Headlines

India’s calculated silence on the Iran war

The escalating confrontation in the Gulf is entering uncertain territory, with risks extending well beyond the region. For India, the stakes are unusually high—economically, strategically and politically—sparking calls for India to step in as a mediator. Given its deep economic

Why US hasn’t dared try to take the Hormuz Strait

Since the United States and Israel launched their war against Iran in late February, Iran has retaliated by targeting commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz, effectively shutting down the narrow channel of water. It’s caused a global fuel crisis, even though some ships are

Ghost of Suez haunts Trump’s Iran war

There is a particular kind of strategic catastrophe that announces itself dressed in the garb of bold necessity. History’s statesmen rarely declare that they are about to blunder into an unwinnable quagmire; they speak instead of existential threats forestalled, of windows of

Transactional diplomacy and strategic ambiguity on Taiwan

An earlier version of this article was published by Pacific Forum. When Donald Trump told reporters in February 2026 that he had discussed Taiwan arms sales with Xi Jinping, the headlines wrote themselves. Commentators warned of betrayal; Taiwanese talk shows speculated about

China targets US trade barriers amid Section 301 probes

China has launched two trade-barrier investigations into US practices and measures that Beijng suspects disrupt global production and supply chains and restrict Chinese exports, particularly in green technology sectors. The Chinese Ministry of Commerce said on Friday (March 27)

A major disaster for Russia in shipyard attack

On March 25, during a massive drone attack in the Leningrad region, the Ukrainian General Staff announced that its “joint forces” had damaged the Vyborg Shipbuilding installation. Whoever carried it out and how, the attaack’s success was a huge disaster for the Russians, with

Russia arms Iran, cementing a drone-powered anti-US axis

In a striking role reversal, Russia appears to be preparing to supply its embattled partner Iran with one-way attack drones, just as Iran previously supplied Russia to sustain its fight in Ukraine. The Financial Times (FT) reported that Russia is nearing the completion of