| Sreemoy Talukdar brings you the essential cheat sheet on foreign affairs covering India and the world |  | | Globetrotter returns from a break. This week we feature the crazy story of Pentagon leaks, the biggest breach of US intelligence since WikiLeaks, that has been traced to a 21-year-old air national guardsman called Jack Teixeira (picture of him being arrested above). We also trace turmoil in Europe over Macron's comments, Myanmar military's horrific airstrike on own citizens, India-China border tension over Arunachal and Ukraine deputy foreign minister's visit to India. | | TOP FIVE NEWS UPDATES | | 21-year-old Jack Teixeira charged over biggest leak of 'top secret' Pentagon documents since WikiLeaks | | This week's incredible newsbreak comes from the United States where the biggest intelligence leak in a decade that has put America in a diplomatic hot soup, revealed the depth of US intelligence on allies and foes alike, has serious implications for Washington's intelligence efforts and reveals grim prospects for Ukraine's war with Russia has been traced to Jack Teixeira, a Massachusetts Air National Guardsman. "The Washington Post reported Wednesday that the individual who leaked the information shared documents with a small circle of online friends on the Discord chat platform, popular with gamers. In that group, Teixeira's handles included 'jackthedripper'. Heavily armed FBI agents led Teixeira out of a family residence in Dighton on Thursday afternoon. Wearing red gym shorts and a T-shirt, the young man was led into a waiting car." The 21-year-old was charged on Friday with "unauthorized retention and transmission of national defense information and unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents or material, in a brief hearing in US district court for the District of Massachusetts. Teixeira was ordered to be held in custody until a detention hearing next Wednesday." In an exclusive report, Washington Post revealed how the 21-year-old transcribed and posted hundreds of sensitive documents in a small, invitation-only chatroom. "The leaked information was largely ignored by the roughly two dozen adolescent boys and young men who made up the group, most of whom didn't seem to understand the significance of what they were seeing, according to a member. But in late February, Teixeira allegedly started posting pictures of the documents themselves." Reuters says the leaked classified documents at the heart of the investigation were posted online on a social media website in March and perhaps earlier, but news of their existence did not come to light until it was reported by the New York Times last week. The Reuters report further says that the leak is believed to be the most serious security breach since more than 700,000 documents, videos and diplomatic cables appeared on the WikiLeaks website in 2010. In that case, US army private Chelsea Manning was sentenced to 35 years in prison. Associated Press says it was not immediately clear how Teixeira would have had access to the records, but quotes a US defense department as saying that as an 'information technology specialist' responsible for military communications networks, the young Teixeira would have had a higher level of security clearance. Wall Street Journal has a handy takeaway for the developing story and New York Times has a quick guide on what the intelligence documents reveal. | | Europe signals tough stance on Taiwan after Macron sets a cat among pigeons post meeting with Xi | | President of France Emmanuel Macron went to Beijing to meet Chinese president Xi Jinping and ended up setting a French cat among European pigeons. On his flight home from Beijing, in an interview to Politico, Macron stressed on Europe's 'strategic autonomy' and said that Europe must not become America's vassal on Taiwan. As Financial Times says, "not only did Macron have little to show from efforts to convince Xi to limit his support for Russia, he created a diplomatic uproar with an interview on the flight home in which he called on Europe to develop its own stance independent of the US to deal with tensions between Beijing and Taiwan." "The great risk", Macron told Politico in the interview, for Europe is that it "gets caught up in crises that are not ours, which prevents it from building its strategic autonomy," while flying from Beijing to Guangzhou aboard France's Air Force One. "The paradox would be that, overcome with panic, we believe we are just America's followers… The question Europeans need to answer … is it in our interest to accelerate [a crisis] on Taiwan? No. The worse thing would be to think that we Europeans must become followers on this topic and take our cue from the U.S. agenda and a Chinese overreaction," he said. Macron's comments not only triggered huge backlash in Europe, European