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Elections are meant to be a suitable recourse in democracies if citizens feel that the government does not represent them. However, the recent protests in Brazil, Turkey and India show that people feel political classes are too far removed from their every day realities to address their grievances
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The downfall of Egyptian president Mohammad Morsi was partly contributed by those thousands of protesters who disagreed with his view of “Us” and “Them”. Leaders such as Morsi have focused on persecuting those who refuse to share their vision; continuing down this path would have had a negative impact on history
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The Arab uprisings show no sign of closure, and have become amorphous. While New Delhi has so far been immunised from the political and religious dimensions of the uprisings, the rise of political Islam, Islamic governance, and continuing instability will impact India.
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India’s relations with Islamic nations, many of which are members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), have become even more prolific over the last decade. While India does not visualise becoming a member of a religious international body, many reasons militate against our formally joining the OIC.
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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?
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In war-torn Syria, the historic dream for Kurdish nationhood has arisen yet again. Although the Kurds are presented with a historic opportunity, autonomy is still a far-fetched quest for the Syrian Kurds, today. Regardless of the outcome, no government in the region can wish away the Kurdish struggle any longer.
With the Free Syrian Army being supplied aid by the West and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, the endgame for the Syrian regime has begun. Does Assad's exit guarantee the replacement of autocracy with democracy? What implications will it have on regional politics?
Courtesy: Gateway House
Gateway House prepared a Global Stability Map, using 20 differing indicators, to analyze the stability of 60 countries around the world. Using criteria that are important to the emerging economies of the world, the map provides an Indian perspective of the world today.
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Simultaneous efforts to resolve the problem in Syria remain stymied even as more and more high level meetings and consultations take place. The more countries treat the situation as a proxy for political differences, the more it creates the conditions for a wider conflagration with an unpredictable outcome.
Over the past year, there has been a drastic change in the political scenario in Syria, which is now engulfed with violent sectarian conflict. Gateway House speaks to former Indian Ambassador to Syria, Rajendra Abhyankar, about the changing political scenario and the implications of the ongoing conflict in Syria.
