democracy in motion latam leaders Courtesy: PMO
9 August 2012

From profligacy to pragmatism

India seems to be treading down the path of fruitless populism that crippled many countries in the past, most notably in Latin America. But like Latin America, India too can embark on a course-correction by implementing pragmatic economic policies alongside progressive but results-driven social spending.

Indian-Americans turn Democrat Courtesy: United States Government Work
1 August 2012

Indian-Americans turn Democrat

The Indian-American voters in the U.S. seem to be prioritising their local concerns over the larger U.S.-India bilateral relationship. The Democrats, by facilitating the group’s greater inclusion in U.S. society, politics and businesses, have thus made this huge community lean largely in their favour.

Courtesy: Malwack/WikimediaCommons
14 July 2012

Romney vs. Obama: A problem of class

At the heart of the U.S. Presidential elections campaign is a debate about class. This time, the scenario is different: recession, slow economic recovery, the Occupy movement and many financial scandals have expanded the domain for the forbidden topic.

celac2 Courtesy: Martinmartin/WikimediaCommons
29 June 2012

Regional integration in Latin America and the Caribbean

Latin America is witnessing an exponential rise in regional integration of business houses. The resource-rich nature of most Latin American economies has led to an inward concentration of investment, which makes it an extremely interesting prospect for Indian investors.

fernando lugo pic Courtesy: Juan Alberto Pérez/Flickr
25 June 2012

Paraguay: Back to Latin America’s bad old days?

While the ouster of Paraguay’s president is a setback to the young democracy of the country, it shouldn’t be viewed as a repeat of Latin America’s history of coup d’états. The painful process of democratic maturity will continue, albeit slowly.

tightrope india us Courtesy: The White House
13 June 2012

Iran tests India’s policy

Apart from bilateral ties, also at play at the India-U.S. Strategic dialogue is the difficult triangulation in India’s relations with the U.S. and Iran. It does not serve India to get enmeshed in the U.S-Iran confrontation. Instead, the relationship must develop on the basis of realpolitik and mutual interest.

rio 20 Courtesy: rio20.net
6 June 2012

Return to Rio: Debating sustainable development

In one of the biggest gatherings of its kind, world leaders will attend the Rio+20 summit to discuss sustainable development. The summit will take the environmental debate a step forward by helping create viable partnerships between countries to address issues of energy, water and other essential resources.

5825395379_5d725a53f4_z Courtesy: Flickr/freeedomania
21 April 2012

UN: a return to ‘mandated colonialism’

By forcing regime change in Libya, and attempting the same in Syria, and by promiscuously arming disparate groups of Wahabbis and Salafists to achieve this aim, NATO is creating more room for instability in the region. What Syria needs is engagement, not isolation; it needs dialogue and not the arming of rebels.

IMG_4820 Courtesy: Gateway House
20 April 2012

Deciphering today’s Middle East

What are the implications for India if Iran is attacked? How effective has the response been by gulf nations to their own protests? Ambassador Talmiz Ahmad, India’s former Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, discusses the dynamics of West Asia with Gateway House’s Alisha Pinto and Azadeh Pourzand.