Fidel Castro with Nixon Courtesy: Getty Images
19 December 2014

Cuba: end of isolation

The U.S. has finally ended its outdated policy of isolating Cuba. It is a triumph for the proud and courageous Cubans who have withstood so many overt and covert destabilisation attempts by the U.S. It is also a victory for Latin America which has opposed the U.S. embargo and advocated normalization of relations with Cuba

Carter_final Courtesy: defence.gov
11 December 2014

Ashton Carter knows India well

Chuck Hagel’s unremarkable stint as the U.S. Defence Secretary should soon be forgotten if Ashton Carter’s nomination is confirmed. Even though Carter’s nomination bodes well for the India-U.S. bilateral due to his work on furthering the defence partnership he will be faced with more immediate concerns and the onus will then be on India to strategically enhance the relationship

beijing_shows_kunqu_opera_1 Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons
5 December 2014

A year of India-China friendship

2014 was celebrated as the year of India-China friendship with many joint high level diplomatic, defence and cultural events to strengthen relations. The cities of New Delhi and Mumbai will see the debut of the Chinese Kunqu Opera to mark the close of the year

mia-main Courtesy: wikimediacommons
31 October 2014

State-to-state diplomacy

After a brief a spell of bonhomie marked by Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif attending Narendra Modi’s swearing-in ceremony, the hostilities between the two countries have resumed. Amidst the backdrop of increased tensions on the LoC, Gateway House recommends some small, realistic steps forward through state-to-state diplomacy, to mend the bilateral

Yal Railway Line Courtesy: flickr.com/presidentrajapaksa
17 October 2014

India’s imperatives in Sri Lanka

India has tried to address the concerns of Sri Lankan Tamils through projects such as the recently-inaugurated railway between Jaffna and Colombo. But their aspirations for autonomy in the North and East remain unfulfilled, and New Delhi faces a dilemma—pushing Colombo on political issues can drive it closer to Beijing

Chinese-President-Xi-Jinping-with-chinese-soldiers-300x216 Courtesy: newshence.com
8 October 2014

Chumar incursion: a message to Xi?

The reason behind a People’s Liberation Army (PLA) contingent intruding into eastern Ladakh around the time of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to India, still needs to be decoded. It is not unlikely that domestic rivals, including possible ‘rogue’ elements within the PLA, could have decided to embarrass Xi — angry with his historic crackdown on corruption among Chinese officials