Play The Diplomat’s Quiz: February 12, 2017 Edition

On March 15, 2017, Pakistan will hold its sixth nationwide population census, after a wide gap of almost 19 years. The census was only possible after Supreme Court intervention, and with the assent of the Pakistani army to deploy up to 200,000 troops, ensuring a smooth and peaceful nationwide count. The federal government fought tooth and nail to convince the court to delay. After finalization of the date by country’s premier constitutional body – the Council of Common Interest (CCI) – lethargic state machinery has been activated and the race begun.

On Sunday morning, at roughly 7:55 a.m. Korea Standard Time (KST), North Korea launched an unknown ballistic missile from its western coast, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The missile was fired with an eastward trajectory into the Sea of Japan and flew for approximately 500 kilometers, according to the South Korea’s JCS.

According to South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency, the South Korean JCS noted that the missile has not been identified, but was launched from Banghyeon in North Pyongan Province.

North Korea’s last-known missile activity was a reported ejection test of its KN-11 submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) in December — a test that Pyongyang did not publicize.

At this time, no other details around the launch have been confirmed by either the South Korean side or United States Strategic Command (STRATCOM), which has only confirmed that a launch occurred, but not yet specified a missile type.

However, based on the early information, it does not appear that this is the anticipated first-ever North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile test.

Clergy are not typically known for being progressive, but Nepali nun Ani Choying Drolma finds even the “secular” world to be conservative. Known as a “Rock Star Nun” due to her career in music, she challenges notions that many people have about the role of women and clergy in society.

An image released on Weibo last week shows what may be a model of a planned airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) aircraft for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army-Navy’s carriers

According to IHS Jane’s Defence Weekly, the model, which appeared to be a full-scale mock-up for a navalized AEW&C similar in appearance to the United States’ Northrop Grumman E-2 Hawkeye, was spotted on China’s on-land carrier facility.

Jane’s suggests that the mock-up is “an indication that the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is seeking to equip a future carrier with such aircraft.

Last November, Malaysia inked its first major defense deal with China, agreeing to buy four littoral mission ships (LMS) from Beijing during Prime Minister Najib Razak’s six-day visit there (See: “Malaysia is Not Pivoting to China With Najib’s Visit”). Given the significance of what Najib himself termed “a landmark agreement,” it is worth as well as evaluating where it is at this point in time as we move into the second month of 2017.

A U.S. Navy P-3C Orion surveillance aircraft and a Chinese military surveillance aircraft came within 1,000 feet of each other over the skies of the South China Sea, according to an unnamed U.S. official who spoke to Reuters.

According to the report, the incident took place near Scarborough Shoal, in the eastern reaches of the South China Sea, 124 nautical miles off the Philippine coast.

Scarborough Shoal is claimed by both China and the Philippines and the Chinese Coast Guard has maintained a presence there since seizing it from Manila in a stand-off in 2012.

A spokesperson for U.S. Pacific Command, Maj. Rob Shuford, confirmed to CNN that the U.S. Navy is describing the incident as “unsafe,” though CNN notes that this doesn’t mean the Navy is ascribing “malign intent” to China just yet.

On Thursday evening in the United States, U.S. President Donald J. Trump finally spoke to China President Xi Jinping for the first time on the phone since his inauguration on January 20. The two leaders had previously spoken on November 14, days after Trump had emerged the winner in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

As January 2017 wound to a close, the state of Tamil Nadu in India fell victim to another environmental disaster, just as it was recovering from Cyclone Vardah in December 2016. However, this one was entirely man-made and left in its wake a series of questions about the need for a more proactive response mechanism.

Two ships collided off the coast of Chennai, causing a massive oil spill that was both underestimated and underreported in its early stages. Oil rapidly spread, threatening aquatic biodiversity and the safety of those dependent on the seas for both their livelihoods and nutrition. Meanwhile, the port authorities released a statement that no environmental damage along the lines of oil pollution had occurred and the union minister for shipping concurred. The estimates of the amount of oil leaked have since been rising at a frightening pace.

While Tamil Nadu Fisheries Minister D. Jayakumar initially reported that the situation was under control and only one ton of oil had leaked, subsequent estimates by the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) indicate that over 60 tons of oil as sludge or mixture had been removed in just the early days of the subsequent week. The spill covered a 13 kilometer area in just the first couple of days and the delay in receiving credible information has been blamed by activists who have been an integral part of the recovery process.

The Pakistan military has reportedly conducted the first successful flight test of a new medium range ballistic missile (MRBM), according to the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media arm of the Pakistan Armed Forces.

The test involved the successful launch of the surface-to-surface MRBM Ababeel, reportedly capable of carrying multiple warheads using Multiple Independent Re-entry Vehicle technology (MIRV). The new missile purportedly has a maximum range of 2,200 kilometers (1,367 miles).

The January 24 test of the Ababeel MRBM follows the first-ever test of a nuclear-capable Babur-3 submarine-launched cruise missile (SLCM) from a submerged platform off the Pakistani coast in early January.

“The test flight was aimed at validating various design and technical parameters of the weapon system,” the ISPS statement reads. “Ababeel is capable of carrying nuclear warheads and has the capability to engage multiple targets with high precision, defeating the enemy’s hostile radars.”