390 results found
India enter the New Year with a somewhat strengthened diplomatic hand with more international responsiveness to our concerns. However, 2011 will not produce any major breakthroughs in resolving our outstanding problems.
India and South Korea stand as important middle powers whose influence in the Indo-Pacific region is expanding in their own ways. At the same time, their bilateral partnership today has even bigger potential to serve as a stabilising factor amid shifting regional geopolitical equations. The current year—the 50th since the two countries established formal diplomatic ties—is an opportune moment for harnessing their converging interests. This br
The year 2024 is poised to be a period of significant transformation, characterised by extensive changes on both domestic and international fronts
China has used Colombo’s compulsion to deliver a strong message to India and the world—regardless of its assistance, Beijing still holds significa
US President Barack Obama should go to Sochi and send out the message to the world that despite differences, the two countries are together on the issue of terrorism. This would be a diplomatic win for him and resurrect the position of US in the international arena.
There will soon be two important changes in the Nepal and India diplomacy, which are of significant importance to both the countries. Nepal's ambassador to India, Rukma Shumsher Rana, has been recalled while the Indian envoy to Nepal Rakesh Sood will be replaced by another career diplomat.
The recent New Delhi visit of Singapore President Tony Tan Keng Yam, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic relations, was very much fruitful to give a boost to Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj's 5s vision and enhance the skill development and cultural ties between the countries.
After days of speculation and diplomatic haggling, the United Nations Security Council finally decided to discuss the humanitarian issue in Sri Lanka arising out of the ethnic conflict in the island nation.
Sri Lanka secured a major diplomatic victory when the United Nations (UN) passed a resolution backing its post-war plans for refugees. The UN resolution, which was passed 29 to 12 with six abstentions, urged support and assistance to Sri Lanka in its efforts to deal with large number of refugees.
History has coloured the current responses of South Asian countries to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine
Global data governance is at a crossroads—intensely contested by nations and industry players seeking to shape rules of the road to benefit their strategic interests. India has placed itself at the heart of the battle, its foreign policy vision fuelled by the principle of ‘data sovereignty’—a broad notion that supports the assertion of sovereign writ over data generated by citizens within a country’s physical boundaries. While this visi
The self-goal could have been avoided, but the ruling party saw the emerging warning signals with eyes wide shut. Some party sections clearly felt they were clever enough to run with the hare and hunt with the hounds, and that religious polarisation in domestic politics could work to electoral advantage even as the PM and his diplomats wooed the Muslim nations of the Gulf. Perhaps, they don’t recognise that we live in an interconnected world, w
The Japanese perspective on the Space Code is based on its diplomatic and technological concerns, not on its military and security needs. Since MoD is not engaged in the process of decision-making for the Code, it would be difficult to assume that Japan would commit to the Code for security purposes.
The US’s diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Winter Olympics is setting the stage for the addition of another dimension to the US-China saga of widening confrontation
By declaring fresh intentions to revive GSP-Plus talks with the European Union (EU), and ensuring the withdrawal of anti-UN fast by incumbent Minister Wimal Weerawansa, the Sri Lankan Government seems to be now engaged in damage control on the global diplomatic front, whose results are as yet unpredictable.
The current crisis in Sri Lanka presents an opportunity for India to cement its position as Sri Lanka’s strategic all-weather ally and ameliorate it
Once again, the country is forced to seek a bailout from the IMF – with all the costs and benefits that entails.
The geopolitical realities are proving to be a strong catalyst for improved relations between Japan and South Korea
From Iran's perspective, Israel breached a critical threshold by attacking its diplomatic mission, which Tehran deemed its sovereign territory
This brief tackles the crucial role of public diplomacy in enhancing India's global influence. It argues that India should exert effort to communicate its rich cultural heritage and economic growth story to foreign audiences, and recommends a roadmap that involves linking public diplomacy to national security, the establishment of a specialised public diplomacy agency, and creating the position of a chief public diplomat. A well-structured public
This return to business as usual is reflective of the wariness on both sides to escalate the crisis further and prevent it from metastasising into a new front of conflict.
