strategic dialogue seema Courtesy: Embassy of India, Washinton D.C.
18 June 2012

India-U.S.: Another big bilateral shift

The third India-U.S. Strategic Dialogue saw more talk of ‘mutual capabilities’ than of a mere alliance. The larger endeavour in the bilateral is to find the right fit as partners, where both countries can preserve their strategic autonomy and benefit from their unique positions in the international community.

NATO afghan Courtesy: Open Democracy
18 June 2012

The return of the Pashtun problem and NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2014

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.

tightrope india us Courtesy: The White House
13 June 2012

Iran tests India’s policy

Apart from bilateral ties, also at play at the India-U.S. Strategic dialogue is the difficult triangulation in India’s relations with the U.S. and Iran. It does not serve India to get enmeshed in the U.S-Iran confrontation. Instead, the relationship must develop on the basis of realpolitik and mutual interest.

iran talks Courtesy: IAEA Imagebank/Flickr
8 June 2012

All to play for in Moscow

Ahead of nuclear talks between Iran and the P5+1 in Moscow, the West seems confident that sanctions will induce Iran to settle on its uranium enrichment. But rather than arriving at a negotiated settlement by applying the principle of reciprocity, the West may look to anaesthetize oil markets.

human rights Courtesy: Flickr/tao_zhyn
1 June 2012

Rethinking human rights

The failure of Western military interventions to bring peace raises questions about the effectiveness of human rights and calls for its redefinition. Instead of stigmatizing non-Western democracies that do not necessarily support intervention, the West should initiate an inclusive dialogue with these countries.

Courtesy: PIAZZA del POPOLO/Flickr
24 May 2012

EU austerity: room to wiggle

Momentous developments are taking place in Europe. In elections in Greece, France and Germany, Europeans expressed dissent against austerity policies adopted by their government to combat the economic crisis in Europe. How will these results affect the future of European policy-making?

seema nato summit obama Courtesy: Secretary of Defense/Flickr
23 May 2012

NATO-Pakistan: Frigid in Chicago

Pakistan’s refusal to re-open NATO supply routes into Afghanistan has made the country an instant pariah in the U.S. at the NATO Summit. The communiqué released confirms a withdrawal of 130,000 troops by as early as mid-2013. Can the remaining soldiers help maintain peace when a force much larger could not?

Myanmar Sanctions Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons/Htoo Tay Zar
1 May 2012

Sanctions on Myanmar: Have they worked?

The West is quick to claim that their sanctions against Myanmar have forced the government to implement political and economic reforms in the country. However, such bans do not usually achieve their stated purpose of forcing regimes to change their behavior.

U.S.-Afghanistan agreement: A welcome start Courtesy: U.S. Department of Defense
27 April 2012

U.S.-Afghanistan agreement: A welcome start

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.

bahrain piece neelam Courtesy: LGEPR
24 April 2012

The Bahrain formula

With turmoil in the Middle East, a drawdown in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Iran-Israel-U.S. conflict, the international community has paid little attention to the democracy of a small group of people - the Bahrainis. More worrisome, however, is that politics now responds to the elite.