Is TikTok China’s Weapon for Intellectual Warfare?
TikTok’s origins can be traced back to Vine and Musical.ly, but is the app more sinister than people realize?
The US certainly seems to think so.
Citing security risks, the US has introduced two bills: the ‘Deterring America’s Technological Adversaries’ (DATA) Act and the ‘Restricting the Emergence of Security Threats that Risk Information and Communications Technology’ (RESTRICT) Act.
It is believed that TikTok is part of China’s larger plan of brain warfare which includes everything from misinformation operations to contemporary weaponry that can target cognitive ability.
Institutional Development in Indonesia and Kuwait as Resource-Dependent Countries
Brilliant Windy Khairunnisa illustrates how Indonesia and Kuwait, as natural resource-dependent nations, have found the need to develop their social-economic institutions through local and global collaborations.
Both Indonesia and Kuwait have taken advantage of the digital space to drive innovation and expand their exports beyond the limited natural resources that they possess.
Will Huawei Be Able to Hold Out Against the US’s Sanctions?
The US has persisted in exerting pressure on allies, especially in Europe, to exclude Huawei from their 5G wireless networks.
There are also concerns over Huawei’s ties to the Chinese government and that its products might be used to sneak on other nations.
Fatima Haider notes that many nations would not be able to resist Huawei’s cost-friendly 5G installations for long.
Pakistan is benefitting itself from the ICT academies and tech infrastructure that Huawei has to offer.
Petteri Orpo of the NCP Wins Finland’s 2023 Elections
The first week of April has Finland appearing in most of the headlines. Interestingly, Finland’s parliamentary elections took place on 2nd April, just two days before its acceptance as a NATO member state on 4th April.
Prime Minister Sanna Marin’s Social Democrats Party (SDP) was outpolled by the rival center-right National Coalition Party (NCP).
The NCP is positioned on the centre-right and is labeled as liberal-conservative on the political spectrum.
Later next week, a coalition government will be initiated under the leadership of Petteri Orpo of the NCP.
The Troubled Waters of River Brahmaputra
Hafiz Mohsin Nadeem believes it is critical to comprehend the physical and environmental characteristics of the Brahmaputra river in order to fully understand the water dispute and potential conflict among multiple nations, particularly India and China.
With China focusing its efforts on the growth of hydropower, India is concerned that water may soon become China’s geopolitical weapon in the Sino-Indian disputes.
Pakistan–India Adversarial Relations: Instability for South Asia
Even with both Pakistan and India being nuclear weapon states, strategic stability in South Asia is under constant stress.
Brig. Syed Mushtaq Ahmed (R) discusses how the US is continually supporting India, to control China’s influence in the region. This means the Indians are ramping up their military capacities – and Pakistan then has to reciprocate.
He goes on to explore regional and global dynamics, and then offers viable policies for Pakistan and India, to work towards the much-needed regional economic cooperation.
Honduras and Taiwan Part Ways
On 26th March, Honduras formally announced the recognition of the ‘One-China policy’ thus severing ties with Taiwan.
China and Honduras have now decided to establish diplomatic relations.
Maryam Jilani shares the history between Honduras and Taiwan as well as China’s growing influence.
Restored Saudi-Iran Relations and the Role of China
Following a seven-year period of severed ties, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran have recently agreed to resume diplomatic relations, with the assistance of China.
Both countries have expressed their appreciation and gratitude to Iraq, Oman, and China for their positive role in facilitating, hosting, and sponsoring the talks.
To Afifa Iqbal, the restoration of diplomatic ties is a welcome development, but she believes that it is improbable that major disagreements between the two states polarized by religion, geopolitics, and geostrategic interests will be resolved.
Declassified Diplomacy: Argentina and the US
The entire Carter administration disapproved of the human rights violations by the military junta within Argentina in the 1970s.
However, the declassified documents in the National Security Archive reveal that “quiet diplomacy” was used to maintain political ties with the military junta.
Instead of voicing his concerns in public, President Jimmy Carter chose to discuss the internal conflict with General Videla of the military junta in a private setting.
Addressing Africa’s Looming Debt Crisis
As China and the US spar for international supremacy, developing African economies are in need of cooperation to stave off a debt crisis by facilitating long-term investments.
Africa’s total debt burden is estimated at $696 billion, with China being the largest single bilateral donor as its debts are comparable to the World Bank-International Development Association (IDA) and International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD).
What’s often intentionally overlooked in the foreground of debt-trap diplomacy is China’s potential in supporting Africa’s debt sustainability. As such, Henri Kouam believes that the broader geopolitical rivalry between China and the US must be separated from Africa’s debt problems.
Are China and Russia Replacing the US in the Middle East?
China and Russia are making strategic and economic deals with the Middle East, especially Iran and Saudi Arabia, which will be detrimental to the domination of the US in the region.
Moreover, Western hostility has brought China, Russia, and Iran close to forming a triple axis.
To better understand China and Russia’s increasing relations in the Middle East, Sana Azhar explores the economic, strategic, and soft power domains.
Will Chinese BeiDou Surpass American GPS?
Zainab Imran provides a detailed comparison of two navigation systems: the Chinese BeiDou and the American GPS.
BeiDou is a recent development in the global navigation system, and this seems to be a new hegemonic strategy by China to deal with its contenders.
Named after the Chinese term for the Big Dipper constellation, BeiDou has been in development since the 1990s and has been operational globally since 2020.
The Football War of 1969
There were a series of tensions and disagreements over territories and immigration that escalated to a conflict following a football match between El Salvador and Honduras.
The Football War of 1969 was a hundred-hour war that resulted in the dissolution of the El Salvador–Honduras diplomatic ties and the deaths of over 3000 people from both countries.
The Long-Awaited High Seas Treaty
The high seas, which are areas outside of national boundary waters, have been the subject of conservation discussions for more than 20 years.
4th March 2023 saw the signing of a legally binding High Seas treaty by nearly 200 nations to protect marine life in international waters – that have historically been lawless.
A Closer Look at the MH17 Plane Crash Investigation
Alya Farooq unveils the details of the Malaysian Airlines MH17 aircraft crash that killed the 298 people on board.
The article discusses the legal proceedings, the interesting investigative methods (radar, telecommunication, imaging, etc), and the part played by Russia in the attack.
China’s 12-Point Peace Plan for the Russia-Ukraine War
On 24th February, with its 12-point plan, China called for a ceasefire and negotiations to end the Russia-Ukraine war.
Ukraine and Russia were both open to the idea initially, but after the US’s dismissal of the plan, Ukraine turned away from China’s peace proposal.
A Look Into the Pakistan-Türkiye Relief Efforts
Zainab Haseeb undertakes an event-by-event analysis to understand how both Pakistan and Türkiye have contributed to safeguarding each other’s interests during natural challenges.
She traces the relief efforts made during the 2005 earthquake, the 2022 floods, and the recent 2023 earthquakes.
