Play The Diplomat’s Quiz: August 23, 2015 Edition

In a move possibly inspired by the deepening of U.S.-India defense cooperation, Russia decided to approve the sale of four Mi-35M attack helicopters to Pakistan The Express Tribune reports.

“An agreement was signed between Pakistan and Russian authorities in Rawalpindi for the purchase of four Mi-35 helicopters,” according to a senior Pakistani military official quoted in The Express Tribune.

The military official did not offer details on the planned delivery date of the aircraft or the helicopters’ technical configuration. The deal was likely concluded during Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif’s visit to Russia in June of this year.

Initial talks over the purchase of the helicopters were already held last June. “We are currently holding consultations. We are talking about Mi-35 helicopters, we plan to supply them at the request of the Pakistani anti-drug trafficking agency,” a Russian official said back then. Pakistan plans to officially use the helicopters to fight drug trafficking.

For any Koreanists or casual Korea watcher even partially connected to the mediascape, it is hard (if not impossible) to avoid getting swept away in the frenzied discourse on North Korea’s “preparation for military action.” South Korea’s resumption of propaganda audio blasts across the DMZ, a modest response to the maiming of two ROK soldiers who stepped on a land mine likely planted by the North Koreans, has precipitated the latest round of threats from Pyongyang (and even some artillery shells).

It was in the middle of the night on August 10, 2015 when I first saw lots of notifications on my Facebook page alerting me to an online campaign protest by Burmese medical doctors. The campaign was titled “Black Ribbon Movement 2015.” I was already enrolled as a member of the campaign’s private Facebook group and recognized a photo of familiar orthopedic surgeons wearing black ribbons on their green OT coats.

The sudden appearance of this campaign led by fellow doctors was quite exciting and surprising. Even four years after Myanmar took its first steps toward democracy, there remains a lingering narrative of authoritarianism following decades of military rule. Forums of broad public protest, like the Black Ribbon Movement 2015, are relatively unusual in Myanmar. Even the activities of political activists have been guarded, restrained and cautious in the context of the country’s upcoming general election, set for November 8. Yet, the voices of civil society actors—from doctors to educators—are vitally needed to support Myanmar’s ongoing path toward democratization.

Production tests of the T-14 main battle tank–based upon the new “Armata” universal chassis system–will be completed in 2016, Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Ground Forces Colonel-General Oleg Salyukov toldTASS last week.

“Armata will undergo manufacturing tests. After that, a decision on operational trials and entry into service will be made. The manufacturing tests will be completed in 2016,” Salyukov said.

However, Salyukov was emphatic that the Russian military’s plan to replace 70 percent of its tank corps with the new tracked vehicle by 2020 will be executed according to schedule. By 2020, Russia plans to produce 2,300 T-14 Armata models to replace the older T-72 and T-90 main battle tanks. The per unit cost of the T-14 is estimated to be around $8 million.

The United States government will not certify Pakistan’s counter-terrorism operations in North Waziristan over recent months as adequately damaging to the Haqqani network, a U.S.-designated terror group. The U.S. Department of Defense has reportedly notified the Pakistani embassy in Washington of the development, according to a report by Dawn. The non-certification of the Pakistani counter-terror campaign, known as Operation Zarb-e-Azb, will block the release of a new tranche of U.S. financial assistance for the Pakistani military from the Coalition Support Fund (CSF). CSF support had been extended for a year with a specific stipulation that the U.S. Department of Defense would certify the effectiveness of Pakistani military operations in North Waziristan against the Haqqani network.

The search is continuing for the perpetrators behind the devastating terror attack on Bangkok’s Erawan Hindu shrine, which claimed the lives of 21 people and injured 120 others. Yet with Chinese, Filipino, Hong Kong, Japanese, Singapore and Taiwan citizens reportedly on the casualty list, the economic fallout from the deadly blast on the nation’s vital tourism sector could be extensive.

As reported by The Diplomat, Monday evening’s blast was timed to cause major damage, with the shrine located on the city’s most popular shopping street being crowded at the time of the attack with tourists and worshippers.

Thai police have released a sketch of the suspect and sought assistance from Interpol in hunting a man described as a “foreigner,” with the investigation broadening from domestic to international terror organizations.

With tourism accounting for up to 20 percent of Thailand’s gross domestic product (GDP), including indirect effects, the damage caused to the nation could extend well beyond the capital. Nearly 25 million foreign tourists visited Thailand last year, helping boost sectors including hotels, restaurants and other service industries.

The Philippine government is planning a 25 percent increase in the a portion of its 2016 defense budget dedicated to the modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in order to reinforce its military assets in the South China Sea, according to AFP.

The AFP modernization program within the core Department of National Defense (DND) budget is set to increase from P15 to P25 billion ($552 million) in 2016. According to Florencio Abad, the current Secretary of the Philippine Department of Budget and Management, this would constitute the highest-ever increase in spending for military modernization in over two decades.

When Kazakhstan loosened the trading band for its currency, shifting the upper limit to 198 tenge per dollar in July, the government couched the change in terms of moving toward a free-floating currency though international observers looked at it as more a response to Russia’s persistent ruble troubles and low oil prices. This week, however, the tenge is pushing that limit and some expect the currency to hit 200 per dollar in the coming weeks.

The recent, sudden, spike in the tenge is linked, by Bloomberg, to the yuan’s recent fluctuations and the shaking of the Chinese stock market. Bloomberg notes that the yuan’s drop last week put pressure on the country’s trading partners, making their exports less competitive. Economic trouble for its two biggest trading partners bodes ill for Astana. The devaluation of the tenge to 197.28 per dollar by 5:10 p.m. in Almaty, as reported byBloomberg, was “the steepest retreat since the central bank … let it drop about 20 percent in February 2014.”

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded his visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) today. Visiting over the weekend, Modi became the first Indian prime minister to do since the 1980s. Modi’s visit placed great emphasis on improved economic ties between the two countries, which share a major commercial relationship. Following the United States and China, the UAE is India’s third-largest trading partner, with a bilateral trade volume of $60 billion. The UAE is also important for India’s energy security—oil exports from the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, a grouping which comprises the UAE, supply 45 percent of India’s petroleum demand.

In the UAE, Modi met with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the crown prince and deputy supreme commander of the UAE Armed Forces. The two leaders discussed trade, security, and strategic issues, according to the Press Trust of India. Modi and the crown prince discussed the regional challenge posed by the Islamic State group (ISIS). In recent months, ISIS has started making forays into Afghanistan and Pakistan, raising the group’s threat profile in neighboring India. Modi discussed how the two countries could increase cooperation on countering terrorism.

A new report from the U.S. Department of Defense, entitled “The Asia-Pacific Maritime Security Strategy,” provides the clearest look to-date at the U.S. military’s view of the maritime situation in the Asia-Pacific region, particularly the maritime disputes in the South China Sea.

The report includes a detailed section on land reclamation in the South China Sea. While it references earlier efforts by the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Taiwan, the bulk of the analysis focuses on China’s recent activities. The Pentagon reports that from December 2013 to June 2015, China “reclaimed more than 2,900 acres of land… accounting for approximately 95 percent of all reclaimed land in the Spratlys.” That’s up nearly 50 percent over a previous Pentagon estimate in May, which said China has reclaimed about 2,000 acres.