Courtesy: PMO
NATO’s poor strategy in Afghanistan has failed to quell the Taliban. Now, India will begin to train the Afghani military, and has proven with its light force tactics in Kashmir that it is better suited for the role than NATO forces.
Courtesy: Bob Dowling
The Occupy Wall Street movement in the U.S. is gathering strength, with new groups of the aggrieved adding to the numbers of protestors. Gateway House’s editorial advisor Bob Dowling plunges into the crowd to gauge the depth of the movement, and the seriousness of the protestors’ intent.
Courtesy: PMO
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s speech at the UN General Assembly has put Indian perceptions on the record and clearly outlined India’s independent foreign policy. India came out unequivocally in support of the Palestinian struggle & reiterated its traditional stance of respecting countries’ sovereignty.
Courtesy: www.whitehouse.gov/WikimediaCommons
Repeated applause greeted Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' speech to the UN General Assembly, asking for support for the “establishment of Palestine.” But with the U.S. backing Israel, under almost all circumstances, will Abbas' proposal be able to bring about any change?
Courtesy: www.kremlin.ru/Flickr
In a reversal of historical roles, the BRICS nations may be coming to Europe’s rescue. During the Asian Financial Crisis, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) introduced structural adjustments in return for IMF loans, and many institutions and individuals went bankrupt. Will it be any different now?
India’s relations with Russia have to be set against the broader strategic landscape of India’s security issues and geopolitical priorities, especially in Central Asia and Afghanistan, where Russia is a key player. An increase in private sector initiatives can also ensure greater cooperation in the years to come.
Courtesy: MissionAgainstCorruption/WikimediaCommons
While India's anti-corruption upsurge lends further intensity to a global restlessness about the future of democracy, it also raises a significant question: What are the values that will foster a truly democratic culture? The answer will determine whether the on-going agitation will succeed in combating corruption
Although the U.S. has not faced another terrorist attack since 9/11, much has changed in its democratic framework. Gripped by fear, 3,984 federal, state and local organizations work on domestic counter-terrorism, spending an estimated $1 trillion.
Courtesy: WTCTributeinLight/WikimediaCommons
A change has come about after 9/11: the ideologies grouped as “Al Qaeda” has morphed, from a group directed by a few individuals, it is now disaggregated. Due to this change, NATO is empowering it's future foes in the Arab world by its continued belief in the camouflaged jihadis.
Courtesy: Scott Hudson/Flickr
India's security concerns seem to grow weaker by the year. The dangerous political polarity, a paralysed ruling coalition, a fractured opposition, a popular distaste for a corrupt polity and complicit bureaucracy, and a slowing economy, has handicapped any progress towards this issue.