Will the Growing China-New Zealand Relations Sideline the US?
Some believe that PM Jacinda Ardern’s visit to the US indicates the inclination of New Zealand towards the US instead of China.
However financial interests between China and New Zealand indicate otherwise.
Since signing the China-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement in 2008, China has become New Zealand’s top financial collaborator, with goods and services exports reaching a whopping $21.5 billion in 2021.
Popular Conspiracy Theories About the September 11 Attacks
On September 11, 2001, just hours after the attacks, the first 9/11 conspiracy theories surfaced online. Since then, especially with the emergence of social media, they have grown in size and scope.
These conspiracy theories have continued to circulate and reached a much broader audience as a result of the emergence of new conspiracy movements online.
For instance, QAnon adherents hold the conspiracy theory that the US “deep state” was behind the attacks, among other conspiratorial viewpoints.
China’s 20th Party Congress: Cementing Xi Jinping’s Historic Third Term
The 20th Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) ran from 16th to 22nd October this year. It is a critically important event because it establishes the party’s leadership for the next five years. It also sets the general policy perspective of that leadership on political matters and policy.
Indubitably, the most important decision taken this year was the confirmation of President Xi Jinping’s precedent-breaking third term.
This decision will make Xi the first leader since Mao Zedong to serve more than two terms.
The Global Refugee Crisis, State Sovereignty, & the Politics Behind it All
The dynamic relationship between refugee flow, rebel groups, and civil wars are often used by states to justify the rejection and expulsion of refugees.
While respecting the principle of state sovereignty, Shazeen Waseem discusses how it is necessary to establish a depoliticised and law-based framework to properly address the situation of the millions of refugees worldwide.
Myths Around Pakistan’s Nukes & National Security
Brig Syed Mushtaq Ahmed (Retd) dispels four virulent myths that have been making the rounds. These include:
1. Balkanization of Pakistan
2. Pakistan is a failed state
3. Pakistan is an epicentre of terrorism
4. The threat to Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal.
He believes that the common objective is to debilitate and defang Pakistan—the only Muslim nuclear power that could threaten US, India, and Israel.
NATO 2022 Strategic Concept: A New Cold War
At the NATO Summit this year in Madrid, the 2022 Strategic Concept was presented and adopted by the alliance’s representatives. The latest strategic doctrine underscores one of the most significant policy shifts in NATO’s deterrence policy since the end of the Cold War.
The document declared the People’s Republic of China as a security challenge.
The alliance has now also categorically recognized the Russian Federation as the most significant and direct threat to the security and stability of the Euro-Atlantic region.
Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Powerplant: The Looming Radiation Disaster
Built between 1984 and 1995, Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant is the largest nuclear power plant in Europe, and one of the top 10 largest power plants in the world.
The plant was taken over by the Russian forces on 4th March, 2022, consequently severing its connection to the Ukrainian grid.
As it is located right in the middle of the war zone, concerns of a radiation disaster have been mounting.
US Intervention in Somalia: Justified or Unnecessary?
Huda Raza details the US-led intervention in Somalia, the political scenario behind the situation that led to the intervention, and the military measures taken by the Bush and Clinton administrations.
She also evaluates whether it was a fair intervention under the theory of just war.
The Rapidly Increasing Military Coups in West Africa
For the past three years, West Africa has experienced multiple military coups. This recent increase is attributed to the contagious effect of the military coup that occurred in Mali in 2020. The ‘coup fever’ has since then spread to Burkina Faso, Chad, and Guinea, and also led to an attempted coup in Guinea-Bissau.
The Middle East Quartet & Its Role
The Middle East Quartet was set up in 2002, primarily to help mediate the Middle East peace negotiations. It has also been supporting Palestinian economic development and institution-building in preparation for eventual statehood.
The platform has an informal structure, but it provides fluidity to members to navigate crises.
Pakistan-US Relations: As Fickle as the Weather
The US has had a turbulent relationship with Pakistan since the country’s independence in 1947. Over the course of 75 years, minor changes have occurred in the way bilateral exchanges are conducted between the two nations.
Despite the rollercoaster relationship, the US has assisted Pakistan by providing necessary loans, humanitarian aid, and military equipment during exigent situations.
Moreover, the US is a major foreign direct investor in Pakistan’s economy, and its largest export partner.
However, bilateral relations between the two have been deteriorating because of scathing remarks and underhanded activities.
Pakistan Grants Tajikistan Access to Gwadar
Due to its strategic location, Pakistan is a country that the Central Asian Republics cannot ignore. Areej Haider aims to explain the recent access to Gwadar for Tajikistan, its importance for both states, and future implications.
Australia’s Stance on West Jerusalem: Israel’s Capital No More
This month, on 18th October, the Australian government made its formal decision to rescind its recognition of west Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
The reversal was met with fury in Israel, but relief in Palestine.
Hamra Tariq notes, however, that Australians have a divided view w.r.t. the decision.
Propaganda Against Pakistan’s Nuclear Weapons: From “Islamic Bomb” to Biden’s Comments
For decades, the West has had its eyes set on Pakistan’s nuclear weapons, going as far as to stir up paranoia against it. The recent statement by President Joe Biden is just another notch in America’s extensive propaganda campaign against Pakistan. Sarmad Ishfaq points out the fallacies in the West’s perceived notion of Pakistan’s nuclear insecurity. He highlights how Pakistan’s nuclear weapons are secure and in turn proves that the countries questioning Pakistan have many nuclear-related issues themselves.
EU and GCC: Energy Partnerships Under Crisis
Facing one of its toughest winters, Europe looks to the Gulf countries to provide it with the energy that Russia had been providing for a long time.
Previously, the EU’s inclination for renewables and climate change—and GCC’s immutable investment in fossil fuels—stood in the way of an energy partnership.
Suhaib Shaukat explains the opportunities and challenges of cooperation between the EU and the GCC states. Some of the glaring obstacles include geopolitical decisions and critical infrastructure needs.
Arab NATO: Key to the Middle East Dilemma?
In recent years, the Gulf states have started to view Israel in a new light. Backed by Saudi Arabia and the US, these states – United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar – no longer think of Israel as a geopolitical threat but rather, consider Iran the enemy.
This sentiment has increased the prospect of an Arab coalition against Iran, particularly since the signing of the Abraham Accords.
Muhammad Bilal Farooq notes that although the Saudi-led coalition against Iran is supported by the US, the Arab states have become aware that they cannot solely rely on Western powers to be security guarantors.
The Bosnian Genocide: The UN’s Ultimate Failure
Nothing explains the United Nations’ peacekeeping failure better than the Bosnian War (1992-1995). Despite the presence of UN peacekeepers, the war culminated in one of the most horrendous massacres of all time—the Srebrenica massacre. The United Nations’ incompetence in preventing the genocide of the Bosnian Muslims, and the great powers’ hesitance to intervene cost the world the lives of more than 100,000 Bosniaks.
