The Afghan Taliban’s hardline mentality has pushed Afghanistan further into isolation from the global community. Afghanistan has to change its current trend of extreme mentality and confrontational mindset towards peaceful coexistence and partnership with the international community. It is deeply saddening that we have been killing, negating, and expelling the opponents declaring them communist terrorists, secularist fundamentalists, or agents of the enemy for the last nearly five decades. A huge scale of damage has been inflicted by such a devil perception of our social dignity and national prosperity and has severely defamed the Afghan status abroad. Not based on our imaginary approach but if we scientifically could assess how far the world has gone towards the goal of progress، conquering the universe and why have we been starving in a dry and burning desert, moving towards a dark future helplessly and hopelessly? Would it be right to justify our devastating situations by declaring ourselves as the only good Muslim on the earth while accusing other Islamic states as puppets of the west? Would our leaders be able to get a certificate of acquittal in connection to our current critical situation? Due to various reasons, including foreign invasions, civil wars, and significantly the existence of the extreme mentality in our society, we have unluckily lost the capability to adapt ourselves to the rapid development of the twenty-first century. Being part of the international community while lacking development and remaining a backward society will negate our claims for being a proud and prosperous member of the world community and having the ability to face the difficult challenges of the modern era. Contrary to the common perception, Islam within its characteristics is not opposed to modernization,  scientific education, development, and the creation of a developed international society based on commonality. It additionally urges Muslims to gain access to these...

The chart shows that despite a global and national economic slowdown, the defense budgets of many countries have continued to increase this year. China announced a yearly defense budget of RMB 1.55 trillion ($224.8 billion), a 7.2% increase slightly higher than last year’s 7.1%. The United States unveiled a defense budget of $857.9 billion for 2023 from the previous year of $728 billion, an increase of 13.9%. Japan has raised its military expenditure by 26.3% yen to a record high of 6.3 trillion yen ($49.84 billion) Furthermore, the European Union member states have joined the arms race by raising their defense budgets, with the US urging NATO countries with relatively small military budgets to increase their defense budget. For instance, the French government has approved a military budget of more than €43.9 billion ($42.8 billion). Russia has declared defense spending for 2023 at approximately RUB 5 trillion ($84 billion). India proposed 5.94 trillion rupees ($72.6 billion) for the 2023-24 financial year, 13% up from the previous period’s initial estimates. The UK plans to increase its defense budget by £5 billion ($6 billion) over the next two years. Pakistan’s defense budget was initially increased by 1.53 trillion rupees ($7.5 billion). However, last month (February), Pakistan decided to cut the defense budget by 35% in another bid to tweak financial policies to get the much-needed IMF deal. China had to enhance its defense spending for 2023 to better respond to shifting global and regional conditions and potential emergencies. According to experts, the single-digit increase in the defense budget is plausible due to the country’s military modernization roadmap, the increasing global security threats, and further improved COVID-19 policies that promote economic growth and diplomatic engagements. Contrary to what foreign media is projecting, China has no intention of joining the arms race even though it has the potential to increase its defense budget further....

On March 20, 2023, President Xi Jinping visited Moscow on a three-day trip and, upon invitation, met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin. The two leaders had a lengthy conversation on strengthening diplomatic, defense, and trade ties and issues of mutual interest. Russia-Ukraine Conflict It was the first visit to Russia by Xi since the Russia-Ukraine War last year. During the first half of the meeting, the Ukraine war was touched upon and remained a central discussion point. “In the last few years, China has made a colossal leap forward,” Putin told Xi, on Monday afternoon. “In the whole world, this evokes interest, and unfortunately even envy.” Xi, who called Putin his “dear friend,” praised his Russian counterpart, saying the country’s development had “significantly improved.” Putin further reassured Xi that he is “always open to the negotiation process,” although he has repeatedly refused to engage with Kyiv regarding a withdrawal from Ukrainian land. Ukraine, on the other hand, has tried to remain optimistic about China playing a neutral role. Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko stated, “We expect Beijing to use its influence on Moscow to make it put an end to the aggressive war against Ukraine.” Russia-China Joint Statement on Deepening their Strategic Partnership and agreement on Economic Cooperation Both leaders signed an agreement bringing their ties to a “new era” of cooperation. Xi stated that China and Russia should work more closely to push forward greater political cooperation. In turn, Putin said “all agreements have been reached” and that economic cooperation between Moscow and Beijing was a “priority” for Russia. Russian energy China has emerged as a major buyer of  discounted Russian oil and gas as Western buyers have banned energy imports. Russia was China’s top oil supplier in January and February at 1.94 million barrels per day, up from 1.57 million in 2022, according to Chinese customs data. Russia’s crude oil...