Judging from the current international mood, neither an armistice nor peace talks will likely come about this year, and the war will continue to drag on between Russia and Ukraine. At some point, it will become politically untenable in the West and financially unsustainable in Russia.

Despite political warnings of Chinese power projection, China faces irrefutable geographical constraints on its naval power capabilities.

China and Russia’s maligned relationship looks on the surface to be a new axis of power against the U.S. - but by playing it safe, China seeks to reap the benefits of Russia’s favor without offending the West.

The 10th Beijing Xiangshan Forum covered all aspects of the Global Security Initiative, with official representatives and scholars from China and foreign countr

The latest round of the Israel-Hamas conflict has dragged the Israeli-Palestinian issue back to center stage in the Middle East. While China played a positive role in getting Iran and Saudi Arabia to the negotiating table, the violence in Gaza could influence the election prospects of U.S. President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party.

A stalemate on the Ukraine battlefield has settled in, and the U.S. is adjusting its strategy. The new idea is to preserve Ukraine’s territorial integrity while perfecting its war capacity. Instead, it should be isolating Russia politically and economically.

One should not answer the question through the lens of the China-U.S. rivalry. The two have many shared objectives, and from both a moral and national interest perspective, the conflict is a losing proposition — a disaster not only for the people of the Middle East but for all mankind.

The United States has stayed focused on the South China Sea even as it deals with major international crises. In fact, it has intensified its maritime military activity and and even enlisted partners in the eastern Pacific region to create friction between China and its neighbors. It is playing with fire.

The Indo-Pacific aims to contain China's influence but struggles with unclear membership and diverse objectives. By contrast, the economic region of Pacific Asia, centered on China, emphasizes interdependence, but grapples with political uncertainties due to concerns about overreliance on China. The member states of both have agency and will pursue their own interests, but China’s behavior will likely determine which grouping has the greater strategic salience.

Southeast Asia’s geographic location and burgeoning economy puts them in the center of strategic plans by neighboring China, and rivalling U.S.-interests. The path forward for the region’s states will demand acute political maneuvering.