Asia

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Pakistan’s solar power switch continues to grow by leaps and bounds. In 2023, solar was the fifth largest source of electricity generation in the South Asian country of 240 million. Then Pakistani villagers and townspeople imported 17 gigawatts worth of solar panels in 2024, catapulting the country into one of […]

Afghanistan

Afghanistan Pivots Economically to Central Asia as it Seeks to End Dependence on Pakistan

Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty

By Farangis Najibullah ( RFE/RL ) – Afghanistan is seeking to significantly bolster trade with the oil-rich countries of Central Asia as it attempts to end its economic dependence on Pakistan, which has historically been Kabul’s biggest trading partner. But experts warn that geography, high costs, and political constraints will hinder efforts by Afghanistan’s cash-strapped […]

Climate Crisis

India Plans 2.45 Gig Solar Park + 5 GWh Battery in Rajasthan, so why drag its Feet at COP30?

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – The paradox of India’s unhelpful stance at COP30, which has gone into extra innings over the obstacles the “like-minded developing countries” have placed in the way of a renewed pledge to transition away from fossil fuels, lies in New Delhi’s impressive investments in renewables. That is, even the right wing […]

China

How China Is Turning Climate Action into Economic Strategy

Foreign Policy in Focus

If the world is to make real progress in Belém, it will need more than pledges. It will need examples. And right now, China is providing one. By Imran Khalid | ( Foreign Policy in Focus )- If global climate diplomacy feels stuck, China’s new 2035 roadmap offers a reminder that ambition and realism can […]

Donald Trump

Conflicting Visions of an International Force for Gaza in Istanbul and Washington

Juan Cole

Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) – Two visions of the future of Gaza are congealing, in two different power centers. One is the Arab and Muslim foreign ministers who met Monday in Istanbul, including Türkiye, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Pakistan, and Indonesia. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Tuesday morning that the […]

Featured

What I saw in Vietnam, 50 Years after the War and Ecocide

H. Patricia Hynes

Greenfield, Mass. (Special to Informed Comment; Feature) – This year 2025 is the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Vietnam from the “American War.” The war officially ended in 1973 but the remaining Americans fled South Vietnam in chaotic air and sea lifts two years later as North Vietnam forces invaded to unite their country. […]

China

Juan Cole on Gaza, U.S. Policy, and the Future of the Middle East

Juan Cole

I was welcomed onto David Lin’s Podcast, “The David Lin Report” to talk about Gaza, the Middle East and the US-China rivalry. Embedded video and transcript below. He describes it this way: The David Lin Report! I’ll be reporting on the most impactful market-moving events, as well as interviewing experts in finance, economics, science, and […]

Displaced and Refugees

As Gaza rebuilds, what Lessons can be learned from Nagasaki in 1945?

The Conversation

By Gwyn McClelland, University of New England (The Conversation) – At first, there might not seem to be any immediate similarities between a devastated Nagasaki after the US atomic bombing in 1945 and Gaza today, aside from massive destruction. But in considering Gaza’s recovery from war – should the current ceasefire hold – much may […]

Afghanistan

Once Allies, Pakistan And Afghan Taliban Lurch Toward Full-Blown Conflict

Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty

By Frud Bezhan and Daud Khattak ( RFE/ RL ) – A full-blown conflict between Afghanistan’s Taliban and neighboring Pakistan seemed unthinkable when the hard-line Islamist group, a longtime ally of Islamabad, seized power in 2021 as international troops withdrew and the government they supported collapsed. But fears have heightened of an all-out war after the […]