Central Asia & Caucasus Data

China, which was the largest holder of US government debt as recently as 2019, has cut its holdings to the lowest level since 2008, driven by changing trade patterns, geopolitical concerns, and domestic economic pressures. The Cayman Islands has emerged as an unlikely place to fill the gap. This small British overseas territory held US$427 The post The British outpost that quietly holds more US debt than China appeared first on Asia Times.

Warnings from US Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard before the US Senate that Pakistan may be moving toward intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capability are raising new concerns about potential threats to the US homeland. In her testimony before the US Senate, Gabbard stated that Pakistan is developing long-range ballistic missiles that “potentially could The post If India’s the enemy, why does Pakistan want ICBMs? appeared first on Asia Times.

Much has been written about President Donald Trump’s alleged lack of clearly defined goals and strategic objectives in the war with Iran. But the more pressing and consequential question has received far less attention: Does the Iranian regime have an endgame at all? So far, Iran has shown no interest in a ceasefire while doing The post Forget Trump’s flailing — Iran’s the one without an endgame appeared first on Asia Times.

I’ve been writing some pessimistic things about AI recently, so I thought I should try to balance those out with some optimistic takes. One way I think AI could really help our society is by injecting reasonableness and moderation into our public discourse. I’m known as a pretty nice and reasonable blogger nowadays. But when I got started, The post Save us, AI Walter Cronkite! appeared first on Asia Times.