While the world discusses Beijing's ascendancy and the rivalry among great powers, Tokyo forges its own path—one dotted with patience, discipline, and strength
Her task will be to balance the country's security imperatives with American expectations regarding burden-sharing, defence spending, and economic cooperation
The flare-up is no isolated episode. Rather, it is the most dangerous chapter in a fraught, decades-long relationship that began during the Soviet-Afghan War in the 1980s.
Afghanistan's ancient town of Bagram once sat on the Silk Road, along a key passage from India. Today, it is sought by America, Russia, and China for different reasons that are no less strategic.
For decades, Riyadh and Islamabad have been on the same page when it comes to defence and security, but their alliance has always been based on understandings. That is now evolving.
Beijing would like the week to mark a historic turning point in which a unipolar world finally gave way to multipolarity. To others, it was just tub-thumping bravura. In reality, it was a bit of both.
An earthquake in Afghanistan earlier this week levelled entire villages and left people trapped under rubble for days, but in the shadow of the Hindu Kush, saviours were thin on the ground
The standoff in the Hormuz is not simply a question of whether Tehran can survive economic pressure, but whether Washington can sustain the pressure at an acceptable cost.
Many Israelis actually believe that they lost the war, with opposition leader Yair Lapid accusing the Israeli premier of having led the country into "strategic collapse and diplomatic catastrophe"
The Strait of Hormuz is now poised to become the primary arena of confrontation, with Iran relying on speedboat-driven guerrilla warfare to confront the US navy.
Former regime soldiers are stuck in limbo, as their undocumented status prevents them from working, travelling, and curbs family members' access to education, healthcare and social services