Courtesy: Jerchel/WikimediaCommons
India often finds itself in the right place at the wrong time or vice versa, as our dogma of non-alignment trumps honest calculations of self-interest in policy-making – rendering it unfavourable. The national interest, hence, calls for selective alignment on some issues with Washington and on others with Beijing
Courtesy: WikimediaCommons
Can the world aspire to a future where the use of force is not seen as leadership? Can the U.S. and former colonial powers like France and UK, think differently and reject the use of force as first resort? Can China and India craft alternatives?
Courtesy: Zeinab Mohamed/Flickr
Today, the role Wahabbism plays in geopolitics poses a severe security risk not just to the West but also to the Muslim world. The West needs to rethink its strategy of promoting Wahabbi International, and realise that Wahabbism cannot be a moderated geopolitical asset
Courtesy: Center for American Progress Action Fund/Flickr
The U.S. Secretary of State’s visit to India comes at a time when India is witnessing significant realignments in its domestic politics while the U.S. is busy tackling its cyber-spying allegations. Amidst these preoccupations, will the upcoming India-U.S. talks churn out substantive outcomes?
Courtesy: Furmeyer/WikimediaCommons
Maritime piracy is one of the several grave security issues faced by today’s world. This problem, however, isn’t a new phenomenon, and nations have long-battled this issue. How did piracy manifest itself in the Indian Ocean in the 19th century, and what was the nature of counter-piracy efforts during that period?
Courtesy: Gateway House
Gateway House prepared a Global Stability Map, using 20 differing indicators, to analyze the stability of 60 countries around the world. Using criteria that are important to the emerging economies of the world, the map provides an Indian perspective of the world today.
Courtesy: IAEA Imagebank/Flickr
Ahead of nuclear talks between Iran and the P5+1 in Moscow, the West seems confident that sanctions will induce Iran to settle on its uranium enrichment. But rather than arriving at a negotiated settlement by applying the principle of reciprocity, the West may look to anaesthetize oil markets.
Courtesy: Flickr/tao_zhyn
The failure of Western military interventions to bring peace raises questions about the effectiveness of human rights and calls for its redefinition. Instead of stigmatizing non-Western democracies that do not necessarily support intervention, the West should initiate an inclusive dialogue with these countries.
Courtesy: Foreign Affairs
The Western sanctions imposed on Iran to force it to abandon its nuclear programme have succeeded in bringing Tehran back to the negotiating table, but they are a tactic, not a strategy. Any long-term policy has to aim for a democratic Iran.
Courtesy: Flickr/freeedomania
By forcing regime change in Libya, and attempting the same in Syria, and by promiscuously arming disparate groups of Wahabbis and Salafists to achieve this aim, NATO is creating more room for instability in the region. What Syria needs is engagement, not isolation; it needs dialogue and not the arming of rebels.