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a day ago
- Politics
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'Asim Munir is Osama bin Laden in a suit': Former Pentagon official on Trump courting Pak Army chief
Former Pentagon official Michael Rubin said that the US administration under Trump should not consider Islamabad as a non-Nato ally read more Security personnel stand beside a poster of Pakistani Army Chief General Syed Asim Munir in Islamabad. Rumours are swirling that the Pakistani army chief is preparing to oust President Asif Ali Zardari. File image/AFP Former Pentagon official Michael Rubin has likened Pakistan's Army Chief Asim Munir to Al Qaeda's Osama Bin Laden, days after the official threatened to 'take down half the world' with its nuclear weapons. 'Asim Munir is Osama Bin Laden in a suit and there will be no amount of concession that will be given to Pakistan that is going to change his ideology or the Pakistani elite he represents,' Rubin said. Munir's comment came over the weekend during an event in Tampa, Florida, where he said, 'We are a nuclear nation. If we think we are going down, we'll take half the world down with us.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Rubin, reacting to Munir's comments, said, 'The fact that Pakistan is threatening half of the world with nuclear weapons is a clear indication that it has lost its right to be a legitimate state. It is time for the US to consider other policies.' #WATCH | Washington DC, USA | On upcoming meeting between US and Russia, Former Pentagon official Michael Rubin says, "...Asim Munir is Osama Bin Laden in a suit..." He says, "Donald Trump is a businessman and is used to horse-trading... He does not understand that a bad peace… — ANI (@ANI) August 12, 2025 The former Pentagon official added that the US administration under Trump should not consider Islamabad as a non-Nato ally. 'Pakistan should be the first major non-NATO ally to be listed as a state sponsor of terrorism and should not be a member of the US Central Command anymore,' Rubin said. He also called for Munir to be declared a persona non grata in the US and should not get the American Visa 'until he explains himself and apologises.' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD #WATCH | Washington DC, USA | On Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir's nuclear threat, Former Pentagon official Michael Rubin says, "Pakistan's threats on American soil are completely unacceptable and it is raising questions in many people's minds whether if it can fulfill the… — ANI (@ANI) August 11, 2025 Trump courts Munir The Field Marshal's recent trip to the US is the second such state visit to the country, turning heads over its potential implications. During a last visit, the world saw a rare instance of Trump sitting with the Army chief of a country in the Oval Office, treating him like a head of state. The rise of the newly appointed Pakistani Field Marshal in the span of a few years has many people comparing him to the country's erstwhile dictatorial Army chiefs, General Zia Ul Haq, Ayub Khan and Pervez Musharraf, all of whom eventually toppled the then-governments and took the reins of Pakistan. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Amid all the speculations, America is treating Munir as what some call a 'de facto' leader of Pakistan. However, the Pakistani general is facing his share of challenges within the country, some of which are as follows.
TimesLIVE
5 days ago
- Business
- TimesLIVE
Trump's ‘trade tsunami' unsettles geopolitics
Visiting Beijing at the height of US President Donald Trump's 'Liberation Day' trade war rhetoric in April, Kenyan President William Ruto described a 'broken global order'. He declared Kenya would work with China to build a 'fair, inclusive and sustainable world order'. At the time it looked like a particularly brazen example of a developing nation that traded heavily on its ties with the US, and had become the only declared 'major non-Nato ally' of Washington on the African continent in 2024 largely as a result of its declared support for Ukraine. Kenya faces a review in the US Senate of whether it deserves to retain the position given its ties with Iran and China in particular. With Kenyan newspapers reporting an imminent trade deal with Beijing with zero apparent trade barriers, as Trump imposes 10% tariffs on Kenya, Ruto implied there was little choice which side to pick. 'I have a bit of a problem with some of our friends,' Ruto told an investment event in Nairobi this week, citing worries about the closer relations with Beijing. 'But it's what I must do for Kenya.' Trump's administration sees its embrace of tariffs as key to its approach to the wider world, including matters of war and peace including Russia and Ukraine, China and Taiwan and efforts to stem cross-border drug flows from Mexico and Canada.
