Asia Times

4 days ago | asiatimes.com | Ravi Kant

For centuries, the mirror has served a simple purpose: to reflect our image. It shows our form, lets us adjust our appearance, and studies our expressions. But it doesn’t know us. A mirror is a passive, optical simulation – a reflection of form, not essence. You can stare into it for hours, yet it will never reveal your thoughts or identity. It’s a surface, not substance. The more we gaze into mirrors, the more we focus on appearance. In that way, mirrors become feedback loops.

1 week ago | asiatimes.com | Noah Smith

“They are a peaceable people but an earnest people, and they will fight, too.” — William T. ShermanI am not a military analyst or expert. Usually, I look at the world through the lens of economics, which I actually have some training in. But if you want to get a good holistic picture of the world, you need to understand at least a little bit about war and conflict.

1 week ago | asiatimes.com | Noah Smith

Analyzing American economic policy isn’t that interesting these days, except perhaps as a grim spectacle. So I’ve been thinking a little about Chinese economic policy. China’s leaders leave much to be desired, but to their credit, they still think economic policy is about strengthening their nation, enriching their people and improving their technology instead of pursuing domestic culture wars by other means.

1 week ago | asiatimes.com | Kurt Davis

As Israel escalates its confrontation with Iran, Donald Trump faces a defining foreign policy test. The choice before him is not between diplomacy and war. Diplomacy has largely been exhausted; war, in some form, is already underway. The real question is more consequential and more concrete: should the United States supply Israel with its most formidable non-nuclear weapon—the 30,000-pound bunker buster?

1 week ago | asiatimes.com | Chris Fitzgerald

The Taliban’s quest for legitimacy is gaining momentum after Pakistan upgraded diplomatic ties last month, promoting its charge d’affaires in Kabul to the rank of ambassador and accepting the Taliban’s counterpart in Islamabad. At the time, Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said the Pakistan-Afghanistan relationship was on a “positive trajectory” and that the move was a positive step towards “enhanced engagement” in the areas of trade, security and counterterrorism.