Courtesy: OpIndia
Why Pakistan won’t deal with the IMF even in the face of hardship and a shrinking economy reveals something - that its military and civil elites refuse to curtail their rapacious behaviour, even at the cost of their country’s peril.
Courtesy: Swarajya
India, as chair of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, hosted the foreign ministers’ meet in Goa last week. What would have been an important and expanding regional grouping has been complicated by the Russia-Ukraine crisis, the increased influence of China and an obstructionist Pakistan. Still, India has played its role with an eye on the long term.
Courtesy: The Week
In 2022, increased sanctions were imposed on Russia by the U.S., E.U., and their allies. The track record of Western sanctions shows they are quick to be imposed, but slow to be removed. In the current environment, it is reasonable to assume that sanctions on Russia will stay in place for a very long time. India should plan its defence and commercial relations accordingly.
Courtesy: Hindustan News Hub
The earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria on 6 February devastated those regions. India established its credentials as an early responder, along with the global community. Humanitarian aid may not lead to a significant change in regional foreign policy, but people’s goodwill has been established in Turkey and a window opened in Syria for normalisation with its Arab partners.
Courtesy: Reuters
Japan’s recently released National Security Strategy document has pathbreaking commitments to strengthen Japan militarily. It reflects a dramatic change over the last decade, when the national threat for pacifist Japan was largely China. Now North Korea and Russia are included, and a Japan with superior defence capabilities will play a larger role in the Indo-Pacific.
Courtesy: 24 News HD
India’s economy is looking bright, but there is a shadow in its neighbourhood. Pakistan’s fast deteriorating political and economic condition can create fresh uncertainties for India on the national security and economic security front.
Courtesy: Shutterstock
Despite the current tense global atmosphere, India and its foreign policy have remained true to its core of peace and security for all and equity and justice for the developing world. Throughout history, dialogue and diplomacy has been supported as a solution to dispute. Now, as G20 President, New Delhi can sow these seeds of peace in an increasingly multipolar world.
Courtesy: Valdai Discussion Club
The reference to India by Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Valdai Discussion Club may be interpreted as encouragement to New Delhi to use its good offices to nudge the warring sides to the negotiating table. Mediation is a big power game, and this may be the right time for India, at the cusp of the G20 Presidency, to start with a record of success
Courtesy: Reuters
The recent SCO Summit held in Samarkand was significant not only because it was held in-person after three years but also because of its rapid expansion and the increasing attention to economic development. The SCO’s progress on connectivity, commerce and digitalization is relevant for India which takes over the presidency in 2023.
Courtesy: Embassy of Uzbekistan in Beijing
The upcoming SCO Summit led by Uzbekistan seeks to ignite a ‘Samarkand Spirit’ where nations are indivisible and not fragmented, and connected by trade and investment. This is a welcome positive note in the backdrop of the Ukraine-Russia conflict, where Central Asia is now being impacted by diminishing essential commodities, depreciation of local currencies, and reduced remittances from its migrant workers in Russia.