Conflict resolution: be unpredictable
The Indian defence minister spoke – unexpectedly – of a doctrinal change in stance.
The Indian defence minister spoke – unexpectedly – of a doctrinal change in stance.
Prime Minister Modi’s reference to Balochistan in his Independence Day speech, which coincided with the Kashmir unrest, sparked speculations of this being smartly retaliatory. But the province’s geo-strategic complexities mean that New Delhi will have to play the ‘human rights’ card carefully.
Prime Minister Modi has just returned from his five-day tour (7-11 July) of eastern and southern Africa. The visits to Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania and Kenya, were productive and saw the signing of 19 different agreements, all which highlight the India-Africa connection. The long term benefits, however, are yet to be seen.
Since the end of the cold war, India has deepened its engagement with Israel while continuing to support the Palestinian cause. India’s position does not emerge out of a vacuum. The country has had many geopolitical and moral considerations to take into account before determining its stance.
Nepal and India are trying to even out recent crimps in their decades-old relationship by focusing on areas of cooperation – such as, energy, trade, investment and infrastructure – with the bilateral cooperation agenda also including a public diplomacy programme
Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), hosted a Conference on South-South Cooperation in New Delhi on 10-11 March, 2016. The conference, represented by about 350 delegates representing 62 countries, demonstrated both the maturity of South-South Cooperation and the creative challenges that lie ahead.
The recent cyber attack on Ukraine’s power grids is indicative of the cyber space becoming the most useful tool for perpetuating geopolitical rivalries. Many countries are rapidly expanding their offensive cyber capabilities, and it appears the militarisation of cyber space is complete.
In his last and final State of the Union address, President Obama reasserted the United States’ global supremacy as a military and political power. He claimed credit for the historic Iran deal while conceding that Congress had maneuvered efforts on many crucial fronts
India finds itself in the long queue of global economic powerhouses that wish to avail the new opening between Iran and the international community. But India’s proximity and mutual interests of the two countries indicates that the time is ripe for a fundamentally new beginning in Tehran-Delhi relations.
At a time when Islamic fundamentalism is threatening the world, Bangladesh as a moderate muslim democracy occupies a unique position in actively confronting this threat under Sheikh Hasina. Instead of the unjustified criticism levied against its war trials, the West must actively support its fight against terror.