modi gujrat Courtesy: Satish Padmanabhan/Outlook
20 December 2012

The importance of Gujarat

Narendra Modi, the chief minister of Gujarat, returned to office for an unprecedented fourth term. With this victory, the fate of India’s two national political parties has changed, and the battles within and without will play out over next few months leading up to the national elections in 2014.

khameini Courtesy: Dragonfire and Georgethewriter/WikimediaCommons
29 November 2012

Iran-Egypt: old foes, new competitors

Rivals Iran and Egypt have become the two most important powers in today’s West Asia. Yet, Iran is looking for neither a smooth victory nor a quick failure for Egypt’s rise. Tehran will remain the key regional player, while it’s too early to tell if Cairo is capable of overcoming Iran’s influence.

china party congress_0 Courtesy: Voice of America
28 November 2012

Deciphering China’s leadership transition

Rising income inequality, corruption and the ouster of former Politburo member Bo Xilai from the Chinese Communist Party were all significant aspects of China’s 18th Party Congress. However, the new leadership has committed to reforms and repeated that increased economic growth will be achieved.

Courtesy: Gigi Ibrahim/WikimediaCommons
27 November 2012

Israel-Hamas: Only an intermission

The series of Israeli offensives against Gaza, which began on November 4, ended when Egypt's new President Mohamed Morsi brokered a ceasefire between Hamas and the Israeli government on November 13. The possibility of this ceasefire holding up, however, seems remote.

West Asia, from afar
16 November 2012

West Asia, from afar

The World Movement for Democracy’s Seventh Assembly focused on inclusive governance in the Middle East-North Africa region. Gateway House’s Azadeh Pourzand, blogs about the different perspectives she gathered during the discussions at the Assembly, emphasizing the need to understand the realities of the region.

fawzia koofi Courtesy: Wikimediacommons
15 November 2012

Interview: A woman President for Afghanistan?

The withdrawal of NATO troops in 2014 and the Presidential elections in Afghanistan continue to spark interest the world over. Gateway House interviews Fawzia Koofi, a Presidential candidate in Afghanistan who provides an overview of the upcoming elections and the changing dynamics in the country.

obama second term_0 Courtesy: U.S. Navy
10 November 2012

The second term

U.S. President Barack Obama will certainly have the benefit of continuity in his second term, but he has a range of impending crises to address immediately - be it to avert the so-called fiscal cliff before the end of the year when automatic cuts kick in or plan for the military drawdown from Afghanistan.

Courtesy: World Economic Forum/Flickr
9 November 2012

The new Indian hero of 2012

The World Economic Forum on India projected a grim reality with corporates wearing the Non-Resident Indian cloak and reprimanding the government for its policies. After participating in a panel at the Forum, Manjeet Kripalani gives her account of the WEF and the need for new heroes to take charge in India.

Courtesy: The White House
7 November 2012

Obama 2: Diverse aspirations coalesce

The changing American demography worked in favour of the Democrats, but winning a re-election may be the easy part for U.S. President Barack Obama. He must now craft an agenda adequately bipartisan to pass legislation addressing the country economic issues.