Gateway Features
Asean, neighbours can break Myanmar impasse
Courtesy: Hindustan Times
On April 17, a spokesperson of the Myanmar military government stated that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s most popular leader, and former president U Win Myint were moved from prison to house arrest. As part of the Thingyan festival celebrations, over 30,000 political prisoners have also been granted amnesty and were being released. But these developments, though welcome, do not conceal the fact that, three years after the coup, the political and security situation in Myanmar has markedly deteriorated. read more
Gift city, the anti-Golden Visa
Courtesy: Realty Plus
The new status symbol in India is the Golden Visa, and it's available for over 100 countries. Its technical name is Residence by Investment Programme, though countries use varied titles like Global Talent Visa, Start-up Visa, Citizenship by Investment and Global Investor Programme. By any name, it smells as fragrant to whoever can invest between $50,000 and $2 million in any of the designated countries. They can, with their families, get the benefits of residency, healthcare, tax, new markets, education read more
Two Sessions of China 2024
Courtesy: South China Morning Post
The National People’s Congress meeting in China takes place every year in March and this year it was during the week of 4-11 March. It is called Two Sessions (or liang hui in Chinese) as the National People’s Congress and the China People’s Political Consultative Conference take place simultaneously and set the agenda for the year. These are different from the National Congress of the Chinese Party which is held once in five years and is party-centric, electing the committees read more
Indo-Pacific’s shifting seas
Courtesy: CGTN
Two years of the Russia-Ukraine war and six months of the Israel-Hamas conflict are now followed ominously by Iran’s unprecedented airborne attack on Israel. With West Asia facing the prospect of a major regional conflagration, these developments seemingly robbed the Indo-Pacific region of some of its salience. But despite the ongoing armed confrontations in Europe and West Asia, international attention remains pivoted to the complex power dynamics in East Asia. This is so partly due to China's frequent and coercive read more
Research
On December 1, 2023, India will hand over the G20 Presidency to Brazil. The G20 troika will now comprise the three IBSA countries – India, Brazil, South Africa – till November 2025. This trio has an agenda in common and with the G20, such as multilateral reform, energy transitions and digitalisation. IBSA should use its mechanisms and natural solidarity to advance the interests of the Global South.
Foreign Affairs
China’s expansionist nuclear programme aims to bolster its capabilities, so much so, that Beijing's predictions boast 2500 new warheads by 2030, thus rivalling the American and Russian arsenals. As the dragon quadruples its nuclear propensity, heralding the world to something greatly unstable – a tripolar nuclear system; nuclear peace seems a quite convoluted goal.
Book Reviews
Dr. S. Jaishankar’s new book creates an environment for an open and equal dialogue, which must continue between Indian and Russian diplomats, experts, representatives of business and public organisations. He is a visionary and an intellectual; his book is an example of next-generation Indian soft power, at the intersection of the challenges of the future and the legacy of the past.
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