Showing 11 - 19 of 19
China's creditor imperialism shackles poor countries
News, Brahma Chellaney, Published on 27/12/2017
» This month, Sri Lanka, unable to pay the onerous debt to China it has accumulated, formally handed over its strategically located Hambantota port to the Asian giant. It was a major acquisition for China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) -- which President Xi Jinping calls the "project of the century" -- and proof of just how effective China's debt-trap diplomacy can be.
A new front in Asia's water war
News, Brahma Chellaney, Published on 13/10/2017
» China has long regarded freshwater as a strategic weapon -- one that the country's leaders have no compunction about wielding to advance their foreign-policy goals. After years of using its chokehold on almost every major transnational river system in Asia to manipulate water flows themselves, China is now withholding data on upstream flows to put pressure on downstream countries, particularly India.
China heads for imperial overreach
News, Brahma Chellaney, Published on 29/05/2017
» Chinese President Xi Jinping's tenure has been marked by high ambition. His vision -- the "Chinese dream" -- is to make China the world's leading power by 2049, the centenary of communist rule. But Mr Xi may be biting off more than he can chew.
Capitalism not always route to democracy
News, Brahma Chellaney, Published on 12/03/2016
» As US President Barack Obama prepares to embark on a historic visit to Cuba this month, the future of the communist-ruled island is the subject of widespread speculation. Some observers are hoping that the ongoing shift toward capitalism, which has been occurring very gradually for five years under Raul Castro’s direction, will naturally lead Cuba toward democracy. Experience suggests otherwise.
How the West sowed seeds for terrorism
News, Brahma Chellaney, Published on 19/11/2015
» The Islamic State's horrific attacks in Paris are a stark reminder that Western powers cannot contain -- let alone insulate themselves from -- the unintended consequences of their interventions in the Middle East. The unravelling of Syria, Iraq and Libya, together with the civil war that is tearing Yemen apart, have created vast killing fields, generated waves of refugees and spawned Islamist militants who will remain a threat to international security for years to come. And the West has more than a little to do with it.
Tokyo must rearm but focus on defence
News, Brahma Chellaney, Published on 22/10/2015
» Japan's political resurgence is one of this century's most consequential developments in Asia. But it has received relatively little attention, because observers have preferred to focus on the country's prolonged economic woes.
Sri Lanka heads for 'Chinese election'
News, Brahma Chellaney, Published on 15/08/2015
» Sri Lanka’s parliamentary election on Monday promises to shape not only the country’s political future, but also geopolitics in the wider Indian Ocean region, a global centre of trade and energy flows that accounts for half of the world’s container traffic and 70% of its petroleum shipments.
Modi spin can't hide harsh realities of Sino-India ties
News, Brahma Chellaney, Published on 20/05/2015
» China and India have a fraught relationship, characterised by festering disputes, deep mistrust, and a shared ambivalence about political cooperation. Booming bilateral trade, far from helping to turn the page on old rifts, has been accompanied by increasing border incidents, military tensions, and geopolitical rivalry, as well as disagreements on riparian and maritime issues.
Friendless China mourns loss of North Korea
News, Brahma Chellaney, Published on 16/02/2014
» At a time when China's territorial assertiveness has strained its ties with many countries in the region, and its once-tight hold on Myanmar has weakened, its deteriorating relationship with North Korea, once its vassal, renders it a power with no real allies. The question now is whether the US and other powers can use this development to create a diplomatic opening to North Korea that could help transform northeast Asia's fraught geopolitics.