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Acting on the aftermath of the brutal terrorist attack on Pulwama on the 14th of February 2019, which led to the death of nearly 40 paramilitary soldiers, the Indian Air Force retaliated in the early hours of February 26th. The IAF is said to have carried strategic air strikes on key terror camps run by Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) across the Line of Control (LoC) on the Pakistani side. In a well- coordinated strike, the Indian Air Force comprising of military jets and other IAF aircraft took down terror camps in Muzaffarabad, Balakot and Chakoti killing 350 terrorists. Termed to be "pre-emptive" and "non-military", it was the first airstrike in 45 years, since the war of 1971.
However, with the election season coming up in India, these pre-emptive airstrikes by the IAF have indeed shaken up the country and its people. It also has had a profound impact on the South-Asian geostrategic environment especially with the heightening tensions between India and Pakistan. Another of such impacts is seen on the opposition leaders in the country's political spectrum. As the Indian government has not yet produced any evidence of such camps being destroyed, it has made many political leaders to question the move leading to pressing debates.
On February 27-28th, US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un agreed to come together and hold talks in Hanoi, Vietnam to further better Washington-Pyongyang relations. Labelled as the second Trump-Kim summit, the meeting at Hanoi was designed to demonstrate progress in US efforts to denuclearize North Korea. Rather than engage North Korea in lower-level talks that would progressively involve higher-ranking officials, Trump opted to engage Kim directly based on personality-driven diplomacy, leading to the first-ever meeting between a sitting US president and North Korean leader.
Nevertheless, the summit ended in failure due to the two countries' incompatible demands. Washington called on Pyongyang to unilaterally surrender its entire nuclear weapons program before it would make any concessions while Kim demanded total sanctions relief upfront in exchange for only partial denuclearization, leaving the two sides at an impasse.
However following the summit, on Saturday, the American and South Korean military defence heads agreed to end two major military exercises between their countries — all in an effort to reduce tensions with Pyongyang who has long railed against the military drills as preparation for a US-led invasion of North Korea. "Following close coordination, both sides decided to conclude the KEY RESOLVE and FOAL EAGLE series of exercises," read a joint statement by acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan and his South Korean counterpart, Jeong Kyeong-doo. Instead, they agreed to maintain close ties "through newly designed Command Post exercises and revised field training programs."
25th February 2019: In a move that surprised many, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif said that he would be stepping down from his post. "I warmly apologise for my inability to continue serving [the nation] and for all the shortcomings and negligence during the period of service," he wrote on his official Instagram account.
Mr Zarif played a key role in negotiating the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal, the future of which looks dubious after US President Donald Trump's withdrawal.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani expectedly rejected Zarif's resignation, saying that it was 'against Iran's national interests'. The decision ultimately lies with supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has tried to keep mum, and whose silence only confirms the growing divide between the moderate and hardliner factions within the Iranian government.
Zarif had reportedly brought up his resignation with the president multiple times in the past, as the authority of his ministry was continuously being undermined.
However, the last straw that prompted Zarif's resignation was the fact that he was not informed about Syrian President Basshar Al Assad's visit to Tehran. "One of the reasons for the resignation of Dr. Zarif was this type of lack of coordination with the ministry of foreign affairs," said Bahram Qassemi, the Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson.
The rejection of Javad Zarif's resignation implies Rouhani's support, but the already tense balance between Iran's moderate and hardliner groups is likely to be affected.
Image Source: PTI, Evan Vucci, Reuters/Denis Balibouse