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A number of democratic processes are set to unfold in this week. A referendum in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, the AfD's surprising outcome in the German Parliamentary election and the upcoming referendum in Catalonia, Spain. Ambassador Neelam Deo, Director at Gateway House, discusses the geopolitical implications of these highly-controversial domestic democratic processes.
Courtesy: Dr. Sarah Israel
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Israel (July 4-6) marks 25 years of India’s diplomatic relations with the State of Israel. Forging political and economic ties with it has not been smooth sailing, and it’s the Indian Jewish community that has kept a tenuous relationship going
Courtesy: Asharq Al-Awsat
Saudi Arabia and its allies have broken off diplomatic ties with Qatar, but Iran may be their real target, a possibility reinforced by some recently leaked emails from a UAE diplomat
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Trump’s first foreign visit to West Asia and Europe brought home what the president means by “America First” even as he stands accused of committing two major foreign policy transgressions
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Iran’s presidential elections have always been unmatched in the unpredictability of their outcome. Will the pro-reform vote be able to hold out against Ebrahim Raisi, the current president’s most serious competitor, with his appeal to the masses and traditional, conformist Iranians?
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Experts at a recent conference on China’s Belt and Road Initiative, hosted in Istanbul, spoke of its many advantages to the region, but also on the challenges involved in attracting financing
Courtesy: Haaretz
Dynasty has its own reasons and the 40 decrees that King Salman issued last month were designed to hand more power to the Salman branch of the House of Saud. Is a promotion in the offing for his son, the deputy crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman? What does this bode for the country’s foreign policy? President Trump’s first foreign visit will be to Saudi Arabia later this month
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The newly powerful Turkish president’s visit led to both sides committing to a stronger economic relationship and boosting people-to-people contact, but it had its unacceptable moments, and India had prepared for its unpredictability of outcome
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Iran’s former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s disqualification from contesting the May 2017 presidential election has reduced the number of aspirants to six. The winner may well be a contender for the post of next Supreme Leader too
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Referendums are a way of mobilising society and bringing in exceptional change. Turkey’s third constitutional referendum in the last 10 years, being held on Sunday, April 16, is the greatest of them in many respects as it puts the country on uncharted waters, having it move from one unbalanced system to another