With the failure of moderates’ Western outreach in the aftermath of US withdrawal from the JCPOA, the conservatives, now in power in Iran, are looking for a long-term partnership with Russia which would bring stability in their shared neighbourhood, geoeconomic opportunities and also weaken the influence of moderates and reformists.
Kremlin’s increasingly assertive stance on the troop build-up along the Russia–Ukraine border can be viewed as not just prompted by Ukraine’s potential NATO membership but also as Russia underscoring its place as a stakeholder in shaping European security architecture.
The rapid increase in the nuclear forces of China, as revealed in the 2021 Pentagon Report, is a matter of serious concern. Several countries are undertaking exercises to ascertain the strategic and security implications of the feared expansion of the Chinese nuclear stockpile.
Abhay Kumar Singh replies: AUKUS commitment to support Australia in acquiring nuclear-powered submarines for the Royal Australian Navy has unarguably been the most eye-catching provision in the announcement of an enhanced trilateral security partnership between Australia, the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US). Notwithstanding significant international attention, this announcement about the nuclear submarine deal remains devoid of key details.
US has undertaken a number of initiatives on cybersecurity, specifically ransomware, one of them being the Counter-Ransomware Initiative Meeting held in October 2021. Whether this attempt by the US to mobilise a larger group of countries to discuss ransomware will lead to real outcomes, or is just meant to endorse its actions, remains to be seen.
It may seem premature to discuss the advent of an illiberal global order, however, the numerous catalytic events of recent years and the apparent decline of American heft in shaping global norms and structures might indicate that the international system is on the cusp of a major transformation.
While Ankara can take respite in President Biden’s decision to continue discussions on contentious issues, it would have to invest more diplomatic capital to overcome the challenges facing its relations with the US.
Adil Rasheed replies: Although the US has recently become the largest oil and natural gas producing country in the world, the OPEC states still produce about 40 per cent of the world’s crude oil with Middle East (or West Asian) states producing about a third of the global output. The global oil market is seamless and any disruption in supplies by one supplier impacts global oil prices simultaneously. As the adage goes, “We all sip from the same cup”.
The January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol by White Supremacists and members of far-right militias brought to stark attention the political divisiveness in the United States.
Looming Spectre of Conflict in Eastern Europe?
Kremlin’s increasingly assertive stance on the troop build-up along the Russia–Ukraine border can be viewed as not just prompted by Ukraine’s potential NATO membership but also as Russia underscoring its place as a stakeholder in shaping European security architecture.