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Diplomacy & Crisis News

How Chinese Analysts Interpret Trump’s 2025 National Security Strategy

TheDiplomat - Fri, 12/12/2025 - 15:59
Far from celebrating an American retreat, Beijing’s strategists are reading the NSS as a blueprint for leaner – and potentially more dangerous – U.S. primacy.

Will Nepal’s September Uprising Transform the Ballot?

TheDiplomat - Fri, 12/12/2025 - 15:49
The elections set for March 2026 will test whether the political energy unleashed by the youth uprising can truly break free from transactional politics.

France and Mauritius: Strengthening Ties in the Indian Ocean

TheDiplomat - Fri, 12/12/2025 - 15:19
With major powers like China and India asserting their ambitions in the Indian Ocean, France relies on partnerships with like-minded countries, including Mauritius, to maintain its influence.

AUKUS After AUSMIN: Why Canberra Must Read Washington Clearly

TheDiplomat - Fri, 12/12/2025 - 15:10
Washington’s political message remains supportive, but its strategic priorities no longer clearly align with the long-term demands of the partnership.

Will Japan’s First Woman Prime Minister Finally Tackle Violence Against Women?

TheDiplomat - Fri, 12/12/2025 - 14:48
How Takaichi's government addresses the implementation gap for existing laws will define whether her historic appointment translates into substantive progress for women's safety.

Starmer Acknowledges Britain’s China Problem But Overestimates the UK’s Ability to Fix It

TheDiplomat - Fri, 12/12/2025 - 14:25
The real problem is not Britain’s lack of engagement with Beijing, but its shrinking leverage in a China-U.S. power dynamic that London has no power to shape.

Land Degradation and Tajikistan’s Food Security Crisis

TheDiplomat - Fri, 12/12/2025 - 14:10
The country's small, fragmented farms and climate pressures threaten food security and economic stability.

What’s Really Changed in ‘New Uzbekistan’?

TheDiplomat - Fri, 12/12/2025 - 13:53
Since the 2016 death of the country’s first president, Islam Karimov, his successor, Shavkat Mirziyoyev, has strived to present himself as a reformer forging a “New Uzbekistan."

Afghanistan’s Uncertain Gamble for Economic Survival

TheDiplomat - Fri, 12/12/2025 - 10:56
A struggling regime is caught between countervailing forces.

Accountability for Nepal’s China-built Pokhara Airport Has Begun

TheDiplomat - Fri, 12/12/2025 - 06:46
Nepal's anti-corruption watchdog has filed a corruption case against 55 individuals and a Chinese company in relation to the construction of the $216 million airport.

The Multipolar Mirage

Foreign Affairs - Fri, 12/12/2025 - 06:00
Why America and China are the world's only great powers.

How Europe Lost

Foreign Affairs - Fri, 12/12/2025 - 06:00
Can the continent escape its Trump trap?

Thai Prime Minister Gains Royal Approval For Dissolution of Parliament

TheDiplomat - Fri, 12/12/2025 - 05:52
The move, which Anutin Charnvirakul said would "return power to the people," will pave the way for a snap election in late January or early February.

Trump 2.0 Southeast Asia Strategy Tests Agency Beyond the US-China Prism

TheDiplomat - Fri, 12/12/2025 - 01:12
From trade deals to the South China Sea, states are navigating risks as they exercise agency amid shifting great power competition.

‘Allocables’ and other Corruption Keywords in the Philippines

TheDiplomat - Fri, 12/12/2025 - 00:59
Our guide to the key concepts and phrases related to the country's ever-widening graft scandal.

Rights Groups Condemn Myanmar Military Airstrike on Hospital

TheDiplomat - Fri, 12/12/2025 - 00:45
The attack in Rakhine State is part of an offensive that the junta has waged in the run-up to its contentious election on December 28.

