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A new nuclear non-proliferation initiative? The American Hypocrisy and Pakistan
Mar 17, 2004

A new nuclear non-proliferation initiative? The American Hypocrisy and Pakistan

In February 2004, President George Bush outlined his new nuclear non-proliferation approach, in his ¿seven points¿ speech at the National Defense University. It include the setting up of proliferation security initiative which will control and monitor not only shipments and nuclear transfer of material/technology but also will be empowered to take direct action against the violators of the law.

A new phase in China-ASEAN relations?
Dec 06, 2013

A new phase in China-ASEAN relations?

China's renewed engagement with the Southeast Asian neighbours seems to be a policy of the new leadership. However, it must follow up on these successful visits by its efforts and actions. For now, maintaining good relations with ASEAN members seems to be Beijing's new strategy to ease tensions in the SCS.

A New Silk Road Strategy for Afghanistan
Feb 08, 2013

A New Silk Road Strategy for Afghanistan

After the scheduled western forces drawdown from Afghanistan in 2014, one viable option that would assist Afghan economic development is the US-driven New Silk Road Strategy. But, China, Russia, and Iran have specific visions of a viable NSRS, and these do not necessarily sit well with the US strategy.

A New Year gift to Syria: A possible agreement?
Dec 28, 2012

A New Year gift to Syria: A possible agreement?

The US is entering its trickiest phase in the Af-Pak region, where elections are due in both, Pakistan and Afghanistan just around the time Washington has set for its troops to depart. Can troops depart without an overt or covert understanding with Iran which has a long border with Afghanistan?

A passage to inner Asia
Jul 06, 2015

A passage to inner Asia

The Central Asian states are looking for a larger and more independent Indian role in the region. In responding to Central Asia's quest to diversify its strategic partnerships, Modi must signal an important departure from the UPA government's approach to the region. He needs to have a long term strategy and plan.

A pause in the post-Soviet space
Oct 10, 2005

A pause in the post-Soviet space

It can happen in the hurly-burly of politics that a flood of images abruptly wells up to the naked eye and demands attention so that we do not miss out on an entire slice of politics breaking away to get transmuted as current history.

A peace pact waiting to be made
Jan 17, 2006

A peace pact waiting to be made

As the foreign secretaries from India and Pakistan try this week to sustain the peace process amidst growing mutual suspicion, the Siachen question offers one potential area where recent progress could be consolidated. Discussions on the demilitarisation of the Siachen conflict zone have been proceeding slowly but surely towards a political agreement, even though the pace is too gradual to satisfy pragmatic analysts in both countries.

A peep into Sheikh Mujib's assassination
Apr 01, 2013

A peep into Sheikh Mujib's assassination

While there was no question of any rapprochement between Bangladesh and Pakistan, there are Muslim diehard elements in Bangladesh who draw their inspiration from Pakistan. These elements aim to strike at the very basic concept of Bangladesh.

A positive move on India-Bangladesh Extradition Treaty
Oct 30, 2012

A positive move on India-Bangladesh Extradition Treaty

During the meeting between the home secretaries of India and Bangladesh held in October this year, Bangladesh agreed to sign an extradition treaty and there has been major progress on this regard.

A possible new phase in ties with the US?
Nov 28, 2014

A possible new phase in ties with the US?

The first few weeks of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani's tenure has seen a flurry of diplomatic activity. The steps taken by him in the foreign policy domain give a clear indication of the new government's priorities.

A Possible Taleban interlocutor
Aug 23, 2010

A Possible Taleban interlocutor

The unspeakable tragedy of the floods in Pakistan, on a scale unknown to man, has dwarfed much else in the region: 100 shot dead in three days of political, ethnic and sectarian violence in Karachi,

A ray of hope in US-Russia relations?
Apr 05, 2013

A ray of hope in US-Russia relations?

Russia's response to new missile defence plans of the US points to Moscow's continued distrust of Washington. However, Moscow and Washington have announced a meeting to discuss the new missile deployment plans in Moscow in late May this year. Perhaps, a breakthrough is still possible.

A reality check on Modi's Silicon Valley visit
Oct 03, 2015

A reality check on Modi's Silicon Valley visit

India presents more immediate potential for the "top line" obsessed Silicon entrepreneur. But Asian companies from Japan, China, and Korea in sunset industries, are better placed to be responsive to the fragmented Indian market than a Fortune 500 corporate, which survive on scale not agility.

