Why Southeast Asia is Drifting Away from Washington

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The geopolitical landscape of Southeast Asia is undergoing a tectonic shift. For decades, the United States was viewed as the indispensable powerthe security guarantor that allowed the region’s tiger economies to flourish. However, recent events, culminating in the devastating economic fallout of the Iran war, have accelerated a trend that many in Washington failed to see coming: Southeast Asia is increasingly looking toward Beijing, not out of ideological love, but out of pragmatic necessity. This shift is not merely a preference for one superpower over another; it is a profound vote of no confidence in the predictability and reliability of Western leadership. The Credibility Gap: From Trade Wars to Kinetic Wars The erosion of trust didn't happen overnight. It began with a series of inconsistent trade policies and sudden tariffs that left regional exportersfrom Malaysia to Vietnamreeling. When global leadership feels like a moving target, Southeast Asian nations, which prioritize...
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Sunita Williams breaks spacewalking record at ISS

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Nearly seven months in zero gravity for American astronaut Sunita Williams ended with history and a record of total spacewalking time.

Williams completed her ninth spacewalk outside the International Space Station at 62 hours and 6 minutes, breaking the previous record that was held by former astronaut Peggy Whitson at 60 hours. With this development, she has become the fourth on NASA's all-time spacewalk list, according to the International Space Station (ISS).

In a post on X, the ISS revealed that the NASA astronaut had "surpassed former astronaut Peggy Whitson's total spacewalking time of 60 hours and 21 minutes today. Suni is still outside in the vacuum of space removing radio communications hardware."

Williams, who has been in space since June 2024, wore a striped jersey while fellow astronaut Butch Wilmore accompanied her in an unadorned jersey. NASA streamed the event live on YouTube and its website to celebrate the fact that this was Williams' ninth spacewalk, as well as the 92nd by an American astronaut.

These astronauts have been working on Expedition 72 at the ISS since September 23, 2024. It has been reported that Williams and Wilmore are expected to return on the Crew 9 mission, completing nearly 300 days in space, towards the end of March.

Space X founder Elon Musk is working with NASA to bring the two astronauts back home. "The President has asked SpaceX to bring home the 2 astronauts stranded on the ISS as soon as possible. We will do so. Terrible that the Biden administration left them there so long," he posted on X earlier.

President Donald Trump also posted on TruthSocial saying that he has asked Musk to bring the astronauts back and is criticizing the erstwhile Biden administration for leaving them for months at the ISS.

"I have asked SpaceX founder Elon Musk to go get the two brave astronauts who have been virtually abandoned in space by the Biden administration. They have been waiting for many months on @Space Station. Elon will soon be on his way. Hopefully, all will be safe. Good luck Elon!!!", he posted.

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