How to Bring Peace to War-Torn Sudan

Foreign Policy Blogs - Thu, 11/12/2025 - 18:42

A conference titled “Sudan in Crisis: Turning Humanitarian Action into Lasting Peace” was held today at the European Parliament in Brussels, bringing together Members of the European Parliament, experts, researchers, and journalists to discuss the latest developments in Sudan and the urgent need to support a population suffering from systematic human rights violations, famine, and mass displacement since the outbreak of war on 15 April 2023.

The debate was moderated by Manel Msalmi, human rights advisor at the Milton Friedman Institute. Claude Moniquet, journalist and former intelligence expert, emphasized the role of the Muslim Brotherhood and Iran in fueling the conflict. He pointed to evidence of Iranian arms smuggling through the Red Sea to the Sudanese army, warning that the establishment of such a network of Iranian influence would pose a strategic threat to Europe and the wider region.

Paulo Casaca, former MEP and founder of the South Asia Forum, noted that Qatar and other states have strongly supported Islamist forces in Sudan. He added that Sudan’s rulers have dismantled the international mechanisms designed to curb their human rights abuses, much like what happened with UNITAMS.

Heath Sloane, Director of Geopolitical Intelligence at B&K Agency, underlined that Islamists have become a strategic actor in the current war, with the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Iran–Houthi axis deeply entrenched. He stressed that the war in Sudan matters to Europe due to migration pressures, the threat of exporting extremist ideologies, and the risk of hostile external powers gaining a foothold in the country. He urged the EU to support Sudanese actors committed to pluralism—particularly women’s groups, minorities, journalists, and civic organizations.

Khalid Omer Yousif, former Sudanese Minister of Cabinet Affairs and a leading political figure, stressed that the conflict represents the world’s largest humanitarian catastrophe and has no military solution. He noted that its roots lie in decades of military rule that suppressed Sudan’s diversity. He highlighted grave violations committed by both parties and called for accountability. He also emphasized that the Sudanese Islamic Movement is prolonging the war and should be designated as a terrorist organization. He concluded by urging Europe to support the Quad’s 12 September roadmap, scale up humanitarian assistance, and back the international fact-finding mission to ensure justice.

Andy Vermaut, journalist and human rights defender, began by recalling the 2019 Sudanese revolution and the hope it inspired, before the Islamist and military leaders plunged the country into atrocities and mass killings in 2021. He highlighted the devastating consequences of the war, including famine, sexual violence, and suffocation caused by chemical weapons. He called on the EU to act in line with its commitments to human rights and democracy, to ban the Muslim Brotherhood, isolate extremist actors, and ensure unhindered humanitarian aid to civilians. He regrets that the Egyptian Army and intelligence services are actively supporting the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), prolonging the civil war.

Saudi Arabia and Qatar have financed the purchase of Chinese weapons for SAF through black-market channels. SAF has deployed Chinese and Russian aircraft — reportedly procured with Qatari support — to bomb churches and mosques.

Sudan has offered Port Sudan as a strategic gateway for Russia into Africa. This move threatens European security interests by enabling Moscow to arm militias across the continent.

The conference ended by a screening of a France 24 investigation report on the use of chemical weapons by the army against civilians published last week.

L'héritage des ombres

Le Monde Diplomatique - Thu, 11/12/2025 - 17:21
Mettre en valeur le patrimoine culturel des Aborigènes, c'est ce à quoi se consacre l'avocate et universitaire australienne Larissa Behrendt, spécialisée dans la défense de leurs droits. Elle a travaillé à cette fin dans de nombreux domaines (éducation, arts…), et recourt également à la (…) / , , ,

Allowing Nvidia to Sell H200 Chips to China Is a Mistake

TheDiplomat - Thu, 11/12/2025 - 16:48
The Trump administration’s decision risks undermining the U.S. in its protracted technology competition with China.

Why China Is Watching Trump’s Venezuela Campaign Closely

TheDiplomat - Thu, 11/12/2025 - 15:47
U.S. intervention in Latin America could put China’s growing influence there in jeopardy. That might be the real goal.

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