shutterstock_1221395809 Courtesy: Shutterstock
19 December 2019

The mystery of Aramco’s stock price

The rise in Saudi Aramco’s stock price within two days of its IPO in November 2019, has taken the company’s market value past the $2-trillion mark. This valuation should not be taken at face value for the offering is miniscule, and closely linked to the ruler's prestige rather than stock market fundamentals

PHOTO-2019-12-09-12-46-56 Courtesy: Gateway House
12 December 2019

China’s Three Concerns

Gateway House was part of a delegation of scholars that recently visited China and interacted with Chinese scholars and universities across Beijing, Chengdu and Kunming. It provided a better understanding of China’s perspectives and concerns on key geopolitical and geoeconomic issues

PHOTO-2019-12-11-14-25-49 Courtesy: Gateway House
12 December 2019

Kartarpur: a reunion of bliss

Kartarpur is an exemplary achievement of bilateral discussion over two decades. For the faithful, it is an emotional reconnection with the life of Guru Nanak, now made into a grand memorial. For others, on both sides of the border, it is a neutral place where they can renew contact with long-lost relatives. The author, who visited Kartarpur a month after its inauguration, was witness to the joy and aura of collective worship

From Right to Left: Tony Blair, Condoleeza Rice, Robert Gates, John Howard.
Sitting: Henry Kissinger Courtesy: @narendramodi/twitter
31 October 2019

Rice, Kissinger and history revisited

Dr Condoleezza Rice and Dr Henry Kissinger, speakers at the annual meeting of the U.S-India Strategic Partnership Forum, in Delhi in October 2019, kept the audience riveted. The topics covered included China as competitor, the earlier disharmony in India-U.S. relations, and tips from a veteran on the art of negotiation

IMG_51561_small Courtesy: Princess Nora bint Abdul Rahman University
3 October 2019

Post-Abqaiq Saudi Arabia

The immediate panic in the aftermath of the missile attack on Saudi Aramco’s facility at Abqaiq underlines the still-critical role of the Kingdom to the world economy. The subsequent recovery of oil production – with no disruption – showed that Saudi Arabia is a reliable partner/guarantor of energy supplies. Our Energy and Environment fellow Amit Bhandari was in Riyadh recently for a conference, and describes a post-Abqaiq Saudi Arabia

shutterstock_612980177 Courtesy: Shuttlestock
19 September 2019

Failing to reform the UN

An expert workshop on reinvigorating the UN, offered an opportunity for scholars, think tanks and members of civil society to revisit the many contradictions that plague it 75 years after it was formed. An assessment of some of the issues that persist