From China to ASEAN: Rebalancing India’s trade
14 December 2012

From China to ASEAN: Rebalancing India’s trade

New Delhi has actively worked with Beijing to address its massive bilateral trade deficit. However, it has another option. India can seek greater economic integration with ASEAN and substitute its imports from China with that of ASEAN. The India-ASEAN Summit on December 20 would be a good place to start.

saarc-flags_5 Courtesy: doreview.blogspot.in
6 December 2012

The time for SAARC is now

Domestic politics are impacting overall SAARC relations. As the largest SAARC economy, we must strive to minimise differences with our neighbours by understanding how they perceive our policies, and uphold the promise of this regional bloc

male international airport Courtesy: wallygrom/Flickr
5 December 2012

The Maldives: Geopolitics trumps geoeconomics

The move by the Maldives to renege on Bangalore-based GMR’s $500 million investment is a classic case of geopolitics trumping geoeconomics. This is an appropriate time for India to boost its diplomatic efforts by including the Ministry of Commerce in initiatives taken by the Ministry of External Affairs.

larjani Courtesy: BotMultiChillT/WikimediaCommons
4 December 2012

The Larijani factor in Iranian politics

The Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Ali Larijani, will soon visit India. Given that he enjoys Iran's Supreme Leader's confidence, and is Mahmoud Ahmedinejad’s rival, he’s likely to be visiting India not just as a Speaker, but also as a key strategist of the Islamic Republic, and a messenger of Khamenei.

West Asia Courtesy: takver/WikimediaCommons
3 December 2012

Prioritizing West Asia

India is tied to West Asia by economic, religious and political threads. The ongoing social and political flux in the region can have adverse consequences for India and requires a serious rethink of its foreign policy priorities. How can India insert itself usefully into this geopolitical cauldron?

The Problem With the Pivot Courtesy: Foreign Affairs
30 November 2012

The Problem With the Pivot

The Obama administration plans to restrain Chinese belligerence by reinforcing U.S. military and diplomatic links to the Asia-Pacific. However, in order to avoid further Chinese resistance to its policies, the U.S. must look for possible avenues of cooperation with the country.

khameini Courtesy: Dragonfire and Georgethewriter/WikimediaCommons
29 November 2012

Iran-Egypt: old foes, new competitors

Rivals Iran and Egypt have become the two most important powers in today’s West Asia. Yet, Iran is looking for neither a smooth victory nor a quick failure for Egypt’s rise. Tehran will remain the key regional player, while it’s too early to tell if Cairo is capable of overcoming Iran’s influence.