New Triangle2 Courtesy: Gateway House
10 November 2016

A new Asian triangle?

Aung San Suu Kyi paid high-profile visits to both Japan and India recently; economic cooperation would have been high on her agenda. But what could also emerge from such overtures is a diplomatic threesome

Modi in Vietnam Courtesy: Ministry of External Affairs/Flickr
12 September 2016

India-Vietnam: setting a new benchmark

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent trip to Vietnam had both heads of state announcing an upgrade of their ‘Strategic Partnership’ into a ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’. This added term captures the importance both sides have vested in the need to deepen the relationship and the prospect for future cooperation.

INS_Vikramaditya_in_Baltic_Sea Courtesy: Wikipedia
6 September 2016

India’s ocean strategy crystallises

India's policy towards the Indian Ocean has begun to take a clear, coherent form with the signing of the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement with the United States, an important bilateral visit to Vietnam by Prime Minister Modi, and an ambitious future being laid out by Foreign Secretary Jaishankar

Modi Kyaw2 Courtesy: Ministry of External Affairs / Flickr
1 September 2016

Stepping up the Myanmar bilateral

The visit of the Myanmar president was a landmark visit, the first in five decades. It raises the fundamental question as to whether the visit will bring forth major strategic and economic gains in the India-Myanmar relationship.

Court_EPA_potd-china_3274301b-large_trans++pJliwavx4coWFCaEkEsb3kvxIt-lGGWCWqwLa_RXJU8 Courtesy: EPA
1 September 2016

The Case of the South China Sea

The implementation of the award by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague, on the interpretation of the UNCLOS in a case that pitted the Philippines against China in a dispute over the South China Sea is going to be a test for the primacy of international law. This speech was originally made at Christ University, Bengaluru on 27 September, as part of a 'National Seminar on the Formulation of Treaties'.

135618503_14717392190131n Courtesy: Xinhua News Agency
21 August 2016

Suu Kyi in China: Asian balancing act

Aung San Suu Kyi’s recent visit to China heralds the return of Myanmar into the geo-strategic fold. The visit has demonstrated the Chinese willingness to woo its neighbour, and is an indicator that India needs to step up its relations with Myanmar.

ASEAN Mroe Courtesy: Flickr / MEA India
13 August 2016

Acting East, with intensity

India’s East Asia policy has been a bedrock of the country’s foreign policy, and the Modi government has deepened ties with ASEAN and extra-ASEAN powers in a significant way. As India turns 70, it is worth assessing the few key bilaterals that will now become more important for regional security and prosperity.

GST pic1 Courtesy: Reuters
11 August 2016

Key GST lessons from the world

The long march to implement the long-awaited Good and Services Tax in India has just begun. It is instructive to understand how other countries introduced this tax and cherry-pick lessons from their experiences