Tanya Vatsa

2 weeks ago | asianaffairs.co.uk | M J Akbar |Tanya Vatsa

A recent Democracy Forum panel discussion looked ahead to what the future might hold for Syria after the fall of Bashar al-Assad Will Syria prove to be the exception to the rule that has been created over the past several decades, in the aftermath of toppled Arab autocracies? How might reconstruction of the country take place, and why does accountability for Syrian war crimes matter?

2 weeks ago | asianaffairs.co.uk | M J Akbar |Tanya Vatsa

The Pacific nation of Kiribati says it is exploring a deep-sea mining partnership with China, offering Beijing the attractive prospect of access to a huge swathe of the Pacific Ocean that harbours coveted metals and minerals. China has for some time been ramping up efforts to court Pacific nations sitting on lucrative sea-floor deposits of cobalt, nickel and copper, recently signing a cooperation deal with the Cook Islands.

2 weeks ago | asianaffairs.co.uk | Yvonne Gill |M J Akbar |Tanya Vatsa

Yvonne Gill considers how Asia’s security frameworks and the tenacity and adaptability of regional markets will be tested by changing US policies President Donald Trump’s second term, characterised by a clear shift in US foreign policy, is resonating far beyond the corridors of power in Washington, from the streets of New Delhi and Jakarta to the diplomatic chambers in Tokyo and Singapore.

3 weeks ago | asianaffairs.co.uk | M J Akbar |Tanya Vatsa

Trump is tired of freeloaders but, writes MJ Akbar inbuilt into his demand for Ukraine’s minerals is an iron-clad security guarantee The lips said it, the mind read it.

3 weeks ago | asianaffairs.co.uk | Tanya Vatsa |M J Akbar

In the intricate web of international relations, Europe’s response to Russian aggression has become a test not only of military resolve but of strategic maturity. The evolving dynamics – shaped by US President Donald Trump’s ambivalent foreign policy and his recent meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky– have exposed the widening faultlines between rhetoric and reality, alliance and autonomy.