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Understanding India’s response to the Syrian civil war
International Affairs | Indian Foreign Policy Oct 13, 2017

Understanding India’s response to the Syrian civil war

The popular uprising against the Assad regime in 2011, which gradually evolved into a civil conflict, has been one of contemporary history’s greatest tragedies. The conflict has claimed more than 400,000 lives; over six million Syrians have been internally displaced. India has not joined the ...

A digital direction for BIMSTEC
Media and Internet Oct 05, 2017

A digital direction for BIMSTEC

The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) was formed to foster socio-economic cooperation between its seven member nations – India, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. The group signed a free trade agreement (FTA) in 2004, but the ...

Coups in khaki and other colours
Neighbourhood Sep 25, 2017

Coups in khaki and other colours

Prolonged periods of military rule in Pakistan have enabled the military to penetrate all structures of the Pakistani state. Political parties, the judiciary, bureaucracy, and the media — today all have their share of pro-khaki elements. Therefore, a military coup d’etat is no longer the only ...

BIMSTEC-FTA: A new hope for enhanced regional trade
Indian Foreign Policy | Economic Diplomacy Sep 19, 2017

BIMSTEC-FTA: A new hope for enhanced regional trade

The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) has gained more importance recently because of the many hurdles that have come in the way of the South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA) since 2016, mainly due to issues between India and ...

India and Latin America: Where ignorance is not bliss
International Affairs | Indian Foreign Policy Sep 12, 2017

India and Latin America: Where ignorance is not bliss

India and South America have barely managed to maintain minimal bilateral ties for the last several decades. Absent strong ties in geography, what India and South America have instead is a shared post-colonial history. Colonised by European powers for several centuries, both began their journey ...

BIMSTEC: Overcoming inertia to serve as a truly strategic platform
Indian Foreign Policy Sep 08, 2017

BIMSTEC: Overcoming inertia to serve as a truly strategic platform

Two decades since its inception, the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) has yet to truly succeed as an instrument of regional integration. The primary reason for the group’s slow progress is general inertia, or lack of interest amongst its ...

China’s expanding military footprint in Africa
International Affairs | China Foreign Policy | China Military Sep 04, 2017

China’s expanding military footprint in Africa

China’s growing military profile in Africa is following its economic footprint in the continent as exemplified by the Chinese “logistics support base” in Djibouti. It is moving towards an ever more expansive definition of its global interests, as its business in Africa pushes it to ...

India-US homeland security cooperation in the time of Modi and Trump
Indian Foreign Policy | US Foreign Policy Aug 29, 2017

India-US homeland security cooperation in the time of Modi and Trump

Bilateral ties between India and the United States have strengthened remarkably in recent years and nowhere has cooperation been greater than in the area of security. Despite certain divergences, both countries realise that there is a need for cooperation in combating terrorism to keep their ...

The changing contours of Russia’s South Asia policy
International Affairs | Neighbourhood | Indian Foreign Policy Jul 27, 2017

The changing contours of Russia’s South Asia policy

Russia’s policy towards South Asia has been the subject of much speculation lately. With closer cooperation between Russia and China and the former’s warming up to Pakistan, it is becoming increasingly evident that Russia is moving away from its India-centric approach in the region. This ...

A fine balance: India’s voting record at the UNGA
Indian Foreign Policy | Great Power Dynamics | United Nations Jul 25, 2017

A fine balance: India’s voting record at the UNGA

This brief studies India’s foreign policy preferences using an index based on historical voting patterns of member states at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). By visualising the trajectory of policy preferences for all member states in the UNGA, with a particular focus on India, ...