WHAT IS HAPPENING IN GEOPOLITICS?

MARCH 2021

ASIA PACIFIC:

• Indonesia and Japan have signed a deal enabling exports of Japanese-made defense equipment as they try to boost cooperation amid China’s rising assertiveness in regional waters.

• South Korea singed with United States a new pact that “reaffirmed the need for a stable presence of US troops in Korea”.

• The U.S. military hopes to create a network of longer-range, land-based missiles in the Western Pacific as a means of deterring China from military action against Taiwan.

• The Pentagon recently asked Congress for an astronomical $27 billion budget increase to support a massive military buildup in Asia as part of its new Indo-Pacific plan.

• US President Joe Biden held the first-ever joint talks with the leaders of Australia, India and Japan as part of an emerging four-way alliance seen as fundamental to efforts to balance China’s growing military and economic power.

• The US State Department released an update to the Hong Kong Autonomy Act, identifying two dozen Chinese officials the United States accuses of reducing the former British colony’s autonomy.

EURASIA:

• China and Russia are planning to work together to combat ‘colour revolutions’ in Central Asia and Southeast Asia, where the two neighbours shared common development and strategic interests.

• The U.S. Army released a new strategic policy document that remarks that “the Arctic has the potential to become a contested space where United States great power rivals, Russia and China, seek to use military and economic power to gain access to the region at the expense of US interests”.

SOUTH ASIA:

• India and Pakistan hold the first meeting in three years representing a thawing in bilateral ties, which have been frozen since 2019.

• Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited recently Bangladesh to develop political and economic ties to undermine Chinese influence in the region.

• British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will be visiting India as part of a plan to recalibrate its strategic footprint and focusing on the Indo-Pacific.

• Russia held a conference on Afghanistan, marking an attempt by Moscow to raise its profile in the Afghan peace efforts. 

• The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden is looking to keep the U.S. troops in Afghanistan past May 1 deadline while exploring a deal in which the Taliban would allow a U.S. counter-terrorism force to remain as they confront their Islamic State foes.

MIDDLE EAST:

• Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said China would prioritise its relations with the Middle East in its quest for support and greater influence in the region.

• France has called for a meeting of the US-led International Coalition over the “revival” of the Islamic State in Iraq.

• The United States and Turkey will continue to work together to promote common interests in Syria.

• Iran rejected a European Union offer to arrange direct nuclear talks with the US, saying it wanted a guarantee first that the US would lift some sanctions.

AFRICA:

• US warship arrives at Sudan port. It marks an increase in bilateral military engagement and their intention to strengthen security in the region.

• U.S. special operations troops have deployed to Mozambique on a mission to assist the country’s counterterrorism forces with the growing threat of Islamic State militants.

• Egypt is making every effort toward rapprochement with Chad to counterbalance Turkey’s influence in the African continent.

SOURCES:

THE GUARDIAN – RT – REUTERS – STRAIT TIMES – VOA NEWS – AL JAZEERA – UPI – BULGARIAN MILITARY – RAW STORY – JAPAN TIMES – OUTLOOK INDIA – ANTIWAR.COM – DW – ABC NEWS – LOWY INSTITUTE – ORF ONLINE – SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST – NEWSWEEK – BLOOMBERG – CGTN – THE DIPLOMAT – GULF TODAY – EASTERN EYE – ABNA 24 – MIDDLE EAST MONITOR – ASHARQ AL – AWSAT-SHAFAQ – WASHINGTON EXAMINER – AL MONITOR – THE ARAB WEEKLY – ARAB NEWS – CHINA ORG – COUNTER PUNCH – WSWS ORG -YENI SAFAK