Empires live and die by their illusions. Visions of empowerment can inspire nations to scale the heights of global hegemony. Similarly, however, illusions of omnipotence can send fading empires crashing into oblivion.
Tag: Strategic
Blood for Oil
Thirty years ago, when the United States launched Operation Desert Storm against Iraq, I was a member of the Gulf Peace Team.
Dhaka cool towards security coop with Washington
Bangladesh has conveyed to the US it’s giving much focus on overall economic growth of the country and showed no interest in security aspects of the Indo-Pacific Strategy (IPS).
Bangladesh, Japan to develop strategic ties
Bangladesh and Japan on Thursday discussed ways to develop strategic ties giving a big boost to the existing comprehensive partnership as the two countries want to open a new chapter in their relations in 2022.
Dhaka wants strategic relations with Washington
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has said Bangladesh wants to elevate her relations with the US from partnership to a strategic level through maintaining a close and sustained contact with the US leadership.
PM commissions three warships, two survey ships of Navy
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday said Bangladesh wants to strengthen its capacity to resist any external attack, not to engage in war with anyone.
US, Australia, India, Japan discuss China’s growing power
Tokyo, AP/UNB, Oct 07 – US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday that China’s increasingly assertive actions across the region make it more critical than ever for four Indo-Pacific nations known as the Quad to cooperate to protect their…
Dhaka seeks urgent UNSC steps on Burma for troops deployment
Dhaka, Sept 21 – Bangladesh has sought immediate steps on Myanmar by the UN Security Council asking Myanmar to refrain from escalating the situation and targeting the Rohingya minorities in the pretext of security operation. Bangladesh also urged the UNSC…
Arabian Desert, the new frontier for US Space Force
The Arabian Peninsula is the vast new frontier where newly-formed US Space Force is being deployed.Space Force now has a squadron of 20 airmen stationed at Qatar’s Al-Udeid Air Base in its first foreign deployment.
BSF assures use of non-lethal weapons at border
Dhaka, Sept 19 – Indian Border Security Force (BSF) has reiterated its policy of using non-lethal weapons on the Bangladesh-India border. The BSF made the assurance in response to the concerns expressed by Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) on border deaths.
4-day BGB-BSF border conference begins Wednesday
The conference between Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and Indian Border Security Force (BSF), which was postponed two days ago, will now take place from September 16-19.
Troop movement: Myanmar Ambassador in Dhaka summoned
Dhaka, Sept 14 – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday summoned Myanmar Ambassador to Bangladesh Aung Kyaw Moe and protested visible movement of Myanmar military very close to Bangladesh-Myanmar border.
Turkey-Greece rival military exercise due as oil tensions up
Turkey and Greece have announced they will conduct rival naval exercises off the Greek island of Crete on Tuesday amid rising tension over claims to gas and oil in the Eastern Mediterranean. Turkey sent out an official warning to other…
US for nuclear non-proliferation treaty with Russia: Trump
Washington, Aug 1 – The United States is working on signing a new nuclear non-proliferation agreement with Russia, US President Donald Trump said.
China adopts law on safeguarding national security in Hong Kong
Beijing, Xinhua/UNB, July 01 – China’s legislative body has adopted the Law of the People’s Republic of China on Safeguarding National Security in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).
Resetting the West’s Relationship With China
Tony Blair New polling – conducted for YouGov on behalf of the Institute – shows there has been, during the Covid crisis, a sharp move in Western public opinion to a markedly more hostile attitude towards China. In our report…
India-China Relations: Possible Reflections on Bangladesh
Speaking pragmatically, geo-politically and superlatively, in the ongoing global order free, independent and sovereign states operationally and strategically cannot be away from bilateral, regional and global realities, issues, problems, challenges, dilemmas and opportunities therein, notwithstanding anything contained in bilateral or…
Won’t accept defeat by invisible force fearing death : PM
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday said that she will not accept defeat against an invisible force like coronavirus fearing death.
Border Guard Bangladesh gets high-speed interceptor vessels
Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has been given high-speed vessels to help it strengthen patrolling of maritime and riverine areas as well as to stop drug smuggling, human trafficking and transnational crimes.
Iranian navy ship Konarak ‘sunk by friendly fire’ from frigate
An Iranian navy “friendly fire” incident in which a ship was sunk has killed dozens of sailors, unofficial reports say.
China, India rank world’s biggest military spenders after US
By Thalif Deen UN, Apr 29 (IPS) – China and India, which went to war back in 1962 largely over a disputed Himalayan border– and continue a longstanding battle for military supremacy in Asia– have set a new record in…
The hidden military use of 5G technology
By Manlio Dinucci At the London Summit, the 29 member countries of NATO agreed to “guarantee the security of our communications, including 5G”. Why is this fifth generation of mobile data transmission so important for NATO? While the earlier technologies…
BNP to go for retrial of BDR carnage if returns to power
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Tuesday said their party, if returns to power, will take steps for the retrial of the 2009-Pilkhana BDR carnage through a fair investigation.
Multi-billion dollar US ME arms market may be in jeopardy
By Thalif Deen UN, Feb 17 2020 (IPS) – When President Saddam Hussein ran one of the world’s most authoritarian regimes in the militarily-volatile Middle East during 1979-2003, US newspapers routinely described him as “the strongman of Iraq” — as…
President Trump’s ME peace plan fails to address Palestine
(Jerusalem) – Israel should grant Palestinians in the West Bank rights protections at least equal to those afforded Israeli citizens, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today, citing Israel’s 52 years of occupation with no end in sight.…
Putin says Russia is leading world in hypersonic weapons
Moscow, AP/UNB, Dec 24 – President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday that Russia is the only country in the world that has hypersonic weapons.
Pentagon tests long-banned ballistic missile over Pacific
Washington, AP/UNB, December 14, 2019 – The Pentagon on Thursday flight-tested a missile that had been banned under a treaty that the United States and Russia abandoned last summer. Some U.S. arms control advocates said the test risks an unnecessary…
Strategic thoughts of Henry Kissinger broker of China ties
Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger made prudent remarks recently when he said the United States is no longer a uni-power and that it must recognize the reality of China as an equal rival.
Securing US interests through military build-up in Saudi Arabia
By Askiah Adam That national interests determine foreign relations is the received norm and has been operating especially under Western hegemony forever. Hence, the inability of Western foreign relations experts to perceive of a win-win configuration of the Chinese kind…
BD Defence Ministry remains largely ineffective: Sakhawat
Dhaka, Sept 22 – Though the Bangladesh Army has become a bigger and modern force, the Ministry of Defence largely remains ineffective as most executive power lies with the Armed Forces Division (AFD) of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), said…