Dr. Brahma Chellaney

In its centennial anniversary issue released today, @ForeignAffairs has a special review section, "Books for the Century." My book, Water: Asia's New Battleground, has been named as one of the six essential Asia-Pacific books published over the century. foreignaffairs.com/reviews/books-…

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s admitted extramarital affair with a Singapore-based data-center executive identified by U.S. intelligence as a Chinese asset is making headlines because of its multi-layered implications for geopolitics, global supply chains, corporate governance and financial markets.

The affair also fits a familiar pattern in foreign espionage: the use of romantic or sexual relationships (so-called “honeytraps”) to cultivate trust, obtain intelligence or compromise high-profile targets. Western intelligence agencies have long warned that Chinese intelligence services employ non-traditional collection methods, including exploiting personal vulnerabilities, offering financial inducements and cultivating romantic relationships to gain access to corporate secrets, proprietary technology and sensitive government information.

Trump’s Unfinished Iran War

To salvage his image from the Iran war debacle, Trump may reignite hostilities in the belief that his legacy hinges on compelling Iran to verifiably abandon its nuclear program, including low-level enrichment permitted under the NPT. Trump’s elevation of Stephen Miller, the architect of the administration’s harsh crackdown on immigrants, to chief of staff signals that the president remains undeterred by the recent electoral repudiation of his policies.

Having already paid the domestic political costs of the Iran war, Trump may want the conflict to end in a way that allows him to boast that launching it was worth the cost to the U.S. and the global economy.

Indian Americans, one of the greatest immigrant success stories in American history, have no effective lobby in Washington because they remain politically disorganized. Yet, individually, they are emerging as a force in electoral politics, with six Indian Americans elected to the U.S. Congress in the recent midterms.

The mayors of the two most populous U.S. cities, New York and Los Angeles, are now of Indian origin. Both Zohran Mamdani and Nithya Raman are members of the Democratic Socialists of America.

There were major electoral setbacks, too, in the midterms, including the defeat of Vivek Ramaswamy (R) in the highly competitive Ohio gubernatorial race and Saritha Komatireddy (R) in her bid to become New York attorney general.

Pakistan Acts More Loyal to China Than China Does to Itself

The most hilarious story recently was Pakistan’s sudden, brief ban, in the name of the “One China” policy, on Taiwanese airlines using its airspace — and its equally swift U-turn just a day later after Beijing expressed surprise at the Pakistani action. China itself allows Taiwanese carriers such as China Airlines and EVA Air to use its airspace because global civil aviation, routing efficiency and reciprocal overflight rights operate under international technical frameworks.

The Pakistani move immediately exposed a glaring contradiction: Islamabad was attempting to be more uncompromising on Beijing’s behalf than Beijing itself.

Pakistan relies so heavily on Chinese strategic assistance and diplomatic protection against international isolation and pressure that it often feels compelled to outdo everyone else in demonstrating its loyalty to Beijing.

While China approaches its partnership with Pakistan through a calculated lens of statecraft and grand strategy, including balancing India, Pakistan views the alliance through an existential lens, elevating it to an “all-weather strategic partnership” or “iron brotherhood.” Indeed, Pakistan routinely resorts to panegyrics, traditionally describing its ties with China as “higher than the mountains, deeper than the oceans.”

The ban on Taiwanese carriers was a case of anticipatory obedience. Pakistani authorities were apparently seeking to score geopolitical brownie points in Beijing by demonstrating hyper-vigilance over China's core sensitivities.