obamaxi Courtesy: Systemman, Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo/Wikimedia Commons
21 October 2013

U.S. government shutdown, China’s gain

The U.S. government shutdown and President Obama’s absence gave China immense diplomatic and political space at the APEC and East Asia Summit meetings. China’s declaration of a “de-Americanised” world may be premature but the crumbling old order is doing little to dispel this notion

UNSC Syria UNSC Courtesy: United Nations
4 October 2013

Decoding the UNSC Resolution on Syria

The recent UNSC Resolution, which mandates the complete destruction of Syria’s chemical weapons, demonstrates that after more than a year, a degree of international agreement on the Syrian issue has been possible. In the evolving situation, Russia will now emerge as a major player

Indira Lyndon Jerchel wikimediacommons Courtesy: Jerchel/WikimediaCommons
24 September 2013

The case for India-Alignment

India often finds itself in the right place at the wrong time or vice versa, as our dogma of non-alignment trumps honest calculations of self-interest in policy-making – rendering it unfavourable. The national interest, hence, calls for selective alignment on some issues with Washington and on others with Beijing

assadobama Courtesy: Freedom House/Flickr
6 September 2013

Syria: An unwarranted intervention

Despite rising international opposition, U.S. President Barack Obama is ready to penalise the Syrian regime for an alleged chemical attack in Ghouta, Syria, last month. The justifications given by the U.S. for an armed attack are questionable, and such retaliatory action will destabilise the entire region

Asitimes - Flickr Courtesy: Asitimes/ Flickr
31 July 2013

A new blueprint for China

Indian and Chinese companies routinely bid against each other in their quest to secure oilfields and other resource pools resulting in rising prices. However, a preferable recourse would be for the nations, along with ASEAN, to collaborate as there is enough for all

BRICS Summit Courtesy: Blog do Planalto
12 July 2013

A clarion call to study BRICS

The launch of the BRICS Universities League in Shanghai is an important effort for the five nations to understand each other and define their place in global governance

Badi Soch: Is the U.S.-EU free trade plan a threat to India and China?
19 June 2013

Badi Soch: Is the U.S.-EU free trade plan a threat to India and China?

This daily column includes Gateway House’s Badi Soch – big thought – of the day’s foreign policy events. Today’s focus is on the negotiations for a free trade agreement between the E.U. and the U.S.