This year, India's defence diplomacy has ramped up. In 2015 alone there have been 18 military exercises- naval, army and air force- with 13 countries, among the largest engagements the country has had. Most significant is Japan joining the Malabar exercises in the Bay of Bengal and the first-ever maritime exercise with Australia. This is increasing India's presence from the Arabian Sea to the Bay of Bengal. As these exercises intensify India will be better positioned to handle regional security challenges. Courtesy:
12 November 2015

India’s defence diplomacy

This year, India's defence diplomacy has ramped up. In 2015 alone there have been 18 military exercises- naval, army and air force- with 13 countries, among the largest engagements the country has had. Most significant is Japan joining the Malabar exercises in the Bay of Bengal and the first-ever maritime exercise with Australia. This is increasing India's presence from the Arabian Sea to the Bay of Bengal. As these exercises intensify India will be better positioned to handle regional security challenges.

U.S. Mission / Eric Bridiers Courtesy: Wikipedia
8 October 2015

UNSC and sanctions: a balanced role

The sanctions against Iran impacted the country’s oil, banking, aviation, and other sectors, and had a major humanitarian impact. But neither is armed attack a more suitable method in most instances to address allegedly recalcitrant states. What then is the middle ground? And can the UNSC assume a more proactive role in this context?

Middle Powers Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons
2 July 2015

Why middle powers matter to India

Narendra Modi, who spent nearly two months abroad in his first year as prime minister, helped India cultivate a wide range of bilateral and multilateral relationships. But of these, it will be the middle powers that hold the key, economically and geopolitically to India’s growth and security, and Modi must continue to widen his middle powers arc

modi in france Courtesy: MEA India
23 April 2015

How the French media covered Modi’s visit

The French media’s reportage of Modi’s recent visit to France was limited but significant, and inevitably a lot of it was about the Rafale deal. Various other issues were covered, including the nuclear reactor project in Jaitapur. Some newspapers recommended that France must heavily invest in India, while some expressed concerns, but on the whole the coverage has generated enthusiasm

Refugees in Sicily Courtesy: Vito Manzari/Wikimedia Commons
13 August 2014

Change EU’s refugee policy

A refugee policy that absolves more capable and resource rich nations of any responsibility towards transnational asylum seekers is archaic and has lived beyond its time. Keeping in mind the EU's receipt of the Nobel Peace Prize for advancing causes of peace, reconciliation, democracy and human rights, it is incumbent upon it to set new standards and reform its refugee policy

evening campfire_ukraine 4_210X140 Courtesy: Flickr
22 July 2014

The dangers of tightrope walking

Eastern Europe has seen tensions rise, increasing violence and a hardening of stands. Only the softening of the stark “either/or” choice currently being demanded by western powers as well as Russia will put an end to the precarious tightrope walking of east European governments and prevent their citizens from becoming victims of increased regional instability