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The Diplomatic Insight Weekly

The Diplomatic Insight Weekly: 12th-17th Dec

Published 21 days ago • 3 min read

Hello Reader

Anyone working around diplomacy knows it's a myth that things begin to slow down around this time of the month.

Politics goes on. Trade and cross-border flows even increase around Christmas as people meet family and send gifts. So there's a constant need to keep watch, to manage relations.

This weeks newsletter goes into some of these developments we've seen in the past 7 days.

Here’s your weekly roundup of the week’s most important stories, news, and articles from The Diplomatic Insight.

Top Stories of the Week

[1] US Congress Passes Record $901bn Defense Spenidng Bill
Highest defense budget till date?
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Competing with China comes with its costs. But the US proved itself willing to pay it.
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Or did it have something to do with rising action in Venezuela?
[2] China's High-Altitute CH-7 Drone Makes First Flight​
The war of war machines!
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This Chinese reconnaissance drone has attracted attention since its public displays at Airshow China.
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But technological breakthroughs have become normalized in the past decade as superpowers ramp up R&D.
[3] Kazakhstan Proposes UN Water Agency​
Another specialized UN agency?
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While many wonder the UN might be losing relevance, many nations still rely on its institutions to offer management mechanisms.
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With growing water tensions around the world (e.g. Ethiopia-Egypt, India-Pakistan) and water scarcity , a UN agency could alleviate
[4] Asia Pacific Makes Gains Against Hunger, but Nutrition Crisis Persist​
Lowered undernourishment by 7%!
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The "2025 State of Food Security and Nutrition in Asia and the Pacific" report by UN agencies show some promise in this area.
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However, hunger is only one dimension of the region’s nutrition challenge as malnutrition persists.
[5] EU Leaders Gather in Brussels to Weigh Massive Loan Plan for Ukraine​
Ukraine in European focus!
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Europe's imminent and most urgent crisis is in the midst of negotiations, dialogues, and of course, continued destruction war.
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The EU and partners have been supporting Ukraine all they can for years now. And yet it requires more to keep up with Ukraine's needs.

From DiploTV

PAEC Federal Chapter Oath-Taking Ceremony
Strengthening Pakistan–Africa Partnership

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The Federal Chapter of the Pakistan Africa Economic Council (PAEC) held its oath-taking ceremony for newly elected office bearers at the COMSTECH Secretariat, reaffirming its commitment to strengthening economic, trade, and educational cooperation between Pakistan and African countries.

video preview​

A Deeper Look

You may love these opinions and blog articles by contributing authors

​Unpacking Seoul’s Cultural Diplomacy for Jakarta​

Can South Korea's cultural diplomacy be an instructive experience for Indonesia?

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First time contributors, Ramita Paraswati and Muhammad Ismail Sunni break down Seoul's cultural strategy and lay out how Indonesia can apply some of these to enhance its own foreign policy goals.

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​Special Autonomy and Subnational Diplomacy: Lessons from Yogyakarta​

Another one on Indonesian diplomacy!

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As Indonesia comprises many cultures and administrative regions, wouldn't it make sense to support the regions in engaging in diplomacy?

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First time contributor Daniel Raka Putra Leofranz argues that a framework for subnational diplomacy can support national foreign policy objectives.

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Want to be featured in our Op-ed section? Send your insights, opinions, and articles!

Pakistan-Focus

PM's visit to Turkmenistan brings about new highs in bilateral ties. The Diplomatic Insight covered all about the country in our Turkmenistan special edition.

If you've followed Pak-Azerbaijan bilateral ties even for a short while, this isn't "news" for you. Mutual agreements, investments, B2B ties - they're keeping the momentum high.

Pakistan's armed forces are well-positioned to offer training and military assistance to Qatar, one of its closest military partners in the Middle East.

  • Pakistan Committed to Stronger Ties with Kazakhstan: Zardari

On Kazakhstan's 34th independence day, President of Pakistan congratulated the people and leaders of Kazakhstan and expressed satisfaction at the growing ties.

Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif met with the newly appointed Ambassador of the Netherlands, Robert-Jan Siegert, to discuss ways to enhance bilateral cooperation across trade, investment, agriculture, climate change, and public linkages.

Follow us on socials for timely updates

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