Courtesy: Bloomberg
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s visit to India from February 27 to March 2, though sandwiched between the AI Impact Summit and the outbreak of the U.S.-Israel war against Iran, produced concrete outcomes with long-term impact. The visit announced a multidimensional roadmap aligning India’s ‘Viksit Bharat’ vision with Canada’s ‘Build Canada Strong’, to ensure the bilateral relationship does not drift apart again.
Courtesy: Reuters
A new troika is on the rise: India, France and Brazil, led by Modi, Macron and Lula. They were present at the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi on February 20, representing the three largest democracies in Latin America, Asia, and Europe. Can their mutual understanding and global influence bring prosperity and resilience to their economies and strengthen their cooperation in addressing global challenges?
Courtesy: Gateway House
U.S. health secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. called the World Economic Forum a “billionaires’ boys club” imposing totalitarian controls. Indeed, since 1971, the elite platform shaped geopolitics. But its Western-centricism kept out the concerns of the rest. This gave rise to alternative forums, which look beyond financial agendas to the perspectives shaping the Global South. Here are 45 of biggest, half of which began just two decades ago.
Courtesy: Gateway House
As India seeks leadership in a multipolar world, cultural credibility is as vital as economic clout. Cinema gives India an edge with vivid storytelling, music, and empowering narratives, fostering understanding in a polarised world. Its popularity correlates with trade, as seen in the U.S., Russia, and Middle East. The more popular the cinema, the bigger the boost to trade.
Courtesy: Gateway House
Under U.S. President Donald Trump’s reciprocal trade policy, the original five BRICS member countries account for the highest U.S. tariffs globally. India and Brazil are facing the highest tariffs of 50%, while China follows with a tariff of 34%, down from 145% earlier in the year. This infographic details the U.S. reciprocal tariff rates for each BRICS+ member and the sectors that are impacted.
Courtesy: Getty Images
India is strategically expanding its influence across the Indo-Pacific region, positioning itself as a key player in regional affairs. Three elements anchor the effort: development aid, trade and the diaspora. The country now has 20 Free Trade Agreement partners in the Indo-Pacific. The 21.8 million-strong Indian diaspora across the region is a significant source of soft power for India.
Courtesy: Gateway House
Over two centuries, the U.S. has amassed vast economic powers across the globe during and after the two World Wars , and sanctions slowly became an effective tool it used to achieve its foreign policy goals, becoming the global emperor of sanctions.
Courtesy: Atlantic Council
Xi Jinping’s visit to South America to attend the APEC and G20 meetings had multiple goals. To inaugurate a new gateway for China in Peru’s Chancay port, sign three dozen cooperation agreements with Brazil, and make nice with the continent’s nations from Chile to the Honduras. Did it succeed in expanding China’s influence in the region? Most certainly, yes.
Courtesy: Juggernaut
In his new book, former Foreign Secretary Shyam Saran demystifies China's imagined belief of itself as the Middle Kingdom. Contemporary China's propensity to cut and paste history has resulted in China's resentment of India based on a limited understanding of Indian history and of China's past recognition of India as an advanced civilisation which impacted Chinese culture. Today the West recognises India's potential to match China, with depth and skills, over the long term.
Courtesy: telegraphindia.com
The G7 has reached out to emerging economies which have, of late, been facing challenges on the economic front, brought on by the lingering pandemic and the mismanagement of the Ukraine crisis. They are also seeking, from the global south, a broader acceptance of their world view. Will it be forthcoming?