Operation Mountain Fire Courtesy: Staff Sgt. Christopher Allison/Wikimedia Commons
30 March 2014

Afghanistan: At a turning point

The presidential election is vital not only for Afghanistan’s future but also for the stability of the region. The ensuing race has thrown up candidates from various ethnicities and they face an uphill task with a resurgent Taliban and a former President who still hopes to be a force in the political arena

G8_Ireland Courtesy: GOV.UK/Flickr
28 March 2014

The G8 is G7 again

A slumped arms industry and the U.S. shale gas sector will gain from NATO’s threat of stricter sanctions and suspension of Russia from the G8. BRICS has protested, but unless we consolidate alternate international financial structures, even other big economies like India can eventually be the targets of sanctions

indchin Courtesy: dannyman/Flickr
27 March 2014

War report under wraps

Down the decades, every government has shown reluctance to declassify the contents of the Henderson Brooks Report, preventing a deeper analysis of what went wrong during the 1962 India-China war. In the absence of this, the key findings of this report remain shrouded in secrecy

BRICS versus the G8?
27 March 2014

BRICS versus the G8?

A new equation is emerging between the BRICS countries and the informal grouping of the most industrialized economies, called the G8. The G8 has been reduced to G7 following Russia’s suspension. Of late, BRICS have taken an assertive stand against the G8 in economic as well as the geo-political fora

southasiafinal Courtesy: User:Deepak/Wikimedia Commons
27 March 2014

‘Ties with neighbours is priority’

Historically, foreign policy has rarely played a decisive role in the Indian elections although issues like the nuclear deal with the U.S. have led to domestic storms. In this interview Neelam Deo, Director, Gateway House, explains why foreign policy has only occasionally been a key factor in the elections

warmemorial Courtesy: Rajkumar1220/Wikimedia Commons
21 March 2014

Lessons from the 1962 war report

The classified Henderson Brooks report on the India-China War is still relevant for India, considering China’s renewed aggression at the Line of Actual Control. The findings highlight the need to re-think our muddled China policy and coordination among the political, bureaucratic and military establishments

boeing777_2 Courtesy: Aero Icarus/Wikimedia Commons
21 March 2014

MH370: India’s intelligence challenge

The talk about the missing Malaysian airlines being hijacked for an attack on an Indian city has necessitated an assessment of India’s counter-terrorism preparedness. India has strengthened its air defences on the tactical front but lags behind in intelligence sharing in aerial, land and maritime terror attacks