In aftermath of China scaling up pressure on countries whom it has relations with, Taiwan has started to be isolated as these nations have started to
India has maintained that there is no such thing as a ‘good’ or ‘bad’ Taliban, and that it views the group under a single umbrella. While dipl
The quad -- India, Australia, Japan, and the United States -- should take care to prevent the possible dangers in China's rise from becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. It should use the wide menu of options for quadrilateral cooperation to bargain for diplomatic resolution of China's disputes with its neighbours.
The 16+1 initiative is seen as a Chinese Trojan Horse waiting for entry into the European Union
The recent Arab League Summit showcased Saudi Arabia’s attempt to bring change in its foreign policy approach
Saeed Naqvi, Distinguished Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation, traveled to Bahrain, Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, Baghdad, Najaf, Amman, Cairo, Jerusalem and Ramallah after the Arab Spring broke out. Earlier, he visited Tunisia, Iran, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan, Western Sahara and Libya. In this paper, he shares his first-hand experiences and discussions with leaders and diplomats, many of whom have requested anonymity. This paper follows
The growing perception of Canada being a sanctuary for global offenders not only tarnishes its international reputation but also poses a threat to its
Over the past year, the European Union (EU) increased its efforts to develop a more holistic approach to its engagement with the Indo-Pacific. Specifically, the EU has signalled a more concrete intention to integrate defence and security considerations into the policymaking process, with the publication of a regional strategy of engagement in September 2021. This brief aims to tie existing threads of EU diplomatic, developmental, and security pra
China is touting its vision of linking two Indian projects (Mausam and Spice Route) with its One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative. China's main goal is to coordinate regional policy so that each country's economic development plan becomes part of a larger regional vision.
It is hoped that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to India not only heightens bilateral relations between the two countries but also benefits the entire region
As major economies attempt to de-risk from China, India can make the most of this opportunity by attracting global economic investments in varied sect
The 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, often hailed as a diplomatic triumph, aims to limit temperature increases to below 2 degrees Celsius (C), preferably to 1.5 degrees C, compared to pre-industrial levels. However, with the United Nations (UN) having failed to establish a method for putting a price on carbon, greenhouse gas emissions have continued to rise, and global temperatures increased by more than 1.2 degrees C in 2020. Already, experts warn
Eminent Indian nuclear scientists have been expressing their concern about the contents and direction of the Indo-US nuclear deal signed last July. Strategic analysts, former diplomats, prominent politicians and knowledgeable commentators have repeatedly cautioned the government about the minefields ahead. Ought not the government pause and clear these doubts? There is little effort towards this end, and we all seem to be running blind.
A fast-changing game of geopolitics is also changing one of the US' oldest and most consequential strategic relationships in the Middle East
While New Delhi is getting more diplomatic support for its position, it is doing little to change the threat Pakistan poses.
The two nations have had a history of cooperation, support, and mutual growth.
The Indian Navy has played a leading role in humanitarian missions since the 2004 tsunami — a potent way to project India’s diplomatic soft power.
How does Sri Lanka’s political and economic turmoil affect the Indian Ocean Region?
Geopolitical, economic, and technological considerations coupled with the requirements of politico-diplomatic expediency have shaped the African state
While it might be politically palatable to consider a purely Asia-Pacific strategic partnership to maintain stability in the region, this will be strategically short-sighted because no such partnership will have the military muscle or diplomatic heft to achieve its objectives.
Israel believes that the use of force is essential to stopping Iran from making the nuclear bomb. A vocal section of the strategic affairs community in the United States agrees with the proposition. This brief argues that military means are unlikely to sabotage the nuclear weapons programme of an advanced-stage bomb-seeker like Iran. Moreover, use of force could be counterproductive as it can incentivise Iran’s pursuit of the bomb, and it may e
Pyongyang's development of missiles and nuclear weapons is alarming its neighbours
Given the complexity of the current conflict between Israel and Hamas, Russia will most likely expand its diplomatic efforts to bring the tensions to
