obama Courtesy: Pete Souza/The White House
22 February 2013

The pacific pivot: A decade late and five years too soon

The announcement of the Pacific pivot by the U.S. in 2001 has led to several nations making bold political moves. However, the U.S. isn’t yet ready to be a regional protector against China. What does Washington have to do to prepare itself for the Pivot?

Testing times for Netanyahu
20 January 2013

Testing times for Netanyahu

The 19th Israeli parliamentary election will take place on January 22 and opinion polls indicate the possible re-election of incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Regardless of the outcome, there are several simmering issues the winner will have to address upon assumption of the office. Simon Clement blogs.

Courtesy: Flickr/RamyRaoof
25 June 2012

Egypt remains the key

The presidency of Mohamed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood's candidate, will have a defining influence both in Egypt and the region. Having won the battle through the ballot though, will Muslim Brotherhood also be willing to cede power through the ballot?

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.

monus wahhabi piece Courtesy: White House photo/WikimediaCommons
29 November 2011

NATO vs Shias: A geopolitical miscalculation

The Wahhabis, who now merit NATO backing, continue on their global mission of converting the Muslim Ummah to its relatively harsh and antediluvian ways of thinking and living. For NATO, this is a geopolitical miscalculation that will have tragic security consequences for the alliance within a decade.

reasserting Courtesy: PMO
26 September 2011

Reasserting India’s independence

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s speech at the UN General Assembly has put Indian perceptions on the record and clearly outlined India’s independent foreign policy. India came out unequivocally in support of the Palestinian struggle & reiterated its traditional stance of respecting countries’ sovereignty.

mahmoud abbas and obama Courtesy: www.whitehouse.gov/WikimediaCommons
26 September 2011

Obama loses high ground on Middle East

Repeated applause greeted Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' speech to the UN General Assembly, asking for support for the “establishment of Palestine.” But with the U.S. backing Israel, under almost all circumstances, will Abbas' proposal be able to bring about any change?

the latin road to arab democracy Courtesy: JonathanRashad/Flickr
17 June 2011

The Latin road to Arab democracy

As the Arab world remains engulfed in protests, there may be lessons to be learned from other recent democratic converts. Latin America’s growth story may provide the Arab world with some recommendations on how to address socio-economic issues in the post-revolution scenario.