foreign policy officials on Friday urged China not to use force over Taiwan, taking a tough stance against Beijing's threats over the democratically governed island, after comments by Macron were perceived as weak, reports Reuters. German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock and EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell cautioned China against any change to the status quo in Taiwan. Macron's comments reveal a crack in Europe over China. The continent is eager to intensify economic ties and profit from China's huge domestic market, but faces a painstaking trapeze act in juxtaposing business with morality. German foreign minister Baerbock, for instance, followed Macron to embark on a two-day visit to Beijing, and during her stay, at a presser alongside Chinese counterpart Qin Gang, said on Friday any attempt by China to control Taiwan would be unacceptable and would have serious repercussions for Europe. | | At least 170 killed as Myanmar junta carries out airstrikes on citizens in rebel-held region | | Myanmar's military regime carried out a horrific airstrike on its own citizens on Tuesday by bombing a large gathering in rebel-held territory. Initial reports in the junta's deadliest attack since seizing power in a coup more than two years ago put the casualty figures at more than 100 including "at least 30 children" who were "among the dead in the attack in Sagaing Region", New York Times said, quoting an emergency worker at the scene and an official of the shadow National Unity Government. "Rescuers described a gruesome scene in Pazigyi Village in southern Sagaing Region, where body parts were scattered over a wide area after a military jet and helicopter bombed and strafed the largely civilian gathering." The death toll later climbed to at least 170, according to a report by DW. "About 300 people had gathered in Pazigyi Village early on Tuesday morning to celebrate the opening of a local administration office, an eyewitness told CNN. Families had traveled from nearby villages for the event, where tea and food was offered and which coincided with the start of the Thingyan New Year celebrations. Like much of Sagaing, the area is not under the control of the military junta. The new town office was being opened under the authority of the shadow National Unity Government (NUG), for the people, as part of the anti-junta resistance. Just before 8 a.m. (local time), a junta aircraft bombed the village where the ceremony was being held, the eyewitness and local media reported. An Mi35 helicopter then circled and fired on the village minutes later, the eyewitness told CNN". As ASEAN nations "strongly condemned" the military airstrike, Manmar junta justified the attack by saying "it aimed to restore peace and stability in the region." | | India rejects China's objection to Amit Shah's Arunachal visit for 'vibrant villages' programme | | Union home minster Amit Shah went to Arunachal Pradesh this week to launch the Centre's 'Vibrant Villages Programme' (VVP) in the border village of Kibithoo. The programme is an investment drive to upgrade infrastructure and facilities in villages bordering the contentious LAC with China. Indian Express reports, "the constant threat along the country's border amid the ongoing standoff with China has led to a concerted push to upgrade infrastructure in the border areas. To this end, the Union Cabinet on February 15 had approved the allocation of Rs 4,800 crore for the Centre's 'Vibrant Villages Programme." Shah visited Arunachal days after China 'renamed' 11 places in the Indian state and in remarks directed at Beijing, said on Monday that "nobody can encroach on even an inch" of India's borderlands or cast an "evil eye" on its territorial integrity. "Our policy is clear. We want peace from everybody. But no one can encroach on even an inch of our territory… The protection of borders is the protection of the country, which is why Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi has made border infrastructure a matter of priority". Shah's visit seemingly triggered China into claiming that "Zangnan (the name by which China calls Arunachal Pradesh and claims jurisdiction over it) is China's territory… The Indian official's visit to Zangnan violates China's territorial sovereignty, and is not conducive to the peace and tranquility of the border situation." Responding to China's reaction over Shah's visit, external affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said objecting to such visits does not stand to reason and will not change the reality. "We completely reject the comments made by the Chinese official spokesperson. Indian leaders routinely travel to the State of Arunachal Pradesh as they do to any other State of India… Arunachal Pradesh was, is and will always remain an integral and