China’s entropic war in South Asian nations like Nepal, Sri Lanka and Maldives is at an advanced stage, according to strategists. These unrestricted war operations are to ensure China’s hegemony in its backyard where it wants to push its agendas and counter adversaries like India, an important US ally in the Indo-Pacific, they say. The…

“Each country has a comprehensive national power numerical value,” says Cleo Paskal, a leading expert on China and the Indo-Pacific region, “and the overt goal of China is to be No. 1 in the world in comprehensive national power—economically and militarily.” In this episode of “American Thought Leaders,” host Jan Jekielek discusses the Chinese Communist…

The U.S. Department of Justice has indicted two naturalised citizens of the Marshall Islands for running a multi-year money laundering and bribery scheme—via a UN-linked non-profit organisation—to support the creation of a special economic zone within the Pacific country. One expert says the incident is an example of Beijing’s efforts to destabilise democratic institutions in…

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has moved to delay elections citing the build-up to the Pacific Games in November 2023 as a reason. The move comes after South Pacific expert Cleo Paskal warned in March that Sogavare—who has cultivated deep ties with Beijing—could be emboldened to tighten control over the Pacific nation, a key…

As democratic leaders continue working to shore up alliances with Pacific leaders, one expert has warned leaders that Beijing is already well advanced in fomenting corruption and eroding democratic institutions in the region. Cleo Paskal, senior fellow for the Indo-Pacific at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said foreign officials need to cast off well-worn…