Jacob Zuma copy Courtesy: World Economic Forum/Flickr
15 March 2012

Why is South Africa a BRIC?

Alisha Pinto interviewed Renu Modi, an expert on Indo-Africa relations, on South Africa and its role in the BRICS. She also discusses its ties with China, its climate change position, and foreign investments from BRIC countries.

Courtesy: PMO
13 March 2012

India-Brazil: pioneers of a new development agenda

India and Brazil have declared inclusive development an imperative and have engineered creative solutions to meet their developmental challenges. But both also face many obstacles to equitable development. Can the upcoming BRICS Summit in New Delhi help drive a new development agenda?

mayawati Courtesy:
2 March 2012

The Makeover of Mayawati

Uttar Pradesh (UP) is going to the polls this month and the results will have implications even beyond India. However, Mayawati, the Chief Minister of UP, will encounter big challenges for re-election as the state faces major problems such as poverty and an inefficient education structure.

5564587370_fb077e785f Courtesy: freeedomania/Flickr
29 February 2012

Where is Syria headed?

As the al-Assad regime faces increasing international pressure to step down from power, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad attempted to make political reforms recently. However, Syria has strong relations within West Asia and the denouement will profoundly impact developments in this region.

2355314992_76470bb8ce Courtesy: Amir Farshad Ebrahimi/Flickr
17 February 2012

What Iran’s election means for India

On March 2, 2012, the Islamic Republic of Iran will hold its ninth parliamentary election. The outcome and state decisions that follow will have significant effects on India, which has strong political relations with Iran and relies on it for a considerable portion of its energy imports.

Courtesy:
17 February 2012

UP: Changing aspirations, at last

Its election time in Uttar Pradesh (UP) – India’s largest state, with a population of more than 200 million. Who will represent this vast land that contributes to 8% of the country’s GDP? Manjeet Kripalani travels through UP, writing about the state's fast-changing political landscape and its hopeful people.

Maldives: Nasheed outpaced his people Courtesy: notsogoodphotography/Flickr
16 February 2012

Maldives: Nasheed outpaced his people

Despite recent regime changes and agitation in the Middle East, the international community's attention has been diverted from the Indian Ocean - via Maldives. After President Nasheed's forced resignation, the country is now in political turmoil.

russia protests one Courtesy: VOA - Yuli Weeks/WikimediaCommons
7 February 2012

Russia’s growing nationalism

The India-Russia summit in 2011 was sandwiched chronologically between two events that received much greater exposure: the Gita scandal and the Russian protests. Is this a warning sign that Russia’s state-anointed xenophobia and nationalism could act as a dampener for the formerly solid Indo-Russian relationship?