Courtesy: Officer/WikimediaCommons
U.S. Senator John Kerry will officially take office as the Secretary of State, later this month, replacing Hillary Clinton. Given his background of foreign policy, and his proven competency in related matters, what can India and South Asia look forward to, during his term in his new office?
Courtesy: Shwkyn231/Flickr
The year 2012 has been a busy one for foreign policy: from escalating disputes in the South China Sea to alternate financial instruments from the emerging world. India’s foreign policy too has its shown strengths and weaknesses. We present our top foreign policy Hotspots, Sweet spots and Blind spots for 2012.
Courtesy: takver/WikimediaCommons
India is tied to West Asia by economic, religious and political threads. The ongoing social and political flux in the region can have adverse consequences for India and requires a serious rethink of its foreign policy priorities. How can India insert itself usefully into this geopolitical cauldron?
The series of Israeli offensives against Gaza, which began on November 4, ended when Egypt's new President Mohamed Morsi brokered a ceasefire between Hamas and the Israeli government on November 13. The possibility of this ceasefire holding up, however, seems remote.
Courtesy: U.S. Navy
U.S. President Barack Obama will certainly have the benefit of continuity in his second term, but he has a range of impending crises to address immediately - be it to avert the so-called fiscal cliff before the end of the year when automatic cuts kick in or plan for the military drawdown from Afghanistan.
Courtesy: Pete Souza/The White House
Despite U.S. President Barack Obama’s re-election, a number of issues like the U.S.’s national debt, unemployment and the military withdrawal from Afghanistan need to be addressed. With these multiple national and global imperatives crowding his agenda, will Obama have any time for India?
Courtesy: Isafmedia/Flickr
As the NATO troops prepare to pull out of Afghanistan in 2014, India is already positioned to take on a larger, pro-active role, which can radically alter the balance of power in South Asia. However, what will determine the future of security in the region, is how India and Afghanistan deal with Pakistan.
Courtesy: VOA/WikimediaCommons
Domestic issues like jobs and the housing market were front-and-centre during the third round of the U.S. presidential debates. Though the positions taken bears limited resemblance to what will happen in the real, post-election world, the outcome of the elections is bound to affect the world in big and small ways.
Courtesy: WikimediaCommons
The ability of the slowly recovering U.S. economy to get people employed is more important to American voters than anything else. However, surprisingly, terrorism and the direction of American foreign policy have become a much larger factor in the U.S. Presidential debates.
Courtesy: VOA/WikimediaCommons
In a recent speech, U.S. Presidential candidate Mitt Romney criticised incumbent President Barack Obama's foreign policies, and called for U.S. supremacy. However, it seems apparent that Romney wouldn’t usher in a foreign policy revolution if elected.