In April 2026, the Austrian Federal Ministry of European and International Affairs forwarded a letter from the Tajik Ministry of the Interior to the Ministry of Justice. It was not a diplomatic note. It was a file officially titled “Procedural documents regarding the extradition of the citizen of the Republic of Tajikistan, wanted person, Shukurov Firdavs Tojiddinovich – member of an extremist-terrorist organization”. The accompanying letter, signed in Vienna on April 24, informed the Austrian Justice Ministry that Dushanbe had forwarded files on not one but 18 people who, in the words of the Tajik Interior Ministry’s own letter, “sought…
Author: Frank M. Everett
In 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced India’s updated Act East Policy (AEP), broadening the strategic focus of ties to integrate defense and security with its Southeast and East Asian partners. However, this policy was not originally designed around security. Its predecessor, the Look East Policy (LEP), began in the early 1990s to strengthen economic relations, but became the AEP when New Delhi recognized the strategic imperative to develop defense ties with its extended eastern neighborhood. While the first decade of this policy saw deepening regional defense ties – including the BrahMos agreements with Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam –…
Indonesia has announced a number of changes to its free nutritious meals program, a flagship policy of President Prabowo Subianto’s administration, to reduce pressure on the government budget. Agustina Arumsari, deputy director of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), which administers the multibillion-dollar program, said Thursday evening that the program would be suspended during the upcoming school holidays, from June 22 to July 13, as well as during all upcoming school holidays, Reuters reported. The changes were about “fiscal efficiency” and would also “ensure that every resource held by the state truly provides optimal benefits to groups in need”, she added.…
This would all make a lot more sense if it were part of an intentional strategy, but as the nation witnessed under Trump’s first administration, this is a president with no impulse control or ability to plan, so what has happened in the last 24 hours is pure Trump mayhem.Donald J. Trump is obsessed with leaving a physical imprint on Washington, DC. The desire to build monuments to him is why Trump trashed the White House, wants to build a ballroom and a giant arch, and tried to beautify the Reflecting Pool in front of the Lincoln Memorial. Scientists and…
We’ve already talked about how Donald Trump uses his vice president, JD Vance, as a human shield. Vance is so ambitious and wants so much to become the next president that he willingly allowed himself to be the person responsible for Trump’s failure.Trump named Vance the lead negotiator for the Iran deal. Trump put Vance front and center in the media to defend this deal, and Vance ate it up. Vance did the press conference at the White House on Thursday, and it was a complete failure. PoliticusUSA provides 100% independent news and opinions, free from party or corporate influence.…
After visiting Iran, Donald Trump and his bruised ego are looking for a boost wherever he can get it. Since Trump is both perpetually unsuccessful and needy, he has gone back to doing what he always does in these situations. Donald Trump tried to make himself seem more powerful and desired than he is, but this time he was on the wrong person.PoliticusUSA provides 100% independent news and opinions. Support us by becoming a subscriber.Speaking to Italian media, Trump made a statement that will be familiar to any American who follows politics. Trump claimed Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni begged…
The Tibet Assistance Program (TAP), also known as Pairing up Assistance for Tibet (对口援藏) for China’s Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), was officially launched following the Third National Tibet Work Forum in 1994. It was originally designed to boost the TAR economy, with wealthy provinces in China’s eastern regions funding new roads, buildings and power grids. Eventually, the program began to include other sectors such as health and education. Under Xi Jinping, emphasis has been placed on asserting soft power with infrastructure development. This transaction shifted the program from simple economic aid to an intensification of cultural and political control. The…
Bangladesh Interior Minister Salahuddin Ahmed plans announced to fence off parts of the 270-kilometer border with Myanmar. To understand why Dhaka has reached this point, one must go back to December 8, 2024, when the Arakan Army (AA) completed its capture of Maungdaw and took full control of the border between northern Rakhine State and Bangladesh. For most international observers, Maungdaw’s fall marked a milestone in Myanmar’s civil war – another indication of the military junta’s shrinking territorial control. For Dhaka, however, this meant the disappearance of effective Myanmar state authority over much of its southeastern border. Today, Bangladesh no…
On June 17, the United States and Iran electronically signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at permanently ending the war between the two countries and on other fronts, including Lebanon and, by extension, Israel. The document was signed by US President Donald Trump and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, as well as Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Sharif called the deal the “Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding,” which he said he “approved” as a “mediator.” However, hours after the digital signing of this agreement, unrest erupted when talks scheduled to take place on Friday in Switzerland between the United States and…
As the 11th Our Ocean Conference (OOC 11) concluded in Mombasa on June 18, international delegates celebrated billions of dollars in new commitments and the new Mombasa Declaration on fisheries transparency and the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Meanwhile, various forums have welcomed the imminent implementation of the new Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ Treaty) aimed at establishing marine protected areas. Yet behind this diplomatic trappings lies a frightening precedent for global scientific cooperation. Under intense pressure from Beijing, the Kenyan government abruptly revoked the…