The United States increasingly finds a military confrontation with the Islamic Republic of Iran a difficult proposition. With the change of regime in Iran, Washington finds an alternate means to engage Iran in a political dialogue and potentially trap it later. At the same time, Iran finds it convenient to end its isolation by resuming talks with P-6 and enhance its influence. Thus, the signals of peace talks sent to each other are part of… Read More »US-Iran talks: Exploring possibilities

Recently Japan flew fighter jets over the disputed Senkaku islands (as they are named by Japan) in the East China Sea, leading to raised concerns in China, which remains ‘highly vigilant’ of further Japanese move. Both the countries have been involved in such confrontations and flying fighter planes over the disputed territory as means of escalation of tensions, which makes the whole issue potentially explosive. Introduction Recently Japan flew fighter jets over the disputed Senkakuislands… Read More »Escalation or calculated risk

After much speculation, the stage has been set for Indian Prime Ministerto meet his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif. Indeed, keeping communication channels open is the only way to negotiate their crisis-ridden issues. It is very important that the talks have a roadmapwithout which, they may be futile. The key is to take small steps towards resolution of disputes, starting from less sensitive issues liketrade and water-sharing mechanisms and gradually proceeding to more serious issues like… Read More »Sharif-Manmohan meet: Need for a roadmap

Myanmar’s apparentrecovery from military rule to a flourishing democracy was accelerated by PresidentThein Sein when he declared that all political prisoners would be released bythe end of 2013 and that a ceasefire with ethnic groups could be possiblewithin weeks. Indeed, Myanmar has too much to lose if the domestic instability threatensits transitional efforts as it has taken the world a long time to trust its slowpace of reforms. Indeed, time has come to convert good… Read More »Myanmar needs to do more hard work

While the US Congress waits it out to vote on the possibility of attacking Syria, the mere thought of such an action has sent shockwaves through the global politics and economy which has soared oil prices. In addition, the conflict between Shia and Sunni Muslims could tear the Middle-East apart and may get more violent as the civil war in Syria persists. Even if the US militarily intervenes in Syria, it can only make the… Read More »Impact of US intervention in Syria

Egypt is burning. But the situation will not change forbetter dramatically in coming days. The country is passing through its mostdifficult time. Indeed, Morsi failed and the Army intervened. But the Egyptiansociety will get further divided and this will lead to violence. An unstableEgypt is bad for the whole region. Egypt is the only country in the region thatenjoys considerable influence in both Asia and Africa. INTRODUCTION: Egypt is burning. But the situation will not… Read More »Egypt will burn for some more time

India is optimistic about the future of its relationshipwith Pakistan as 14 years ago it was under Nawaz Sharif’s rule both Pakistanand India had initiated the process of normalizing ties. This expectation isnot entirely idealistic, but the government should approach Pakistan cautiouslyas Sharif’s ability to strengthen ties with India will depend on hisrelationship with the military, which still makes decisions for Pakistan’sforeign policy   INTRODUCTION India is optimistic about the future of its relationshipwith Pakistan… Read More »Indo-Pak ties: Optimism with caution

Articlenumber 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty states that an armed attack against oneor more parties of NATO will be considered an attack against them all and inresponse it can exercise military powers to restore and maintain the securityof the North Atlantic area. Introduction Article number 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty states that anarmed attack against one or more parties of NATO will be considered an attackagainst them all and in response it can… Read More »Future of NATO: Can it stretch beyond Europe

Mali has slipped into a total chaos after a couptoppled the democratic government in 2012 and was followed by the MNLA and theIslamic fundamentalist gaining control. French-led Mail troops have been tryingto suppress the Tuareg-led rebellion which is now being dominated by Islamicfundamentalism. To counter it, an African-led force is also coming in to tacklethe situation. Introduction Mali has slipped into a total chaos after a coup toppled thedemocratic government in 2012 and was followed… Read More »Crisis in Mali: Implement and quickly exit

The recent flare-up in tensions between India andPakistan, following the killing of two soldiers, including the beheading of one,which was preceded by low-grade exchange of gunfire leading to ceasefireviolations from both the sides, can be attributed to the failure of militaryleadership of both sides in engaging inpurposeful talks to solve the local-level tensions. Introduction: The recent flare-up in tensions between India and Pakistan, followingthe killing of two soldiers, including the beheading of one, which was… Read More »LoC tension: Failure of military leadership