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As if the "Savarna-Avarna" (high caste/low caste) divide was not bad enough in Uttar Pradesh and the rest of the country, the Congress has gone and institutionalised the rupture in the "Savarna" fold too, further aggravating the atomising process.
Diplomacy commenced when the first human societies decided it was better to hear the message than eat the messenger. Messages to rulers are rarely purposeless; their timing and occasion are carefully chosen and the content crafted with care.
Political parties are the only entities which are not subject to any regulation or regulator. The phrase political parties has not been mentioned in India's constitution and post independence, the legislatures have not enacted any regulation or law governing the functioning of political parties.
Along with space arms race, the China-Russia emphasis has been on placement of weapons in outer space. But the bigger challenge today is ground-based weapons that can target assets in outer space, which has heightened the fears about weaponisation of outer space.
In the forthcoming US elections, it seems demographics favour the Democrats, if they are able to make sure there is a huge turnout among the youth and people of colour. But one must also remember that the Democrat nominee will in a sense have to run against historical patterns.
Like Syria, both the opposing camps in Egypt do not seem to have any common meeting ground. Also, like Syria, both have enough support and resources to bear losses and continue the conflict. The developing situation, therefore, could not only spiral off into a bloody civil war domestically, but could also polarise the region.
One way or the other, Germany's Bundestag is about to make history with the upcoming vote on the issue of recognising Palestinian statehood. The Bundestag has a choice to make. It can continue looking backwards in history on this issue and ignore its leading role in securing peace in the Middle East, or it can courageously look forward, maybe even recognising something it owes history.
Economic development is held to be synonymous with the provision of infrastructure, especially roads, hospitals and educational institutions. Job crea
Three months from now, President Pervez Musharraf will have to take a decision. He could decide to quit the post of the Chief of Army Staff-a position he has been holding for the past five years, the longest ever for a Pakistani General, perhaps longest ever for a General anywhere in the world during peace time. Or he could decide to stay put.
Former The Hindu correspondent in Pakistan, Nirupama Subramanian, thinks that PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif has a better chance to head the next government in Pakistan. The thing to be watched is whether he will be able to do so on his own or in coalition with other parties, especially Imran Khan's PTI.
From the Chinese perspective, it was a smart move to invite India to join the maritime Silk Road project. But Delhi is likely to be torn between two competing ideas ? working with China in the maritime domain and the long-standing goal of limiting Beijing's influence in the Indian Ocean.
New Delhi will be hoping that Congress can continue to rein in Trump’s worst instincts.
If Nawaz Sharif really believes that Islamic insurgency has no role to play in Indo-Pakistan relations henceforth, he should enforce immediate control and effectively neutralise LeT and its parallel organisation, the Jamat-ud-Dawa.
With the resignation of the Sindh CM, it is widely speculated that the next to follow suit would be Jamali. His repeated assurances that his government was under no threat, only betrayed his insecurity. General Musharraf, who could have reiterated Jamali¿s confidence,
In Japan, obtaining the consent of the people to run a nuclear power plant has now become very difficult. Prior to the Fukushima tragedy, local people's consent meant agreement of the towns and the prefecture where the plants were located.
While India-Japan relations have strengthened and trade volume has jumped over by 38% from the previous year, in the civil nuclear cooperation, Japan observers see a rather serious barrier in the strong anti-reactor backlash at home, keeping it away from striking an acceptable solution.
Whether Japan and India could find an acceptable compromise formula for civilian nuclear agreement that would address their respective concerns will be the main subject of discussion at the India-Japan Annual Summit in New Delhi on December 27-29.
The visit of Begum Khaleda Zia to New Delhi, her first visit as the Opposition leader, suggests a change in the thinking of her party, BNP. And it is likely to turn into a major breakthrough in the India-Bangladesh relations, marking a new beginning in the relations.
Kyrgyzstan held its first parliamentary election on October 10, making it the first country in the region to opt for a parliamentary democracy. However, leaders of the other Central Asian Republics remain apprehensive of the path chosen by Kyrgyzstan.
While Shinzo Abe might be thinking that LDP supported independent Yoichi Masuzoe?s win in Tokyo gubernatorial poll will help him carry forward his pro-nuclear energy plans, defeated candidates Hosokawa and Koizumi are determined to intensify their campaign for a nuclear free Japan.
Narendra Modi's warm response to Putin's congratulatory message, in contrast to a business-like acknowledgement of Obama, has a well-thought out back story and may prove all those predicting a business-as-usual foreign policy regime wrong.