A Reluctant Warrior
Jul 29, 2005

A Reluctant Warrior

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's address to the nation on July 22 - as the people of London reeled from a second series of blasts at underground train stations - betrayed a sense of anxiety, a clear shift to address the Islamic community and an unwitting admission of failure in the war on terrorism.Wilson John

A Review of the Draft Report on Integrated Energy Policy
Aug 21, 2006

A Review of the Draft Report on Integrated Energy Policy

This critique on the Draft Report on Integrated Energy Policy was serialised in Volume II, Issue 43-46, 50 of ORF Energy News Monitor. It has three sections, first, Concept level issues- identifies the gaps in the Planning Commission's draft report, second, Action plan- for filling those gaps and lastly, Conclusions.

A sovereign Afghanistan
May 03, 2012

A sovereign Afghanistan

US President Barack Obama's latest strategy will seek to responsibly end the longest foreign war that the US has ever fought. At the same time, the strategy calls for building an enduring partnership with a sovereign Afghanistan. Obama's message to the Afghan people is a simple one: "as you stand up, you will not stand alone."

A space code of conduct is far from certain, but is it the endgame?
Aug 10, 2012

A space code of conduct is far from certain, but is it the endgame?

What is the measure of success for the Space Code of Conduct, or more substantially what is different about this Code effort that distinguishes it from the last? If the Code of Conduct fails to attract signatures of key players will its success be taken into question?

A space monkey and the art of rocket diplomacy
Feb 15, 2013

A space monkey and the art of rocket diplomacy

Iran is being treated more like North Korea, even though it is one of the world's great civilisations, with major historical and scientific achievements. And, as anyone who has deeply analysed the personalities of Ahmadinejad and Kim Jong Un knows, they don't look like one another. Or like one another.

A stable government at the Centre after long!
May 17, 2014

A stable government at the Centre after long!

For the first time in 30 years, Elections-2014 has thrown up a decisive Parliament. The Treasury Bench does not have to do number-crunching all the time, to push policy initiatives, legislative initiatives and even budgets - which have more often than not been passed in the midst of din and dust.

A step back from democracy
Aug 07, 2010

A step back from democracy

The speculation regarding General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani's possible extension came to an end last week. Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani in a rather dramatic fashion announced a full term extension for General Kayani on national television.

A strange Budget
Feb 18, 2014

A strange Budget

The Interim Budget presented by Finance Minister P Chidambaram was a strange one. It contained much praise for the ruling coalition UPA's entire tenure, peppered with some disappointments.

A Strange Country by the Name of Iran
Aug 05, 2005

A Strange Country by the Name of Iran

Iranian civilisation is heresy-prone. Heresy is indicative of a questioning mind. Throughout history, individuals and movements have emerged in Iran to invoke the moral imperative and disrupt the status quo. The most recent events sustain this characteristic of the Iranian personality. Paradoxes abound in the vote in the June presidential election: it was anti-establishment, not anti-regime, anti-clerical but affirmative of the principles of the

A Sufi message from a Pakistani President
Apr 10, 2012

A Sufi message from a Pakistani President

At a time when Rahul Gandhi and his team are wondering how to win friends and influence people, the Sufis offer an excellent model. For the model to gain traction, the first requirement is a message which can be simply put across.

A thaw in Saudi-Iran relations?
Jun 02, 2014

A thaw in Saudi-Iran relations?

Saudi Arabia recently extended an invitation to Iranian Foreign Minister, indicating towards a possible thaw in relations. Is this shift in Riyadh's stand because of a change in US-Iran relations and the positive reception of Iran's overtures by the other GCC States?

A time to lead
Apr 16, 2015

A time to lead

India must accept its own exceptionalism. It must thereafter understand how to establish it. India is in a position to shape cyberspace debates, but for that it will need to be flexible, propositional and present everywhere that internet governance is debated. Its strong and diverse contingent at The Hague is a good beginning.

A treaty in progress
Jul 31, 2012

A treaty in progress

The Arms Trade Treaty being an instrument impacting many countries, it is important for it to come into being through consensus. A treaty without support from major exporting and importing countries would undermine its very purpose.

A turbulent beginning to a new phase in Afghanistan
Sep 26, 2014

A turbulent beginning to a new phase in Afghanistan

A lack of legitimacy of the new leadership in Kabul in the eyes of the Afghan public could pose potential problems for it at a time when it is confronted with a number of challenges. This could be exploited by the Taliban as well.

