obama second term_0 Courtesy: U.S. Navy
10 November 2012

The second term

U.S. President Barack Obama will certainly have the benefit of continuity in his second term, but he has a range of impending crises to address immediately - be it to avert the so-called fiscal cliff before the end of the year when automatic cuts kick in or plan for the military drawdown from Afghanistan.

Courtesy: World Economic Forum/Flickr
9 November 2012

The new Indian hero of 2012

The World Economic Forum on India projected a grim reality with corporates wearing the Non-Resident Indian cloak and reprimanding the government for its policies. After participating in a panel at the Forum, Manjeet Kripalani gives her account of the WEF and the need for new heroes to take charge in India.

obama redux Courtesy: Pete Souza/The White House
9 November 2012

Obama Redux: The view from India

Despite U.S. President Barack Obama’s re-election, a number of issues like the U.S.’s national debt, unemployment and the military withdrawal from Afghanistan need to be addressed. With these multiple national and global imperatives crowding his agenda, will Obama have any time for India?

Courtesy: WikimediaCommons
2 November 2012

China: New leaders, old policy

The new President and Premier of China will be formally elected at the 18th Party Congress of the Communist Party of China on November 8. Given the ongoing socio-economic issues and an increasingly independent army, will the new leadership bring about a change in China’s foreign policy?

salman khurshid Courtesy: ramesh_lalwani/Flickr
30 October 2012

Salman Khurshid: Internal tasks for external impact

India’s Foreign Minister, Salman Khurshid, faces various internal challenges in his new External Affairs portfolio – an understaffed diplomatic corps and increasingly assertive regional politicians. Will Khurshid have enough time to make significant foreign policy changes, given the upcoming elections in 2014?

Broken BRICs Courtesy: Foreign Affairs
30 October 2012

Broken BRICs

There’s been much talk about the “the rise of the rest,” with Brazil, Russia, India, and China leading the charge. However, few countries can sustain unusually fast growth for a decade, and even fewer, for more than that. As the boom years begin to end, the international order won’t change as much as expected.

afghanistan route 606 Courtesy: Isafmedia/Flickr
25 October 2012

Afghanistan: Strategic depth to strategic peace

As the NATO troops prepare to pull out of Afghanistan in 2014, India is already positioned to take on a larger, pro-active role, which can radically alter the balance of power in South Asia. However, what will determine the future of security in the region, is how India and Afghanistan deal with Pakistan.