modi Courtesy: MEA/Flickr
21 May 2015

Modi: India’s salesman-in-chief

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s foreign travels combine domestic and foreign policy to achieve India’s twin goals of national security and investment inflow. The leader-as-salesman is not new, and India is just catching up with the global norm

Leaders_of_TPP_member_states- wikipedia Courtesy: Wikipedia
20 May 2015

TPP and RCEP: the hare and the tortoise?

The Trans-Pacific Partnership might soon be concluded if the U.S. Congress fast-tracks it, as recently announced, while the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement remains on slow-track. But the TPP, although ambitious, follows an outdated template, and it is the dynamic RCEP that can be a model for a new global rules-based framework

Sharif-Xi jinping Courtesy:
14 May 2015

OBOR and India’s security concerns

While China will seek India’s cooperation on its ambitious ‘One Belt, One Road’ project during Prime Minister Modi’s visit this week, Indian policy makers must soon articulate a definite stand on this transnational corridor by bridging the country’s security concerns and the benefits of such an engagement with China.

XiJinping--621x414 Courtesy: Xinhua
12 May 2015

Xi to Modi: “Here’s my shopping list”

With a massive, yet demanding middle class, the Chinese Communist Party needs a reliable source of cheap labor to continue to allow Chinese nationals to enjoy mass-produced daily products. step forward India, mass producer.

central asia Courtesy:
7 May 2015

Central Asia: back in India’s sight

India must quickly recognise the evolving changes, challenges, and opportunities in Central Asia to avoid being relegated to the periphery of Eurasian trade AND geopolitics. It is now up to Prime Minister Modi to manage a rebalancing in Central Asia through diplomacy and cooperation rather than competition

UK elections Courtesy: Getty images
6 May 2015

UK elections: the Scottish conundrum

In the exceptionally divisive general election on May 7 in the UK, no party is expected to win a majority. Smaller parties like the SNP are fragmenting votes and another coalition may emerge, or the Conservatives-Liberal Democrats or Labour may seek outside support. With the Scotland issue adding to the divisiveness, the post-poll scenario is precarious

Uber China Courtesy: Review Journal, Xinhua
30 April 2015

Can Uber in China counter local e-taxis?

Although Uber has a $41billion global valuation, over 99% of the taxi app market in China is controlled by local competitors offering personalised services, informal networks, and a familiarity with regulations that Uber cannot match. In such a scenario, can Uber live up to its valuation? And will local entities eventually also have an advantage in the crowd-sourced trucking and waterways sectors?

17111184050_a38f69f6cb_z Courtesy: MEA/Flickr
29 April 2015

Ghani and India: circles of separation

Afghan president Ashraf Ghani visited India from April 27-29. Ghani accords a very different priority to India than his predecessors – both the timing and the outcome of his visit reflected this. He is choosing to play to Pakistan, by keeping India out of Afghanistan's security sector