang and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Wang also held separate discussions with Marshal Munir. These interactions, ranging from formal sessions to candid exchanges, highlight a partnership that adapts to the evolving global order. These interactions suggest a deliberate alignment of core interests amid complex regional dynamics and highlight how defense and diplomacy remain…
The military campaign by the Arakan Army (AA) to liberate the Arakan region from the Myanmar military has sparked allegations and counter-allegations of killings and arson by the warring parties. Among the most recent cases is a massacre allegedly taking place in the Rohingya Muslim village of Htan Shauk Khan in Buthidaung township in northern Rakhine state, where the AA was accused of massacring innocent civilians two years ago. Human rights organizations claimed that the AA killed at least 170 village residents, including women and children, on May 2, 2024, during a battle with the Myanmar military. The Human Rights…
Indian and Chinese civilizations have known each other and been in contact for more than 2,000 years. Any book or article that focuses on India-China relations will usually include mention of their long – and generally peaceful – ties. These include trade and civilizational influence. The export of Buddhism from India to China and its long-term impact on that society are invariably discussed. Moreover, China is India’s largest trading partner today. However, there is little historical evidence of an influence in the other direction: Indian interest in Chinese thought or literature. Moreover, despite their current rivalry, what is happening in…
Trump held a cabinet meeting on Wednesday that was apparently aimed at continuing his manipulation of the stock market. Trump was also trying to sell his apparently bogus Iran deal and needed an ego boost from his Dear Leader-style cabinet. PoliticusUSA is 100% independent, with no political parties, billionaires, or corporate influence. Support us by becoming a subscriber.The problem was that even though Trump’s approved medical exam proclaimed him to be in perfect health, evidence of his decline was everywhere in the meeting.For example, here is a series of photos of Trump sleeping during the meeting. The White House says…
In mid-May, an old, deep-rooted debate resurfaced during a meeting of the Russian-Kyrgyz Expert Advisory Council on History. Russian scholars present, after reviewing Kyrgyz history textbooks for grades 8, 9, and 10, complained about the depiction of the Soviet Union and the use of the term “colonialism” in reference to both the Russian Empire and the USSR that followed it. “Using the term ‘colonialism’ is a fashion statement,” said Andrei Bykov, a researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Azattyk. “The younger generation perceives this term emotionally, because it has a negative connotation. If…