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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.
The 2012 elections in Uttar Pradesh are proving to be a four-way fight, where votes may get split evenly between the four main parties. However, Mayawati, of the ruling-BSP party, has her people listening rapt with attention.
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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.
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.
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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.
Courtesy: VOA - Yuli Weeks/WikimediaCommons
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?
Courtesy: Steve & Jem Copley/WikimediaCommons
The upcoming Kuwaiti elections will take place in the backdrop of a new wave of political reform, triggered by the Arab Spring. If Kuwait's Emir, Sabah Al-Sabah, proactively implements the debated changes, he can ensure that Kuwait remains in the vanguard of the Arab world.
Courtesy: Yann/WikimediaCommons
Many artists, thinkers and politicians are increasingly threatened, not just in India but in every corner of the world, by those who disagree with them. So what is the implication of Gandhi’s legacy for those of us who oppose such an assertion of ‘might’ over the ‘right’ of free expression and open exchange?
Rather than flounder, “India and Indians really do want Pakistan to win” blogs Prashant Agarwal. Here are five pieces of brotherly advice for our neighbour.
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The current standoff between the Pakistani Government and the Supreme Court is yet another sign of Pakistan’s instable democracy. Will this lead to another transition to military rule? Or will the pillars of the media and the judiciary be able to bring about a balance?