biden MEA Courtesy: Ministry of External Affairs, India
23 July 2013

Biden’s political skills will be tested in India

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden’s visit to India this week comes at a time when the India-U.S. bilateral relationship has gone seemingly adrift. Can this visit, which comes just months ahead of the Indian general elections, rejuvenate the relationship which is rooted in long-term common strategic interests?

bhutan Courtesy: MEAphotogallery/ Flickr
19 July 2013

India-Bhutan: Winning friendship

The opposition People’s Democratic Party in Bhutan won the National Assembly elections held on July 13 taking another large step towards democracy. However, India became the unwitting subject of campaign discourse after the government abruptly halted fuel subsidies to the country

bolivia Courtesy: Alain Bachellier & WEF/Flickr
19 July 2013

Lessons from Jindal’s Bolivian failure

Jindal’s integrated mining and steel project in Bolivia was the largest contract secured by an Indian company in Latin America. The project, which ultimately became a victim of the country's domestic politics, has lessons for Indian companies venturing into Latin America

egypt Courtesy: oxfamnovib/Flickr
18 July 2013

Protests in democracies – patterns and problems

Elections are meant to be a suitable recourse in democracies if citizens feel that the government does not represent them. However, the recent protests in Brazil, Turkey and India show that people feel political classes are too far removed from their every day realities to address their grievances

Chidambaram and Ahluwalia Courtesy: Chandraguptamaurya/ Wikimedia Commons
15 July 2013

India-U.S.: Credibility lost

In the face of a sagging rupee and FDI flight from the country, three top ministers recently visited the U.S. to retell the growth story of India and its potential. However, American political and business leaders seem largely unimpressed by the pitch and want more from the India-U.S. equation

osama Courtesy: 2winTradez/Flickr
12 July 2013

What the Abbottabad report reveals

How did the Pakistani military fail to detect the raid in Abbottabad or the presence of Osama bin Laden? A report by a judicial commission in Pakistan, leaked by a TV channel on Monday, reveals the extent of the incompetence of civilian and military institutions, and the army’s complicity with the U.S.

sameerchina Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons
5 July 2013

Convergence and divergence in Beijing

Both Indian Defence Minister A.K. Antony and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif visit China this week. However, their objectives are different. Antony visits China to bring up security issues in the aftermath of the Depsang incursion, while Sharif makes his visit in hope of bettering his flailing economy