Suchergebnisse

The threat of mass-casualty terrorist attacks in Europe directed by international organizations may have subsided, but the threat is in many respects now more menacing that ever. Lone-actor attacks motivated by a confused mixture of ideologies, often combined with mental health issues, are increasingly the norm, and are harder to detect and prevent. A rising extreme right, meanwhile, is increasingly mirroring violent Islamist groups. In these varied forms, terrorism continues to strike at the heart of European identity and liberal ideals, playing out against a backdrop of anti-immigrant sentiment and high levels of political polarization.

Beyond infrastructure, China's global foreign policy vision aims to build a multitude of links with partner countries, creating networks that will position Beijing at the center of the world.

China's Belt and Road Initiative is best known as a massive set of infrastructure projects stretching from Asia to Europe. But more than that, it is a sweeping foreign policy vision that provides China with opportunities for deep engagement with virtually every aspect of state and society in its partner countries. Many developing countries welcome the investments and opportunities for trade linked to the initiative, but some of the projects have sparked local resistance over fears of unfair terms or potential opportunities for Chinese intelligence penetration.

In starting his announcement of the Belt and Road Initiative in Astana, Kazakhstan, President Xi Jinping was very consciously making the point that the broader vision of BRI was something that drew out of an approach that had been long developing between China and Central Asia. Focused on trying to improve prosperity at home through development and prosperity in adjacent regions, China's relationship with Central Asia was one which provided a model that Xi saw as a positive way to articulate China's foreign policy more broadly. Consequently, however, China's relationship with Central Asia provides a useful window into understanding China's broader Belt and Road Initiative. In the article, the author lays out a short history of China's relations with Central Asia, illustrates their current status, before offering seven broader lessons and issues to be found which can provide a useful prism through which to consider the longer-term impact of the Belt and Road Initiative around the world. (GIGA/Asian Aff)

Beijing's miscalculations regarding India have created conflict with a regional power that has the capability and desire to disrupt China's outward push.

Beijing's miscalculations regarding India have created conflict with a regional power that has the capability and desire to disrupt China's outward push.

China is the increasingly dominant power in the region, but it is acting in full concordance with Russia.