Courtesy: CNBC TV18
India's foreign policy under the second Modi government will take account of a turbulent world in which the old verities are disappearing and domestic political compulsions exert overwhelming influence on external postures
Courtesy: Gateway House
The re-election of the Bharatiya Janata Party to Parliament means that India’s infrastructure buildout will continue apace. This will be a heavy load on the environment. It will also have to abide by Prime Minister Modi’s commitment to the successful implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. This offers an opportunity for the government to think innovatively about measures for sustainable development, particularly in pricing nature
Courtesy: Gateway House
The Bilateral Investment Treaty has been losing favour as a dispute resolution mechanism since the recession of 2008. India has terminated several BITs after receiving an unfavourable award in a 2012 case. These terminations have created uncertainty regarding existing foreign investments and are not the answer to disputes. A balance is needed, especially for emerging markets, which must protect against claims whilst ensuring confidence in business. The analysis below provides some options
Courtesy: India Today
The Bharatiya Janata Party, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has been returned to power for another five years, till 2024. In the run-up to the national elections, the author travelled to Bengal and Uttar Pradesh, two of India’s most important states, to gauge the mood of the electorate, and to assess the economic and political conditions on the ground since the last election in 2014. She found a new generation with big dreams, and a population whose basic needs were being met. Economic citizenry has trumped identity politics. Modi is the leitmotif for this India, and they look to him to lead them into a middle class future.
Courtesy: News Click
The Indian elections 2019, being conducted over seven phases, reaffirm all the values electoral democracy stands for, but this time, it has also become a referendum on Prime Minister Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party which had won a clear majority in 2014. Outcomes are therefore unpredictable
Courtesy: Dying Regime / Flickr
Maldives’ new president, Ibrahim Solih, has had two election wins in a span of six months – his own in September 2018 and his Maldivian Democratic Party’s landslide victory in the Majlis elections about three weeks ago. An analysis of what this win says about democratic politics in Maldives, improved relations with India and the complex equation it shares with China
Courtesy: AFP Photo/AREF KARIMI
The people of Afghanistan, torn by war, ethnic strife and geoeconomic contestation for their country’s rich natural resources, have paid by forsaking the assurances of daily life. But President Ashraf Ghani has shown them that normalcy can return and it is possible to hold regular elections. The author, a guest of the President and First Lady, travelled through the country in October 2018 to record her impressions of a resilient people who have reason to hope for a different future
Courtesy: Wikipedia
With Misson Shakti, India is now part of a rarefied club of global space powers which have demonstrated capability for missile-based anti-satellite weapons
Courtesy: Fatemeh Bahrami / Anadolu Agency
The Islamic Republic of Iran, which turns 40 in April 2019, has come a long way from the Persia of the past. Some changes in the last four decades have been beneficial, and while people do support the regime, they are disaffected with its handling of the economy and foreign affairs
Courtesy: GMA Network
Rodrigo Duterte, President of the Philippines, is a popular, yet controversial figure in a complex country, battling a mix of challenges. In external relations, he has followed a careful balancing policy, giving primacy to China, U.S. and the ASEAN