Courtesy: Ministry of Defence, India
Though India may seem to be mirroring or competing with China’s military build-up, it doesn't seem to be doing so in consonance with a long-term plan. New Delhi would be better served by avoiding an arms race; staying away from the U.S.-China rivalry and fostering stronger relations with its immediate neighbours.
Courtesy: U.S. State Department
The setting for the third Indo-U.S. Strategic Dialogue is promising: a global shift of economic weight to Asia, U.S. military exhaustion and indebtedness to China and other factors call for a greater convergence in Indo-U.S. interests than ever before. It is essential then, to take bold decisions at the dialogue.
Courtesy: U.S. Department of Defense
An important take-away from the preliminary pact reached by Kabul and Washington is that unlike the 1990s, the Americans are not just packing their bags and leaving. This is good news in terms of regional stability, and the upcoming NATO summit may answer some questions this draft agreement raises.
The scope for any process on nuclear talks with Iran to founder on distrust, misunderstanding and political in-fighting in both Tehran and Washington remains formidable. Equally disturbing are the wider political realities. Can the upcoming talks in Istanbul launch a process that can, over time, lead to agreement?
India and Japan have designed their collaborations over the years to be a win-win for both sides. Now, they are willing to collaborate on long-term initiatives, based on intrinsic factors of inter-dependent competencies – rather than on the defence of an extrinsic threat of a common enemy.
Courtesy: Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India
The U.S., post-9/11, has made large strides with their homeland security. In contrast, what has India done to counter terrorism? How have Indo-Pakistan relations unfolded?
Although the U.S. has not faced another terrorist attack since 9/11, much has changed in its democratic framework. Gripped by fear, 3,984 federal, state and local organizations work on domestic counter-terrorism, spending an estimated $1 trillion.
Courtesy:
A decade after 9/11, the U.S. has prevented further terrorist attacks - a major achievement. But with a $1.3 trillion budget deficit, a debt downgrade, and 24 million Americans searching for jobs, the U.S. needs to attend to matters at home rather than intervening in the world's affairs.
Courtesy: bkusler/Flickr
Osama Bin Laden’s death may not have an immediate effect on Al Qaeda’s ability to conduct operations nor may it deter the ‘democratic’ protests of the Arab Spring. Pakistan though, will now have to answer to global questioning and may reshuffle its stance with the Taliban and other terrorist groups.
Courtesy: SamanthaAppleton/WhiteHouse
Indo-US business dealings and the US Federal Reserve’s money-printing initiative may have saved Chinese President Hu Jintao the headache of explaining – to his American counterpart – China’s stealth fighter shocker, undervalued currency and giant trade surplus.