On Monday night, a television anchor asked Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit about her views on India's decision to run the Lahore bus again. She said: "I hope it doesn't fall by the wayside as the previous one.'' If she clearly sounded sceptical, there are reasons. The last time buses began to cross the Wagah border
Nuclear and missile developments in North Korea have been in global attention — also to repeated threats against South Korea, Japan and US.
US President Barack Obama is trying to reconcile the irreconcilables - the requirements of his domestic audience and the situation on the ground in Afghanistan. It will take a while before we know whether he has fallen between stools.
The consequences of the Okinawa gubernatorial elections, where Prime Minister Abe's party candidate was defeated convincingly, mainly on the issue of relocation of US bases, will resonate on the US-Japan security alliance as well as Abe's ruling LDP party.
In a first of the kind, Observer Research Foundation, Kolkata organised an inter-university debate competition on 'Panchsheel and its Relevance' on January 17 to commemorate completion of 60 years of signing the agreement.
Though Dr. Hassan Rouhani is labelled as a 'pragmatist', 'moderate', or even a 'reformist' by analysts, all these terms have very restrictive meanings in the Iranian context.
The challenge for Iran's President-elect Dr. Hassan Rouhani lies in not only appeasing the highest echelons of country's clergy, but also securing results for an economy that is on the brink of collapse.
Though two rulings in as many days, the Supreme Court has set the tone on checking criminality in politics. Yet, issues remain in the implementation and enforcement, if the court verdict has to produce the desired results and meet with discerning goals.
Whether or not Nawaz Sharif's new innings will be a winner for India-Pakistan ties is an important question, but more significant is: Will his new stint at the top post be a winner for Pakistan? A Pakistan that finds its feet, and embarks on the road to comprehensive progress and democracy, will be good for itself and for the region as a whole.
While Mamata Banerjee tries to avoid being branded as an anti-industry and inflexible politician, her best ally could be the pending central land acquisition bill, which thanks largely to Mamata Banerjee, is in comatose since 2007.
It definitely was not in the scheme, but the 'Oxford Union episode' involving Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa may have emboldened the demoralised nation's pan-Tamil Diaspora across the West, with its fallout expected to be felt in neighbouring India as well.
Libya's future looks uncertain. The no-fly zone may not be enough to unseat Gaddafi. If Gaddafi survives and maintains his hold over Tripolitania, the world may have to contend with his wrath and a potential rogue state, uncomfortably close to Europe.
New aircraft carrier Vikramaditya will undoubtedly have a major role to play as force multipliers and strategic game changers in the region, but as a ship without even the basic defences against air borne threats, it will be extremely vulnerable, obviating its usage to its potential to the maximum.
For over a year, China is running a huge anti-corruption campaign. More than 1,82,000 officials have been punished, including high ranking military officials, four national leaders and senior executives of state companies. However, this type of arbitrary and high-handed posture could backfire and become a catalyst for political crisis if it continues in the present way.
In Prague, the expensiveness of the custom of burial has become an issue. And this issue is of relevance to most urban societies including ours as pressure on urban land will result in pressure on graveyards.
The 9th India-Japan bilateral is taking place in New Delhi this week-end. PM Abe is reaching Delhi on December 11. Two of the main issues that need to be resolved to take the partnership to new heights are the civil nuclear agreement and the supply of Japan's indigenously made US2 amphibious aircraft to India. Will Abe and Modi be able to achieve this?
With Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif making common cause in opposing Pervez Musharraf, democracy is back in reckoning in Pakistan. Will democracy return to Pakistan? This is the question which is being raised both within Pakistan and outside, especially after two former Prime Ministers, Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, decided to bury their hatchets, sit across a table in a London hotel and agree on a Charter of Democracy last month.
The rise in the price of food grains may be cushioned by the enormous stocks held by the government's FCI godowns. But higher vegetable, fruits, eggs, fish and meat prices will contribute to food inflation as they have done in the past.
Japanese PM Shinzo Abe has a fairly heavy political agenda before him. The foremost is his firm resolve to introduce constitutional reforms. If he wins the December 14 elections, Abe would have bright chances to win another term as the LDP president in September next year and stay at the helm for three more years.
While the establishment of new Integrated Check Post at Attari is a welcome move, there are certain issues which have dampened the spirits of Punjab's traders. The Pakistan government has still not allowed trade of items freely from the Attari-Wagah land route despite it being the cheapest and shortest trade route.