A year of lassitude
Dec 28, 2012

A year of lassitude

India, today, has the heft to influence the geopolitical dynamic around it. In pushing for improved relations with one, India's ability to enhance ties with the other two will significantly improve. Masterly inactivity, on the other hand, would surely make India lose ground with all the three.

A ‘pilgrimage’ to Nepal
May 17, 2018

A ‘pilgrimage’ to Nepal

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit was high on symbolism but India must do more to deliver on the bilateral agenda

A. Q. Khan: The Ghost that Continues to Haunt
Dec 21, 2004

A. Q. Khan: The Ghost that Continues to Haunt

Dr.A. Q. Khan, the self-styled father of Pakistan's atomic bomb, is back in the headlines following a statement disseminated by the National Council of Resistance of Iran, a group opposed to the present regime in Teheran, on November 17, 2004, that between 1994 and 1996 (Mrs.Benazir Bhutto was then in power) Dr. Khan gave Iran a Chinese-developed nuclear warhead design.

AAP gets a second chance... But can the party build on it?
Feb 11, 2015

AAP gets a second chance... But can the party build on it?

The Aam Aadmi Party's victory in 67 out of 70 Delhi Assembly seats has simply blown the established parties like the BJP and the Congress out of the water. It has inflicted by far the most crushing defeat to its opposition in independent India's electoral history.

AAP's arrival signals urban discourse in politics
Dec 10, 2013

AAP's arrival signals urban discourse in politics

There has clearly been a Modi effect in the assembly polls, but but whether or not there is a Modi wave in 2014 will depend on just how the BJP uses the momentum it has now gathered. And the stunning performance of AAP in Delhi signals the arrival of the urban discourse into national politics and the breakdown of identity politics of yore.

Abandon ad hocism, focus sharp on the Maoist menace
Apr 30, 2012

Abandon ad hocism, focus sharp on the Maoist menace

The trends emerging from Odisha and Chhattisgarh following the latest kidnappings of popular officials confirm to a certain global pattern - desperation leads to unpopular acts. These measures suggest they become considerably weaker and are making desperate attempts to wage easy propaganda.

Abe in Delhi
Jan 23, 2014

Abe in Delhi

In inviting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to be the chief guest of this year's Republic Day celebrations, Delhi has underlined the special importance it attaches to East Asia. Abe is the fourth East Asian leader to be part of the annual event in the last five years.

Abe wants decisive responses to China's ambitions near Japan waters
Sep 24, 2013

Abe wants decisive responses to China's ambitions near Japan waters

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe believes that his country needs quicker and more decisive responses to China's increasing maritime ambitions in waters near Japan, according to two Japanese security experts, Dr Marie Izuyama and Dr Hikaru Yamashita.

Abe's African Safari: Will it pay off?
Feb 10, 2014

Abe's African Safari: Will it pay off?

At the beginning of the year, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made a trip to Africa. His renewed engagement in Africa is seen as a part of his broader effort to put an assertive stamp on Japan's foreign policy. Will his African Safari pay off? Can Japan have the same amount of influence in the continent as its arch rival China?

Abe's and Modi's policies on Indo-Pacific becoming concurrent: Japanese Ambassador
Oct 18, 2014

Abe's and Modi's policies on Indo-Pacific becoming concurrent: Japanese Ambassador

The idea of a united Indo-Pacific put forward by t he Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is becoming increasingly concurrent with the foreign policy initiatives of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, according to the Ambassador of Japan to India, Mr. Takeshi Yagi.

Abe's decision could mark a turning point in security policy
Jul 09, 2014

Abe's decision could mark a turning point in security policy

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's recent decision to reinterpret the Japanese constitution to exercise the right of collective self-defence is truly significant and could mark a turning point in Japan's security policy in the coming years.

Abe's defence
Jul 21, 2015

Abe's defence

It's not often that one sees leaders take risks in the pursuit of a political conviction. Abe, a rare exception, has been steadfast in his determination to remove the extraordinary restraints on Japan's military imposed by its post-war constitution. Abe wants Japan to be a "normal" power, 70 years after World War II.

Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi and the rise of the ISIS
Jul 07, 2014

Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi and the rise of the ISIS

Baghdadi, who has led the ISIS since 2010, has acquired significant financial and military power and influence among Sunni foreign fighters. But the ISIS's violent and extremist methods have alienated Sunni militias and Baghdadi's unwillingness to share power is likely to limit the group's territorial expansion.