The scenes on the streets of Bangladesh that the world has been witnessing in the previous months depict the mood of a pseudo-democratic nation that is hanging by a thread. Bangladesh seems to be heading towards a dead end as an anarchic like state of affairs spins the country into total disarray. The two political dynasties of Bangladesh have forever been fighting a political war to grip power over a country that has been plagued… Read More »Future of Bangladesh

That the new Maldivian President Yameen Abdul Gayoom chose to make his first official visit abroad to New Delhi in the very first week of the year 2014 was enough indication that he wants to mend fences with India and restore the decades old traditional relationship with its closest maritime neighbor, on whom the country depends for its security. Though the moves of the previous Maldivian administration threatened to weaken the political and security links… Read More »Maldives cooperation

At a time when Myanmar is experiencing an unprecedented transformation, the ASEAN countries have agreed to let it take on the leadership of the bloc as its Chairman for the year 2014. After decades of military rule, isolation and existence, Myanmar’s leadership has initiated a series of political, economic and administrative reforms that have elicited positive responses both regionally and globally, helping the country swiftly integrate into the regional and global communities. While the chairmanship… Read More »ASEAN chairmanship

Last year the People’s Republic of China’s Ministry of National Defence announced the creation of the East China Sea Air Defence Identification Zone (ADIZ) which faced lot of criticism and got reactions from all over the world. China also announced Aircraft Identification rules for the ADIZ. The zone overlaps the existing ADIZ of Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. It also covers the disputed Senkaku islands that are claimed by China, Japan and Taiwan and also… Read More »China’s ADIZ

US-China rivalry in the Malacca Strait For a nation that depends on other nations for its energy needs, it must ensure security and independence in the SLOC’s (Sea Lines of Communication). It is the mutual dependence of such crucial factors that translate geographical logistics into geopolitical choke-points. Consequently, because the belief that dominant players in the global commons eventually command global affairs is widely considered as veracious, the relevance of such geopolitical points elevate because… Read More »Competing interests

Pakistan’s new CoAS and civil-military relations After intense speculation, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif appointed Lt General Raheel Sharif as the new Chief of Army Staff (CoAS). He indeed reached the decision after carefully considering crucial factors, keeping in mind the political history of Pakistan and his own personal experience. As the army is as good as a power center of the country, the appointment of its new Chief is significant. Whether or not General Raheel… Read More »Entrusting hope

Strengthening India-Japan relations The visit of the Japanese emperor Akihito to India in November end was a reaffirmation of evolving strategic partnership with India which has great relevance in the fast changing geo political environment in the Asia Pacific region. In a significant move India has decided to follow up the emperor’s visit to India with a Republic Day invite to the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, which will reinforce the current momentum in high… Read More »Strategic bond

India-Maldives relations under Gayoom’s leadership Though the newly elected President Abdulla Yameen Gayoom has assured Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of giving priority to relations with India, especially because of geographical proximity as suggested by the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in his congratulatory note, there are fears that Maldives will return to hardline Islam- both in political and social domain. This might not allow the recovery of lost ground in India-Maldives relations which deteriorated after… Read More »Incompetent handling

Indian Navy’s growing maritime capabilities The much awaited commissioning of the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya and its handing over to the Indian Navy as an Indian warship is all set to boost the Indian Navy’s endeavours to position itself as a robust blue water maritime force capable of taking care of Indian interests across the global oceanic waters while ensuring the maritime security of Indian mainland in all its manifestations. This 44,500 tonne Kiev class… Read More »Power projection

US-China competing interest in Asia Pacific At a time when the region of South-East Asia is engulfed in geopolitical instability and economic sluggishness, the recent APEC and ASEAN summits were crucial platform for the concerned countries to discuss opportunities for economic cooperation and resolve the ongoing territorial disputes which threaten the peace and security of the region. But what made headlines instead was the absence of President Obama, which shifted the focus to politically unstable… Read More »Power game