g20 fmm Courtesy: Arindam Bagchi / Twitter
9 March 2023

G20 straddles turbulence and progress

The G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting on March 1-2 concluded without a joint statement, much like the finance ministers meeting which preceded it. Nevertheless, the platform has made some progress. To maintain it, Indian diplomacy must now move into overdrive in the run-up to the Leaders’ Summit later this year.

srinagar1 Courtesy: iStock Images
5 July 2022

G20 positioning from Srinagar?

Holding one of the G20 meetings in Jammu and Kashmir is a bold, audacious and timely move. It is possible because of the ceasefire along the Line of Control which has been holding since February 25, 2021. The new geopolitical setting offers India an opportunity to diplomatically disdain the Chinese, camping not too far away in the un-demarcated border areas with India.

thediplomat-asean-flags-553x360 Courtesy: The Diplomat
28 March 2019

An ASEAN trio in transition

Philippines, Cambodia and Lao PDR face a range of development challenges at home even as they respond dynamically to shifting priorities in external relations. With U.S.-China competition increasingly shaping this part of the world, will India provide some balance? An insider’s account of how three less noticed ASEAN countries are coping with geopolitical changes

UN_Yoga_Day Courtesy: MEA Flickr
18 June 2015

International yoga day

The growing popularity of yoga across the world—highlighted by the International Yoga Day on June 21—is a triumph for those seeking to promote holistic knowledge systems and therapies for human well-being, and the recognition by the UN could strengthen public spending in support of such therapies across the world

anti-US-protests-in-Tehran-1 (Marzieh Soleimani) Courtesy: Marzieh Soleimani, Islamic Republic News Agency
17 June 2015

Iran deal: hardliners in Tehran

Iran's nuclear deal deadline is looming large, and sparks are already flying. While there is opposition to the deal from Israel, within Iran there are powerful interest groups driven by ideology and business interests, who are doing as much as possible to prevent a deal from being reached

aiib Courtesy: file photo/Xinhua, Wikipedia
23 April 2015

An ASEAN lens on the AIIB

The AIIB is a step along a path that started with the Asian financial crisis, which defined ASEAN’s views about the U.S.’s commitment to the region. Although the bank may signal the rise of China, it is also a coming together of Chinese and ASEAN goals—ASEAN’s focus on infrastructure for growth requires another source of finance, and this forecasts its strong relationship with the AIIB

Iran oil Courtesy:
9 April 2015

How the Iran deal impacts India

If the sanctions against Iran are eased following the April 2 agreement with the P5+1 on the country’s nuclear programme, it will increase global oil and gas supplies, bringing stability to energy markets. It could also resolve the issue of the Farsi Block in Iran, where further exploration of gas by Indian companies has been held back

picstitch (5) Courtesy: Wikimedia commons
19 March 2015

Assessing India’s infrastructure aid diplomacy

With the Modi government’s focus on improving neighbourhood relations, India cannot afford delays in its aid projects in the region—especially because aid is an effective foreign policy instrument. Why are these projects getting delayed? Is the government taking remedial steps to improve India’s aid programme?