Changing equations of India-Pak relations Efforts to normalize relations between India and Pakistan have once again been initiated with Track-2 and back channel diplomacy. With the return of Nawaz Sharif as the third time prime minister in mid May, the civil society in Pakistan, which realizes the cost of anti India atmosphere in the country, has pinned high hopes on his desire and political will to move forward on normalizing relations with India. The international… Read More »High expectations

Afghanistan in post 2014 and India’s options The year 2014 is going to be very crucial for the people of Afghanistan. The developments over next one year will have far reaching consequences not only for the country but for the entire South and Central Asia; also the rest of the world will not remain unaffected. The mandarins in the office of the National Security Advisor are weighing the pros and cons of various policy options… Read More »Striking a balance

India-China defence relations Seven years after the last Indian defence minister visited China, A K Antony landed in Beijing in the first week of July 2013 with a welcoming discordant voice from one of the retired Chinese Generals who warned India not to provoke problems at the LAC. Though the shrill voice was not stoutly rejected by the Chinese foreign or defence ministries, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesman clarified with a mild denial that Major… Read More »Trust deficit

Bhutan and China’s diplomatic engagements Bhutan is finally awakening from its long, tranquil sleep and slowly facing the realities of geo-strategic politics and international relations. Squished in the middle of the two Asian giants- India and China, the tiny, peace-loving nation is slowly embracing democracy and diplomacy. The process can be overwhelming for a country that gives importance to Gross National Happiness over Gross Domestic Product and believes in maintaining happiness over securing strategic interests.… Read More »First move

Unrest in Turkey may impact balance of equations The anti-government protests in Turkey have posed a grave challenge for Turkey’s Prime Minister Erdogan’s grip on power. Its ruling party, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) is being accused of pushing conservative and Islamic influenced policies under the leadership of an authoritarian Prime Minister even though it is a secular republican democracy. The unrest has been on for a month and the movement shows no sign… Read More »Spilling wider

China’s strategic relations with Sri Lanka China has further strengthened its strategic grip over Sri Lanka, as the President Mahinda Rajapaksa during his May end visit to Beijing, his sixth after the elimination of LTTE leaders and hardcore cadres, sealed fresh agreements to deepen Chinese involvement not only in training Sri Lankan defence forces and other areas of defence cooperation but also expanded its arms in the port sector from Hambantota to Colombo. Hambantota, which… Read More »Strengthening grip

South China Sea challenges pose risks to ASEAN unity The ASEAN meeting in Brunei has ended with a joint communiqué which promises that ASEAN and China will work more closely to find an amicable solution to South China Sea dispute after Beijing agreed that it is ready to look into the drafting of a Code of Conduct. A CoC is necessary to bring down the tension in the South China Sea which can prevent parties… Read More »CoC needed

Antony’s three nations visit and its significance At a time when the US Defence Secretary Chuck Hegel was elaborating the Pivot to Asia policy renamed as Rebalancing Asia, during the Shangri- la dialogue in Singapore in the first week of June, the Indian defence minister A K Antony was visiting those countries prominently included by the US in its rebalancing Asia strategy. The visit to Singapore, Australia and Thailand by the Indian defence minister drew… Read More »New orientation

Babies have short attention spans. Congressmen are even worse. A couple of months ago legislators were outraged over the willingness of President Barack Obama to ignore the Constitution by going to war in Libya. Now the issue is all but forgotten. The debt-limit fight offered Congress an excuse for being preoccupied. But now legislators again should confront the president’s law breaking. In recent years presidents have taken on kingly airs. Frustrated with only being tasked… Read More »Predator behavior: US Congress must stop Obama’s Libya war

It is a good news that South Sudan is born as 193rd country among the comity of nations but what is the future of this tiny landlocked nation which needs a long way to go. No doubt it has brought freedom for millions of South Sudanese who have been fighting for this day for last 50 years. Despite all the potentialities, there is a saying democracy works better if there are enough resources to support… Read More »Limited future: Potential for a role model or a disaster