Courtesy: Flickr/ResoluteSupportMedia
The Russians have concluded that the Afghan Taliban offer a better shield against the Islamic State than the old Northern Alliance. A negotiated settlement in Afghanistan could be achieved if Washington and New Delhi join Moscow, Beijing, Islamabad and Tehran in a joint effort.
Courtesy: MEA/flickr
The year 2017 may change some equations in the East Asian region. Will the near parity that the U.S. and China currently share turn into a keener contest? Will strained relations between India and China persist? Donald Trump’s election as the next U.S. president casts the spotlight squarely on these inter-state relationships
Courtesy: The Economist
India may be less dependent on the Chinese market than some other countries in the region, but it too wants Chinese investment—and this ambivalence has been evident in India’s varying approach to the AIIB and OBOR. To balance this dilemma in an increasingly complex Asia, India must work with others, in particular with European countries
Courtesy: Gateway House
China is the largest investor in Sri Lanka today, with funding and investment of nearly $15 billion. Gateway House tracks the Chinese money trail to Sri Lanka-- where it lands, where it stays--and assesses its depth. This is the second in the Gateway House Series on Chinese investments in South Asia.
Courtesy: United States Trade Representative
Amid the debate of a U.S.-centric TPP template or a China-led RCEP model, it is important to consider if such trade agreements are building blocks or stumbling blocks to global free trade. With the passage of the TPP still uncertain in the U.S. Congress, and the RCEP unlikely to be acceptable to the U.S., the more likely global trade scenario will be fragmentation
Courtesy: U.S. Navy / Wikipedia
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has sought to sever ties with the United States, a declaration that has elicited much skepticism. The West Pacific is in for some realigning of relationships if he makes good on this threat.
Courtesy: MEA India / Flickr
Perhaps South Block did not gain as much as it had hoped to: there was a gulf in member states’ perceptions. One takeaway, therefore, for policy makers was that while noise has its uses, it is now time for some quiet diplomacy
Courtesy: Gateway House
This infographic seeks to trace the evolution of BRICS from O’Neill’s original vision to its current form, while illustrating how intra-BRICS trade has evolved over the past 15 years.
Courtesy: Dr. Jehangir Sorabjee
The recent inauguration of the New Development Bank in Shanghai has made that city a focal point of international financial transactions between the five BRICS countries. This occasions revisiting some of the ways in which Bombay has been historically linked to it
Courtesy: Google Earth
The recent BRICS summit and BIMSTEC outreach highlighted some laudable maritime endeavours linking geographically distant, emerging economies within the grouping. The BIMSTEC platform is also crucial to India's efforts to create a peaceful Bay of Bengal community through economic and cultural linkages.