After COVID, Beijing is grappling with a new challenge – an expanding war encircling its friends and neighbors. Is China a victim or a contributor to this new conflict? The country may or may not be aware, but suspicions are mounting about its role. War is spreading like a virus during an epidemic. Two years […]
North Korea: Kim Jong-un’s threats and the danger of a terror strategy at a time of global war
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s military threats and his increasingly bellicose rhetoric are a cause for concern, as he vowed to review relations with South Korea, including the demolition of the reunification monument built by his father in Pyongyang. Francesco Sisci: “The terror strategy is controllable in peacetime, but it can become extremely dangerous when […]
Bidening on America
Many Americans feel broken, and people are split on immigration and very divisive issues like gender or abortion and go for Trump. His victory in Iowa is proof of this. But the country is doing better than ever. A belief crisis blinds many. The U.S. needs to restore its cultural unity, starting with accepting the […]
Taiwan to the polls: elections take centre stage in China-US international diplomacy
Taiwan heads to the polls. On Saturday 13 January, the de facto independent island, which China wants to ‘reunify’, will elect a new president and parliament. An estimated 19.3 million voters have been called to the polls. The election, which is being closely watched by the international community, could reshape relations between Taipei and Beijing, […]
North Korea bombards tension and helps Russia
The extended Russian fighting in Ukraine is causing global geopolitical tremors across Eurasia. Seventy years ago, the war in Korea heightened tensions and the threat of war in Europe; now, the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza are heightening worries and risks in Asia. On Friday, North Korea fired over 200 rounds of artillery that fell […]
Xi Jinping’s military and foreign politics shifts
A substantial shift in China’s foreign approach may be underway, although it is still unclear where it will lead. Within a few hours, President Xi Jinping promoted a new Minister of Defense, Dong Jun, sacked nine senior generals, and set a new path for foreign politics. Xi vowed to “seize strategic opportunities and further enhance […]