Mr_Donald_Trump_New_Hampshire_Town_Hall_on_August_19th,_2015_at_Pinkerton_Academy,_Derry,_NH_by_Michael_Vadon_02 Courtesy: Wikipedia
31 March 2016

Dismantling the geopolitical Bretton Woods

Statements by Donald Trump, the business magnate turned serious contender for the Oval Office, assert that he wants “good” political and economic deals for the U.S. - even if it means dismantling alliances, i.e. the geopolitical equivalents of Bretton Woods that underwrote the U.S .domination in Europe, Asia and Middle East for more than six decades. A new era could dawn.

1oBqYR16 Courtesy:
6 February 2016

The race for the White House starts in Iowa

The outcome of the Iowa caucus has been stunning for both parties, where Donald Trump’s defeat as well as Hillary Clinton’s near defeat was not foreseen by anyone. All eyes have now turned to the New Hampshire primaries where Hillary Clinton beat Barack Obama in 2008, but went on to lose the Democratic nomination.

Conférence des Nations Unies sur les changements climatiques - COP21 (Paris, Le Bourget) Courtesy: COP Paris / Flickr
16 December 2015

Cop-out at COP21

COP21 is a reality check for those who like to believe that geopolitical power is shifting from West to East. The just-concluded Paris Climate Summit was essentially about the early-to-develop Western powers continuing to exercise almost complete control over global governance structures, largely through the dominance of markets.

India US energy war Courtesy: MEA India / Flickr
9 December 2015

COP21: unspoken India-U.S. war

An unspoken war has been waged between India and the U.S. at the COP21 Summit in Paris. If the West wants India to opt for more expensive energy options, then they must also reciprocate by sharing technology.

Baka-charging-station_cropped Courtesy: Sass Peress / Wikipedia
3 December 2015

Cheap finance for climate change

The Climate Conference in Paris offers the globe a chance to arrive at a firm action plan—and underpinning this chance are advances in solar and electric vehicles technology. If the Paris talks focus on making such technology and related finance available to countries like India, we can move closer to achieving climate goals

UN-Sicherheitsrat_-_UN_Security_Council_-_New_York_City_-_2014_01_06 Courtesy: Wikipedia
24 September 2015

The UN at 70: reform or retire?

On 14 September, a UN General Assembly resolution called for reform of the Security Council (SC). But when the world is in turmoil and alternative multilateral institutions are emerging, this may be a case of too little being done too late. It is imperative now for the SC to include India, Brazil, Germany, and Japan and adapt to a rapidly evolving world.

Trump and Hillary dominate the debate
10 August 2015

Trump and Hillary dominate the debate

In the first Republican debate of the the 2016 elections Donald Trump stood out as the biggest winner. However, the lack of any outstanding Republican candidate means Democrat Hillary is the real winner

2016 Republican candidates Courtesy: Gage Skidmore
28 April 2015

Republicans gear up to ‘Stop Hillary’

With the 2016 U.S. presidential primaries in less than a year, Republican candidates have begun to multiply. Former Senator Jeb Bush is leading the pack, followed by Governor Scott Walker and Senator Marco Rubio. It is early days yet, but in their focus on countering Democrat Hillary Clinton, discussions on issues like the growing rivalry with China and plurilateral trade agreements are, so far, missing

Hillary 2016 Courtesy: Hillary Clinton/Flickr
13 April 2015

Hillary’s candidacy and India

Hillary Clinton finally announced her second bid to be the democratic candidate for the November 2016 presidential election on April 12. Despite her landmark achievements, there are a number of controversial issues from her time as senator, the first lady and as Secretary of State, that will be raised in the coming months