Understanding the rationale behind India’s diplomatic decisions is essential for policymakers and citizens alike, so as to take better decisions in the future. Gateway House interviews former Ambassador to Italy, K. P. Fabian, to discuss how India's assessment of policy values the spoken word over context.
As Myanmar’s economy opens up, neighbouring India is provided with an opportunity to enhance bilateral ties. Gateway House’s Hari Seshasayee interviews South Asia expert Sudeep Chakravarti to discuss the changes sweeping Myanmar and its significance for the region.
Courtesy: Ministry of External Affairs, India
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's recent visit to China, India, and Bangladesh is keeping with the U.S. pivot to Asia. The choice of countries has strategic significance for the U.S., where India is flagged as balancing the rise of China, and Bangladesh as a strategic base in the Bay of Bengal.
Courtesy: US Mission Geneva/Flickr
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to Tripura marks a turning point in India-Bangladesh relations. The two countries share an extraordinary history, but the key to India's engagement with Bangladesh is through Tripura.
Courtesy: PMO
Creating a neighbourhood of compatible interests in South Asia isn’t easy, especially when intra-regional trade accounts for only 5% of total trade in the region. However, the region has seen considerable progress in the past year. India is well poised to lead the change, starting with the upcoming SAARC summit.
Shortly after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Dhaka, Gateway House interviewed the Bangladeshi High Commissioner to India, Tariq Ahmad Karim, who commented on the prospects of enhanced relations between the two nations, and the opportunities that lie ahead.
Courtesy: PMO
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Dhaka was, by and large, a success; but poor internal coordination hampered the greater possibilities of the visit. India and Bangladesh can now explore new prospects, on maritime issues, oil and gas and environmental concerns in the Sundarbans.
Courtesy: Rex/WikimediaCommons
While the fractious Indo-Bangladesh relationship has made progress over the past few months, both sides must engage in environmental diplomacy in the vulnerable Sundarbans region to ensure bilateral prosperity.
Courtesy: PMO
The constant engagement between India and Bangladesh in the recent past has garnered a more suitable political atmosphere for enhanced bilateral relations. Looking beyond political blunders and focusing on socio-economic cooperation is at the advantage of both nations.
In the last few months, South Asia has gone from being just a global security headache, to a region with new possibilities. Teresita C. Schaffer, former US ambassador to Sri Lanka, and Howard Schaffer, former US ambassador to Pakistan and Bangladesh, discuss the major challenges that confront the US in South Asia.
