Courtesy: Prime Minister's Office
The India-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement in services and trade will allow India to leverage its competitive offerings in IT, finance, among other fields. But the pact has proved elusive so far due to the open squabbling between ministries. The deal now looks set to come through only after the new government takes over
Courtesy: Arsen.Shnurkov/Wikimedia Commons
At the just-concluded African Union Summit in Ethiopia, speakers discussed the urgent need to focus on agriculture – which remains central to the African economies – by increasing investments and productivity. The summit was a time for reflection on the state of a sector that can transform the continent
Courtesy: Press Information Bureau
With intra-regional trade at a low 4.23%, South Asia is the ‘least integrated region in the world.’ At the recent fifth SAARC Conclave in New Delhi, officials spoke about the need for better integration. But this is only possible if problems such as political differences and inadequate connectivity are addressed
Courtesy: vm2827 / Flickr
By calling himself an anarchist, Arvind Kejriwal has started a debate among supporters who equate anarchy with a potential breakdown of law and order. But anarchist philosophers believe that the basis of society is self-governing individuals and not a dominating ruler – an idea similar to Mahatma Gandhi’s ‘swaraj’
Courtesy: Prasar Bharati
News channels like China’s CCTV, Russia Today and Al-Jazeera have become definitive voices for their nations and for international views. It is the right time for Doordarshan, a late entrant to electronic media-driven influence, to showcase India’s growing global ties and the success of its democracy to the world
Courtesy: Ministry of External Affairs, India
Japan’s reaching out to India, as demonstrated by the upcoming visit of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, reflects the urgency with which Japan sees the threat of a rising China. India too has experienced Chinese aggression and must work with other democracies towards creating a multi-polar Asia
Courtesy: Gobierno de Chile/Wikimedia Commons
Can India integrate more fully into the global economy and energise its trade by joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership? Or will negotiating an entry require significant concessions, not necessarily in India’s interests? These outcomes will depend on how TPP framework itself develops – inclusively or exclusively
Courtesy: Secretary of Defense/Flickr
U.S. President Barack Obama’s focus on domestic issues has sidelined his country’s foreign policy at a time when China is ascending as a superpower. With China’s economy set to surpass the U.S.'s by 2017, a recent report presents a ‘grand strategy’ for the U.S. to counter China’s economic and strategic expansion
Courtesy: The Prime Minister's Office/Flickr
The return of the Awami League to power has generated protests and violence in Bangladesh. India’s support to the January 5 election was aimed at keeping at bay anti-India forces in Bangladesh, but anti-India sentiment in the country is high and fresh elections may throw up a result that does not suit New Delhi
Courtesy: Press Information Bureau/Wikimedia Commons
What are the implications for India of the scaling down of U.S. forces from Afghanistan, the continuing tension with China at the border, and the political turmoil in Bangladesh? How should India address these and other upheavals in its neighbourhood, which are potential challenges to the country’s security?