Daily Times

That the world is changing is hardly news. The information age has so abruptly transformed into the digital age that even Moore’s law is unable to grasp. The spreadsheet of rare earth metals or the meteors beyond the goldilocks zones of space is now all in the calculus of both powers of Thucydides trap: China, and the US. These developments have added the domains and the zones for a very new type of competition.

Old literature on the subject is adding to the strategic complexities because of the technological disruptions, which are so huge and gigantic that Gulliver is almost daily lost in some new wonderland. A new invention, a strange missile, a humane robot, a synthetic microorganism, a new metal, an alloy, or a mineral. These have converted strategic competition way beyond global commons to that of scientific Tran-frontiers. Chinese growth on this trajectory in just three decades is very impressive. There are very few countries on this path, the coming strategic competition will be amongst and between these eight countries and a collective region. This is almost the west and the rest equation except emerging three Asian powers. The rest of the world is so eager to follow either of the two bandwagons.

One thing is still universal, i.e., geography. That is the only template that technology can not destroy, sans bend a little till the rivals are categorized in alphas and bravos. This piece will therefore confine to the lesser climes of geography in defining the strategic competition of these two powers. Two areas of interest for the west are, one the Beijing winter Olympics and second the SCS (South China sea) along with the ESC (East China sea). BRI overall is a Chinese attempt to reinvent Marcopolo’s footsteps in West Asia and Europe. CPEC is the silk route segment of the BRI. That is how CPEC is the most important piece of the complete picture. With the start of the winter Olympics and Pakistan’s prime minister’s visit to China, the new end game has just begun in Balochistan.

BLF, BRA, and BLA are now playing in the hands of foreign masters, which honed their diabolical skills in the last ten years in the name of helping the Afghan people.

Indian proxies from both Afghanistan and Iran are converging at sub-national fault lines on one hand and attacking the army’s posts on the other. Kech, Noshqi, and Panjgur was the message of chaos and instability, which Indian modern Chanakya (half-fox and half-monkey) wanted to give to the likely meet of regional leaders in Beijing. BLF, BRA, and BLA are now playing in the hands of foreign masters, which honed their diabolical skills in the last ten years in the name of helping the Afghan people. Indians utilized that time in building inroads amongst all these dissident groups, calling it an insurgency, whereas it is sheer terrorism. The Baluchi youth is the target of Indian propaganda and cyber warfare. Seems just gibberish, no sir just a few years back, the complete surplus education corps of the Indian army was converted into cyber warriors, with 5000 keyboards directed towards Pakistan with Pakistani and Baluchi names, at one of the facilities at Delhi, under the direct supervision of Indian modern-day Chanakya. India is playing polarity games in Baluchistan while trying to raise the temperatures above 2 degrees Celsius at the Beijing Winter Olympics.

The Winter Olympics have already taken an interesting turn when five western powers or countries, if one may say, have decided to boycott the games diplomatically. They will send the teams but not the diplomatic delegates. The US cites Xinjiang Uighur province as the reason, other countries are citing the artificial ice as the reason to boycott, as it will be detrimental to climate. Chinese have clarified that they are not using synthetic ice, which is plastic-based and the artificial ice is water-based at sub frozen platforms. Few are even saying that how the same city, Beijing, can have summer and winter Olympics, how can you be a part of tundra and prairie at the same time.

China has made it known for the last year that these Olympics will be clean, green, inclusive, and carbon-friendly. Chinese Olympic administration has also assured security and secrecy to all participants, so they can come without cheap burner phones. This was just the dark comedy part of the facts surrounding the winter Olympics.But despite this, the winter Olympics is a go. Pakistani prime minister is likely to meet all senior leadership of China, Russia, and a few central Asian countries. The main agenda will be economic cooperation. So, in every meeting for the coming three days in Beijing, Baluchistan will be the centre stage. From polarity games to the Olympics, the Pakistani side has to prove their dexterity in diplomatic skiing, cause the rink and the slope can both be a little tricky. These games are seen the world over as defining moments for the emerging world power.

The western quarters are more concentrated on the sidelines and outer edges of the ice rinks where leaders will share hot drinks with pine nuts. Back home it is being asserted by the response of the army to the terrorists that Baluchistan is much a bigger thing than CPEC, the territorial congruity of Pakistan depends upon Baluchistan, an inch of it is as sanctified as that of Lahore, Sialkot, Khem Kharan or Runn-of-Kutch. South block and cyber warriors are beating the war drums, ensconced at the comforts of Delhi’s Victorian buildings while having Gujrati peanuts. Things will soon cross mere lines of speech acts and into the acts of war. Chanakya’s avatar is pushing the halyard too far too soon.

The writer is a freelance contributor on security related issues. He is also a Ph.D Scholar who can be reached at sindhulatif@gmail.com Twitter: @Abid_Latif55