- — Trump aligns with Putin yet again, squeezing Ukraine and Europe
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at 10/12/26 11:36pmThe deal struck by Donald Trump with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on October 9 to allow Russia to sell millions of tonnes of diesel is a major departure from US policy and runs counter to Ukrainian and European interests. It also directly contradicts a law signed by the US president in September to authorize [] The post Trump aligns with Putin yet again, squeezing Ukraine and Europe appeared first on Asia Times.- — India’s superpower dream is just another recycled Modi slogan
- at 10/12/26 11:14pmFamous Indian author Shashi Tharoor was famously quoted as saying: “Everything in India is recycled, even the dreams “ In October 2010, The Economist ran a cover titled “How India’s growth will outpace China,” citing India’s young population, dynamic private sector and a strong democratic system as advantages over China’s state-led model. The IMF projected [] The post India’s superpower dream is just another recycled Modi slogan appeared first on Asia Times.
- — The seven stages of American decline
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at 10/12/26 10:46pmWhen Donald Trump went to Joint Base Andrews on September 23 to greet Xi Jinping in person, strategic analysts took notice. American presidents rarely wait on the tarmac for visiting foreign leaders unless they want to say something. The gesture was not a scheduling quirk or a show of personal warmth. It signaled that Washington [] The post The seven stages of American decline appeared first on Asia Times. - — Iran war-depleted arsenal making US a less potent power
- at 10/12/26 10:31pmThe Iran conflict has exposed a glaring blind spot in US war strategy. America can escalate in hours, but it can take years to rebuild the arsenal it consumes. Washington has begun addressing the arms-replenishment problem, a calculation it should have made before escalating. The Pentagon’s recent awards reflect the intensity of the challenge. In [] The post Iran war-depleted arsenal making US a less potent power appeared first on Asia Times.
- — US turning B-52 bomber into long-range China ship killer
- at 10/12/26 9:54pmWhile the US is arming its long-serving B-52 with potent ship-killing missiles to take on Chinas expanding navy, severe munition constraints and operational vulnerabilities could undermine its strategic impact. This month, multiple media outlets reported that the US Navy plans to award a sole-source contract to Lockheed Martin to integrate the AGM-158C Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile [] The post US turning B-52 bomber into long-range China ship killer appeared first on Asia Times.
- — No, China is not filling the Western aid gap in Southeast Asia
- at 10/12/26 9:00pmWhen Australia’s Lowy Institute think tank released the 2025 edition of its Southeast Asia Aid Map in July last year, it projected that Western aid cuts would shift the region’s development finance toward Asian partners. Specifically, the report expected the center of gravity to “drift East, notably to Beijing but also Tokyo and Seoul.” Lowy’s [] The post No, China is not filling the Western aid gap in Southeast Asia appeared first on Asia Times.
- — FCC product testing ban deepens US-China tech decoupling
- at 10/12/26 2:32pmThe US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is moving to bar every Chinese lab from testing electronics for the US market, a sector China dominates. And Chinese media and commentators say that Beijing, having already retaliated with three countermeasures, is ready to strike back again. The FCC said on October 7 that it will vote on [] The post FCC product testing ban deepens US-China tech decoupling appeared first on Asia Times.
- — Trump is free at last to be what he has always been for Putin
- at 10/12/26 8:38amPoor Donald Trump. For the last 21 months he had to do a great deal of lying. He had to pretend at times that he really cared about the people dying in the Russo-Ukraine War, that he really wanted a deal that was good for Ukraine, that he was getting frustrated with Vladimir Putin, and [] The post Trump is free at last to be what he has always been for Putin appeared first on Asia Times.
- — The AI risk no bank can manage alone
- at 10/12/26 6:27amThe most unsettling failure in digital payments may not be a black screen. Imagine a fraud-detection model that remains online but suddenly flags thousands of legitimate transfers as suspicious. Banks may see functioning servers while customers see rejected payments, delayed salaries and complaints no single institution can explain. This is a hypothetical scenario, not a [] The post The AI risk no bank can manage alone appeared first on Asia Times.
- — Balkan countries show the dangers in obsession with ‘heritage’
- at 10/12/26 6:08amI write from Dubrovnik, a historic and heavily touristed city on Croatias Adriatic coast. Visiting here and other parts of Croatia and its next-door neighbor Slovenia, Im reminded that the Balkan countries used to be part of a bigger entity called Yugoslavia. Before that, some of the Yugoslavian countries were part of the Austro-Hungarian empire, [] The post Balkan countries show the dangers in obsession with heritage appeared first on Asia Times.
- — Putin’s scorched-city policy hits Ukraine hard
- at 10/12/26 4:36amDuring a quarter-century in power, Vladimir Putin has led Russia into three wars, in part aimed at restoring his country’s status as a world power via violent conquest . Each war began in a blitzkrieg-style display of fearsome power meant to climax in a swift victory. Instead, each conflict, whether the 1999-2009 war on the [] The post Putin’s scorched-city policy hits Ukraine hard appeared first on Asia Times.
- — One freed American doesn’t equal US policy shift on Myanmar
- at 10/12/26 4:25amThe recent Reuters headline, “US opens direct talks with Myanmar’s generals, reversing years of isolation,” describes a consequential diplomatic change. It is not a verdict that the junta has won, or that Myanmar’s revolution has lost. The distinction matters because an exaggerated reading can spread precisely the discouragement the generals would welcome. So what did [] The post One freed American doesnt equal US policy shift on Myanmar appeared first on Asia Times.
