At huddle of world's top spies, Russia is lone absentee

June 06, 2023 21:43

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com

At the Shangri-La Dialogue, where roughly 24 intelligence chiefs were present including the heads of US and Chinese intelligence, as was India's top intelligence chief, it was revealed that 'India is shifting away from its relationship with Russia, long a major supplier of weapons for India, and toward the United States. Since India has been fighting China along their shared border, this agreement, like other agreements reached in the Pacific, places China in a difficult military position. It is locked out of the Pacific and facing an increasingly powerful India to its southwest,' reports George Friedman in Geopolitical Futures.

'It is, of course, not clear how long this US relationship with India will last, but for the moment, added to the decline of Russia as an ally and the aggressive actions the US has taken to form alliances in the Western Pacific, China is in a difficult position.

'I have long argued that China could not risk a war in the Pacific. Now, in my view, China must take steps to deescalate the tension. A meeting involving China's head of intelligence and his counterparts from the US, India, Britain, Australia, Canada and New Zealand -- and not Russia -- suggests Beijing understands the position it is in and that it had to shift. The leaders seemed very careful to make the balance of power public,' reports Friedman, here.

« Back to LIVE

TOP STORIES

SC may consider Kejriwal's bail plea on Tuesday over LS polls

A bench of justices Sanjiv Khanna and Dipankar Datta told Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for the Enforcement Directorate, that the hearing on Kejriwal's plea against arrest is likely to take time and therefore, the court...

IPL: 'Batting outside the Powerplay is the hardest thing'

England all-rounder Will Jacks has slammed hundreds in SA20, BPL and IPL within the first five months of 2024.

It's just the beginning for Rinku: Ganguly

Rinku Singh shouldn't be disheartened by his exclusion from India's World T20 squad as it was pure tactical decision, said former captain Sourav Ganguly.

JD-S worker steps up, accuses Prajwal of rape, filming it

The crime investigation department booked Prajwal, grandson of former prime minister HD Deve Gowda, after a JD-S worker from Hassan lodged a complaint against him.

Prajwal Revanna booked for rape, says CM Siddaramaiah

He said he has directed police to identify, trace and secure the victims in view of the alleged kidnapping of a victim at Krishnaraja Nagar town in Mysuru district.