NATO

Beijing is trying to drive a wedge between the U.S. and Europe, hedging against an unlikely but possible Russian military collapse. 

Japan may not be located in the North Atlantic, but it and NATO are natural partners with increasingly overlapping interests and with much to offer each other. 

Despite, or rather because of, the Russia-Ukraine War, the West finally appears willing to take on the challenge of a rising China – perhaps even in the Indo-Pacific.

Democracies on the edge in Southeast Asia likely face difficult choices in the years to come.

Two months after the Taliban takeover became a reality, interpreters who worked for Turkish forces are still in Afghanistan with no clear exit plan.

After NATO withdrawals, Ankara may continue to provide security for Hamid Karzai International Airport, but only if certain conditions are met.

In its relations with NATO, New Delhi will strive to eat the Chinese cake and keep the Russian one.

"Our presence in Afghanistan is conditions based, and Taliban has to meet their commitments," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said.

But despite the surge in violence, and deep uncertainty caused by the U.S. drawdown, the peace agreement appears to be an opportunity too good for NATO to miss.

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer imagines a larger role for her country in the region, though in prudent terms.

With Japan, the administration stands to damage relations at precisely the wrong time.