- — Houthi Riyadh airport hit shows Saudi air defenses full of holes
- at 10/12/26 12:10amThe Houthi attack mixed together suicide drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles. Because these weapons travel at significantly different speeds, the drones were launched first, followed by the cruise missiles and lastly by the ballistic missiles. Reports say the entire attack on October 10, starting at around 3PM local time, lasted around 45 minutes. The [] The post Houthi Riyadh airport hit shows Saudi air defenses full of holes appeared first on Asia Times.
- — When AI takes control of weapons systems
- at 10/11/26 11:42pmArtificial intelligence is rapidly making its way into national defense. Reconnaissance, early warning, target detection, mission planning—everywhere, machine-learning systems promise faster analysis, faster responses, and faster decision-making. In a military context, this sounds like progress. In reality, AI exacerbates a security problem that cannot be solved technically. Anyone who attempts to do so anyway risks [] The post When AI takes control of weapons systems appeared first on Asia Times.
- — China fast on Ukraine lessons, slow on command reform
- at 10/11/26 11:02pmThe Russia-Ukraine War has become a real-time laboratory for the Chinese military, spurring rapid defensive modernization while exposing deep friction between its centralized command hierarchy and the decentralized demands of modern combat. This month, the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) released a report detailing how China is aggressively leveraging the Russia-Ukraine war as [] The post China fast on Ukraine lessons, slow on command reform appeared first on Asia Times.
- — Is Modi facing his own Bangladesh moment?
- at 10/11/26 10:48pmDemanding the resignation of a minister is one thing. It is uncomfortable for a government, occasionally embarrassing for a prime minister, but ultimately manageable. Ministers can be sacrificed and their departures can be presented as accountability, and governments can move on. Demanding the resignation of the chief election commissioner is quite another matter and for [] The post Is Modi facing his own Bangladesh moment? appeared first on Asia Times.
- — Hire next WHO chief for the job, not the flag
- at 10/11/26 10:27pmChina’s nomination of Chinese national Song Li to lead the World Health Organization has been filed under the wrong heading. Most of the coverage treats it as a chapter in a bigger story: Washington has walked out, Beijing has stepped in and Geneva must now pick a side. That story is tidy. It is also [] The post Hire next WHO chief for the job, not the flag appeared first on Asia Times.
- — US-China race is on for the Gulf’s AI future
- at 10/11/26 9:58pmChina’s artificial intelligence and digital-infrastructure investments in the Gulf Arab states are increasingly colliding with a far larger and more strategically privileged American technology presence, particularly in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). While Beijing offers Gulf governments cloud platforms, 5G networks, smart-city systems, surveillance technologies and lower-cost digital infrastructure, Washington offers the [] The post US-China race is on for the Gulfs AI future appeared first on Asia Times.
- — Samsung dangles $560,000 bonuses to keep engineers from China
- at 10/9/26 11:08pmA Samsung memory chip worker earning about $60,000 a year could receive roughly $560,000 in bonuses before tax, according to the company’s largest union. Its estimate includes both Samsung’s existing profit-sharing bonus and a new special payment. Samsung hasn’t confirmed the amount. On October 7, the company outlined how that special bonus would work: 10.5% [] The post Samsung dangles $560,000 bonuses to keep engineers from China appeared first on Asia Times.
- — Anduril’s plan to save US sub edge from China’s undersea surge
- at 10/9/26 10:51pmA multibillion-dollar private initiative to overhaul US submarine manufacturing marks an urgent push to revitalize naval industrial capacity at a pivotal moment in the Indo-Pacific balance of power. This month, multiple media outlets reported that defense technology firm Anduril Industries will invest US$3.7 billion of its own capital to build a 2-million-square-foot software-defined shipyard at [] The post Andurils plan to save US sub edge from Chinas undersea surge appeared first on Asia Times.
- — Moving B-1 bombers from UK to US is no drone warfare solution
- at 10/9/26 10:16pmOn October 4, the US pulled its 12 B-1 strategic bombers out of Fairford, UK and returned them to the United States. Reports say the planes returned to Ellsworth Air Force Base in Rapid City, South Dakota. The bombers were pulled out when intelligence reported that an attack by armed drones against Fairford was imminent. [] The post Moving B-1 bombers from UK to US is no drone warfare solution appeared first on Asia Times.
- — Europe’s Ukraine commitments collide with fiscal reality
- at 10/9/26 6:39amSubscribe nowwith a one-month trial for only $1, then enjoy the first year at an exclusive rate of just $99. France’s fiscal troubles shift Ukraine’s burden to Germany Diego Faßnacht reports that France’s worsening debt dynamics and rising borrowing costs are narrowing its fiscal room to sustain Ukraine support, increasing Germany’s relative importance. But Berlin’s [] The post Europe’s Ukraine commitments collide with fiscal reality appeared first on Asia Times.
- — Bit by bit, the Taliban is losing control of Afghanistan
- at 10/7/26 11:46pmFive years after seizing Kabul, the Taliban’s strongest argument for international acceptance rests on control. The Taliban governs every provincial capital and faces no conventional army capable of marching on Kabul. It repeatedly cites improved security as proof that Afghanistans post-2021 order is settled. But armed resistance is becoming more geographically dispersed, more organizationally diverse [] The post Bit by bit, the Taliban is losing control of Afghanistan appeared first on Asia Times.
As of 10/13/26 6:30am. Last new 10/13/26 12:07am.
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