By John W. Parks Central Asia’s open doors have increasingly welcomed foreign investment over the decade. Though China throws large swaths of money at the region, the West (the U.S. and Europe) are not sitting the bench in this great game. Western interests and investments in Central Asia reflect the increasingly globalized nature of the... Continue Reading →
By Lauren Ho Thirty-one Maoist rebels were killed by Indian security forces on February 9, 2025 in Chhattisgarh. Beginning in the 1920s, India’s communist political movement has grown but it was not until the 60s did it experience its first armed uprising. As the movement grew, it was re-termed by the Indian government as Left-Wing... Continue Reading →
Sam Dantzler Following Election Day 2024 in the United States, China has braced for the impact of Trump 2.0. In the months between November 5th and Inauguration Day, Beijing’s leadership has been evaluating the outcome of Trump’s election and its implications on broader Chinese grand strategy. Trump’s first term was defined by aggressive diplomatic posturing... Continue Reading →
By: Sam Dantzler Early this week, the Hangzhou-based, Chinese startup, DeepSeek released its AI model causing a stir in the larger global tech industry. Historically, American tech firms have stayed at the forefront of the AI arms race. DeepSeek has disrupted this norm, however, as the company claims its model was developed more efficiently and... Continue Reading →
By: John W. Parks Following recent industrial trends, China has begun the expansion of an innovative market into the Central Asian region. Kazakh Invest, a nationalized investment company of Kazakhstan, signed agreements with two Chinese drone producers to build manufacturing hubs in the Almaty region of Kazakhstan. As of January 2025, Yesil Technology Company and... Continue Reading →
By John W. Parks As war in Ukraine continues to damage Russia’s credibility and economic security, other Eurasian producers have been forced to utilize alternative avenues of trade. In response, China, along with Turkey, the European Union, and Central Asian states have dedicated increasingly more resources to the development and expansion of a bypass route.... Continue Reading →
By Lexi Dean The Philippine president signed two laws this past Friday reaffirming the country’s maritime claims and resource extraction rights in the South China Sea. Amidst China’s growing aggression in the regional, especially towards the Philippines this past year, this marks a crucial moment of emphasizing international rules-based order and law. During a nationally... Continue Reading →
By John W. Parks Thinking of Central Asia as a roundabout, or a master key, or a distribution hub of global trade infrastructure, could not be any more correct. China, Iran, and the United States have recently ramped up their initiatives to include the Central Asian states in trade partnerships. Though the Great Powers have... Continue Reading →
By Matthew Grace With the influx of 10,000 North Korean troops deployed to Russia of which 8,000 are amassing near the Kursk region, Washington and South Korea “have called on China to use its influence over Russia and North Korea to prevent further escalation.” This comes after the announcement of Ukraine’s intensions to draft another... Continue Reading →
By John W. Parks. Edited by Jose Miguel This year’s ISCNE Army War College wargaming scenario was held at the Patterson School October 4-5, 2024. The scenario was attended by students representing China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Issues regarding water resource and great power competition was at the heart of all negotiations.... Continue Reading →
