Courtesy: Flickr
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
Courtesy: RT.com
Talks are on in Vienna between Iran and the P5+1 to reach a settlement on Iran’s nuclear programme. The self-imposed deadline expires on July 20. However, with the U.S. insisting that Iran cut back on operational centrifuges any possibility of a comprehensive solution in the near future seems remote
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Whether backdoor geopolitics rather than careful negotiations brought about the interim agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme, the next six months will determine its fate. Reactions have ranged from a furious and mistrustful Israel to collective relief by many countries, and a worried India welcoming the agreement
Courtesy: WikimediaCommons
Can the world aspire to a future where the use of force is not seen as leadership? Can the U.S. and former colonial powers like France and UK, think differently and reject the use of force as first resort? Can China and India craft alternatives?
Courtesy: Center for American Progress Action Fund/Flickr
The U.S. Secretary of State’s visit to India comes at a time when India is witnessing significant realignments in its domestic politics while the U.S. is busy tackling its cyber-spying allegations. Amidst these preoccupations, will the upcoming India-U.S. talks churn out substantive outcomes?
Courtesy: Furmeyer/WikimediaCommons
Maritime piracy is one of the several grave security issues faced by today’s world. This problem, however, isn’t a new phenomenon, and nations have long-battled this issue. How did piracy manifest itself in the Indian Ocean in the 19th century, and what was the nature of counter-piracy efforts during that period?
Courtesy: Columbia/WikimediaCommons
In the 1700s, one man antagonized the European powers, and insisted on the Maratha Empire’s rights to taxation and sovereignty over Maharashtra’s coast. He was Kanhoji Angre, the head of the Maratha navy. How did he, 283 years ago, set an important precedent for the Subcontinent’s local powers?
Courtesy: Open Democracy
The NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2014 should be done tactically so that it doesn't destabilize Pakistan. Despite having accepted Pakistani help in the past, the Taliban might empathize with Pakistani Pashtuns and spread the very secessionist tendencies which Pakistan’s Afghan policy was designed to prevent.
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?
Courtesy: openDemocracy/Flickr
The circumstances involved in the execution of Osama bin Laden make clear the connections between the Pakistan military and the Taliban-Al Qaeda. Will it finally slow the U.S. descent down the Wahabi-friendly trail?