AsiaOne
31-07-2025
- Business
- AsiaOne
Pakistan says deal concluded with US on tariffs, Trump cites oil reserves agreement, World News
WASHINGTON/ISLAMABAD — The US and Pakistan have struck a deal that will result in lower tariffs for the South Asian nation as well as an agreement in which Washington will help develop Islamabad's oil reserves, the two sides said. "We have just concluded a Deal with the Country of Pakistan, whereby Pakistan and the United States will work together on developing their massive Oil Reserves," US President Donald Trump wrote on social media on Wednesday (July 30). "We are in the process of choosing the Oil Company that will lead this Partnership." Trump's social media post did not provide further details. Pakistani Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar also confirmed the deal's conclusion on social media, without elaborating further. Trump did not mention any agreement on tariffs. But Pakistan's finance ministry said on Thursday the trade deal "will result in reduction of reciprocal tariffs especially on Pakistani exports to the United States", but did not give details of what the tariffs would be. "This deal marks the beginning of a new era of economic collaboration especially in energy, mines and minerals, IT, cryptocurrency and other sectors," it said. Pakistan faced a potential 29 per cent tariff on exports to the United States under tariffs announced by Washington in April on countries around the world. Tariffs were subsequently suspended for 90 days so negotiations could take place. Last week, Dar said the US and Pakistan were "very close" to a trade deal that could come within days, after he met with Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday. Dar and Rubio had discussed expanding trade and ties in critical minerals and mining, both sides said after that meeting. Other Pakistani officials have also visited the US in recent weeks for talks. Under Trump, Washington has attempted to renegotiate trade agreements with many countries that he threatened with tariffs over what he calls unfair trade relations. Many economists dispute Trump's characterisation. US total goods trade with Pakistan was an estimated US$7.3 billion (S$9.45 billion) in 2024, according to the website of the office of the US trade representative, up from around US$6.9 billion in 2023. The US goods trade deficit with Pakistan was US$3 billion in 2024, a 5.2 per cent increase over 2023. [[nid:720806]] Washington has also aimed to build stronger ties with Asian powers in recent years to counter its rival China's influence in the region. Pakistan is designated by Washington as a "major non-Nato ally." Trump also said Washington was still negotiating with Pakistan's rival India on trade after announcing earlier in the day that the US will impose a 25 per cent tariff on goods imported from India starting on Friday. Pakistan has also recently said it "appreciated the pivotal role" by Trump and Rubio "in de-escalating tensions between Pakistan and India by facilitating a ceasefire." Trump has repeatedly taken credit for the India-Pakistan ceasefire he announced on social media on May 10 after Washington held talks with both sides. India disputes Trump's claims that the ceasefire resulted from his intervention and trade threats. India's position is that New Delhi and Islamabad must resolve problems directly with no outside involvement. The latest escalation in the decades-old India-Pakistan rivalry was triggered by a deadly April 22 militant attack in India-administered Kashmir that India blamed on Pakistan. Islamabad denied responsibility. India struck Pakistan on May 7 and the two nations exchanged deadly hostilities until the ceasefire was declared on May 10. [[nid:720810]]
AsiaOne
19-07-2025
- Business
- AsiaOne
Australia delivers Abrams tanks to Ukraine for war with Russia, World News
SYDNEY -Australia's government said on Saturday (July 19) it had delivered M1A1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine as part of a A$245 million (S$204 million) package to help the country defend itself against Russia in their ongoing war. Australia, one of the largest non-Nato contributors to Ukraine, has been supplying aid, ammunition and defence equipment since Moscow invaded its neighbour in February 2022. Ukraine has taken possession of most of the 49 tanks given by Australia, and the rest will be delivered in coming months, said Defence Minister Richard Marles. "The M1A1 Abrams tanks will make a significant contribution to Ukraine's ongoing fight against Russia's illegal and immoral invasion," Marles said in a statement. The tanks formed part of the A$1.5 billion that Canberra has provided Ukraine in the conflict, the government said. Australia has also banned exports of alumina and aluminium ores, including bauxite, to Russia, and has sanctioned about 1,000 Russian individuals and entities. [[nid:720163]] Australia's centre-left Labor government this year labelled Russia as the aggressor in the conflict and called for the war to be resolved on Kyiv's terms.
Irish Examiner
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Defence Forces experts train Nato militaries to counter homemade bomb threats
Ireland's Defence Forces hosted a Nato workshop this week on countering the threat posed to militaries and civilians from homemade explosives. Bomb experts from Australia and New Zealand joined major Nato countries, such as US, Canada, UK, France, and Germany, at the Ordnance School in the Curragh. A total of 43 participants from 10 countries took part, including Nato partners and non-Nato partners. In a statement, the Defence Forces said the fact that Ireland held the third Nato Home-made Explosives Workshop was 'a positive reflection on the technical expertise of the Ordnance Corp personnel'. It said this corp has performed Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) and Counter Improvised Explosive (CIED) tasks during operational deployments. 'This workshop is an opportunity to share knowledge and enhance learning in the area of homemade explosives to meet current and future security challenges that will compliment already existing countermeasures to defeat the asymmetric threat posed by homemade explosives,' it said. The workshop covered the identification and safe disposal of homemade devices and the co-ordination of military and civilian law enforcement agencies, including in the area of counter-terrorism and the protection of troops and civilians. Lieutenant Colonel Conor King General Secretary of RACO, the officers' association, said: 'The Irish Defence Forces Ordnance Corps is internationally renowned as a leader in EOD and CIED, as well as other asymmetric counter measures, from marauding terrorist attack to homemade explosives.' He said the Ordnance School in the Defence Forces Training College has attracted experts from defence, law enforcement, and the scientific community from all over the world for many years. 'The skill sets within the DF Ordnance Corps takes many years of training, education and operational experience to cultivate. We must make every effort to retain these specialists.'
