Photo source: Global Times By Naveed Qazi | Editor, Globe Upfront Seventy-five years after its founding, NATO stands at a moment of both continuity and strain. Established in 1949 to contain Soviet influence and anchor Western Europe to the United States, the alliance has survived the Cold War by adapting to new realities. Critics have long argued that it should have dissolved after the Soviet Union’s collapse, yet NATO has instead expanded its membership and redefined its purpose—at times acting as a military instrument of Western power, at others as a security framework for its members. In today’s geopolitical climate, however, NATO appears more contested than at any point in its history. With Russia once again cast as its principal adversary following the war in Ukraine, the alliance has refocused its mission on European security. At the same time, it has identified China as a ‘systemic challenge’, extending its strategic outlook far beyond the North Atlantic. This widening scop...

  Photo source: Euractiv By Naveed Qazi | Editor, Globe Upfront Russia’s Arctic and forested borderlands may seem an unlikely gateway into Europe, yet the route is not new. During the migration crisis of 2015–16, thousands of asylum seekers travelled through Russia’s far north and crossed into Finland and Norway, often using bicycles because some border crossings did not permit pedestrians. Reuters and BBC News reported that the route became a source of tension between Nordic governments and Moscow, with officials in Finland and Norway questioning why Russian authorities were allowing migrants to approach border checkpoints. Russia denied facilitating the movement of migrants. The route largely disappeared after 2016 but re-emerged in late 2023. According to Finland’s Border Guard and reporting by Reuters, nearly 900 asylum seekers arrived at Finland’s eastern border from Russia during November 2023. Finnish authorities stated that most arrivals came from countries including Syria,...

  Photo source: CNN By Naveed Qazi | Editor, Globe Upfront Myanmar’s crisis has dragged on into a protracted and embittered conflict between the junta government, run by the Tatmadaw, and a disparate range of opposing forces with competing agendas – from pro‑democracy dissidents to ethnic armed organisations in states such as Kachin and Shan. Since the military coup in 2021, estimates suggest that more than 50,000 people have died, including thousands of civilians. The Tatmadaw tentatively maintains its grip on power in core territories such as Yangon, Mandalay, and Naypyidaw, but its influence in peripheral regions, especially in the north, is increasingly tenuous. Popular disillusionment and internal splintering within the military have contributed to inefficiencies and the effective failure to maintain control across roughly half of the country’s territory. Against this backdrop, Myanmar’s neighbours, particularly Thailand, face mounting pressure to assume a more robust role in ...

  Photo source: DD News By Naveed Qazi | Editor, Globe Upfront External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar’s five‑day tour of Singapore, the Philippines and Malaysia in March 2024 was part of India’s broader effort to deepen engagement with ASEAN. His visit came at a time when India’s relations with Southeast Asia have grown more slowly than with partners such as Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. Yet the trip underscored India’s recognition that ASEAN remains central to its ‘Act East’ policy and Indo‑Pacific strategy. In Singapore, Jaishankar met Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, with discussions focusing on digital cooperation, fintech, food security and skills development. Singapore has long been India’s strongest economic partner in ASEAN, and the visit reinforced the importance of building on this foundation. In Manila, Jaishankar’s remarks were more strategic. He called for ‘staunch adherence to a rules‑based order’ and ...

  Photo source: East Asia Forum By Naveed Qazi | Editor, Globe Upfront The CIA has suggested that President Xi Jinping has instructed China’s military to be ready by 2027 to conduct a successful invasion of Taiwan. Former CIA Director William Burns made this point in 2023, and analysts such as Edan Morag at the Institute for National Security Studies have further reiterated that 2027 is seen as the year China could have the capability to forcibly unify Taiwan. Taiwanese defence experts, reported by Fang Wei‑li and Jonathan Chin in the Taipei Times, clarified that Beijing’s goal is to prepare for military unification by 2027, not to set a fixed date for war. This threat loomed large over Taiwan’s January 2024 elections. Lai Ching‑te of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) won the presidency with around 40 per cent of the vote, defeating Hou Yu‑ih of the Kuomintang (KMT). As Brian Hart and Jude Blanchette noted in their analysis for CSIS, the election drew global attention because ...

  Photo source: Hindustan Times By Naveed Qazi | Editor, Globe Upfront Sheikh Hasina’s victory in Bangladesh’s January 2024 general election marked her fifth consecutive term as Prime Minister, consolidating her position as one of South Asia’s longest‑serving leaders. The Awami League secured a majority in the Jatiya Sangsad, but the election was marred by controversy. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) boycotted the polls over the issue of a caretaker government, and international observers raised concerns about fairness. As BBC News reported, turnout was low at around 42 percent, and the absence of the main opposition cast doubt on the credibility of the process. Hasina’s dominance reflects both her political skill and her control over state institutions. Since 2009, she has overseen rapid economic growth and infrastructure development, but critics argue that her government has eroded democratic freedoms. The Guardian noted that opposition leaders have faced imprisonment and ...