inalienable part of India. Objecting to such visits does not stand to reason and will not change the above reality." | | India to send humanitarian aid to Ukraine but remains non-committal on Zelensky's participation in G20 | | Ukraine wants India to play a bigger role in helping end Russia's war, its deputy foreign minister said Tuesday during the first visit by a senior Ukrainian official to India since the war began last year, reports Associated Press. India "can play a bigger and greater role" and Ukraine would "welcome any effort that is directed at resolving the war," Emine Dzhaparova said. "Dzhaparova handed over a letter from Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky to prime minister Narendra Modi during her three-day visit that concluded on Wednesday. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement that Ukraine would address certain academic requirements of the Indian students who were affected by the conflict that broke out in February 2022 and informed that her 'visit to India would facilitate cooperation between the two countries'," adds The Hindu in a report. Dzhaparova during her speech at the think tank, "had called upon India to follow a "balanced approach" and pitched for Zelensky's participation in the G20 summit that will be held in Delhi in September". ABP Live adds, "Dzhaparova during her visit also held bilateral talks with secretary (West), MEA Sanjay Verma. The agenda included spheres such as economic, defence, humanitarian assistance, and global issues of mutual interest." AN MEA statement stated that the next Inter-Governmental Commission between New Delhi and Kyiv would be held in India on a date that will be mutually agreed upon. Hindustan Times reports, however, that India remains "non-committal about the possible participation of Ukrainian officials in meetings under the country's G20 presidency and an address by Zelenskyy to the G20 Summit, as it reiterated that the list of guest countries had already been decided." | | | | | | | | | | TOP ANALYSES OF THE WEEK | | US is simply collecting too much information | | Pentagon leak shows perils of spying on your friends, Washington Post's Adam Taylor argues in his analysis. | | Growing Taiwan-US bonhomie is agitating China | | The Taiwanese don't want Taiwan to become another Ukraine. Countries in the region would prefer not to have to take sides, Jayadeva Ranade, president of Centre for China Analysis and Strategy, writes in The Tribune. | | India must adopt a more nuanced approach on Tibet | | Don't Underestimate China's Game Plan for Arunachal Pradesh, warns geostrategist Brahma Chellaney in Open magazine. | | Japan's new security vision is a recognition of China's threat to Asia | | Japan has abandoned decades of passivity and become a global strategic actor, writes C Raja Mohan of Asia Society Policy Institute in Foreign Policy magazine. | | For Germany, India still remains a difficult place to do business | | Family-owned cutting-edge German businesses, increasingly sceptical of Beijing's policies, would view New Delhi more positively but for the fear of Indian local bureaucracy, argues former foreign secretary Vijay Gokhale in Times of India. | | China, Russia are deepening defence partnership | | Behind the scenes, Russia and China are deepening their defence partnership, argues Alexander Gabuev, director of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center, in Foreign Affairs. | | China has reasons to worry about AUKUS | | China should worry about Asia's reaction to AUKUS, argues Derek Grossman of Rand Corp in Foreign Policy magazine. | | Biden admin blames everyone else for botched Afghan pullout | | The United States botched up Afghanistan pullout, but Joe Biden administration's 'after action review' blames everybody else instead of presenting an objective assessment, Johns Hopkins professor Hal Brands writes in Bloomberg. | | Dissent is rising within the Taliban against leadership | | As Taliban leader advances a draconian policy agenda, the group's future appears bleak, and some among their ranks have begun to speak out, reveals Andrew Watkins, an expert on Afghanistan, in a column for United States Institute of Peace. | | Macron got his timing wrong | | French President Emmanuel Macron's intention of making the EU a third pole in global affairs along with the US and China through strategic autonomy and European sovereignty may be right but timing and messaging seems incorrect, writes JNU professor Gulshan Sachdeva in Moneycontrol. | | PODCAST | | Takeaways from Bhutan king's India visit | | We recommend this edition of Stratnews Global podcast where Nitin Gokhale dwells on India's security concerns vis-à-vis China at the trijunction and other aspects of the India-Bhutan relationship. | | | | Copyright © 2023.Firstpost - All Rights Reserved. | |
