070822-A-6849A-667 -- Scouts from 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment (Airborne), pull overwatch during Operation Destined Strike while 2nd Platoon, Able Company searches a village below the Chowkay Valley in Kunar Province, Afghanistan Aug. 22. Courtesy: Wikipedia
5 February 2016

Obama needs to rethink, urgently

A resurgent Taliban has turned a hopeful declaration by the Obama administration into a premature one. The levels of U.S. troops stationed in Afghanistan, currently at 9,800, are expected to increase as a result. But with more than half a trillion dollars spent trying to stabilize the problem, perhaps it’s time to rethink the Af-Pak region.

Geostrategic shifts in West Asia Courtesy:
17 December 2015

Geostrategic shifts in West Asia

As Iran begins to re-integrate with the global economy, the politics in West Asia are bound to be impacted. Will Iran be the new Turkey? Is Turkey going down the path of Pakistan? M.D. Nalapat, director of the School of Geopolitics at Manipal University and Manjeet Kripalani, executive director, Gateway House join our national security fellow, Sameer Patil, to discuss these questions, and more.

Risingpowersinitiative.org Courtesy: Risingpowersinitiative.org
14 December 2015

India’s Iran opportunity

Iran has emerged on to the world stage after 36 years of isolation. India must double up its diplomacy and commercial engagement with Iran, and move boldly beyond the curtain of ‘civilisational’ ties. Time to put that natural advantage to good commercial use through a vigorous private sector engagement with Tehran.

India US energy war Courtesy: MEA India / Flickr
9 December 2015

COP21: unspoken India-U.S. war

An unspoken war has been waged between India and the U.S. at the COP21 Summit in Paris. If the West wants India to opt for more expensive energy options, then they must also reciprocate by sharing technology.

Zarif-Kerry Courtesy: Wikipedia
17 July 2015

Iran sanctions: journey’s end

A journey which began in Istanbul in 2012 ended in triumph in Vienna in July 2014, as the P5+1 countries and Iran announced a Joint Plan of Comprehensive action that would see Iran free of all economic sanctions while upholding the right to a civil nuclear programme. While this journey, fraught with challenges, technically is over, the ratification battle in the U.S. congress commences now

Hillary 2016 Courtesy: Hillary Clinton/Flickr
13 April 2015

Hillary’s candidacy and India

Hillary Clinton finally announced her second bid to be the democratic candidate for the November 2016 presidential election on April 12. Despite her landmark achievements, there are a number of controversial issues from her time as senator, the first lady and as Secretary of State, that will be raised in the coming months

Gilead drugs Courtesy: media.licdn.com
19 February 2015

Examining the Gilead deal

Widely heralded as a success that brought together U.S. and Indian pharma producers over a high-cost drug at affordable prices, the Gilead deal looked ideal. A closer examination shows there’s more to consider than just low costs before the deal can become a template

Modi-Obama bromance Courtesy: MEA Flickr
29 January 2015

India and U.S: getting more comfortable

Even as U.S. President Obama’s visit to New Delhi was high on optics critics suggest that the two governments have a long way to go before they achieve a mutually satisfactory partnership. However, the bilateral dialogue did show that both India and U.S. are becoming more comfortable in their engagement with each other

India-U.S. flag_best Courtesy: Pete Souza/The White House
21 January 2015

A policy menu for Modi-Obama

Speculation abounds about what can be achieved during President Obama’s visit to India, and Secretary of State John Kerry’s recent $500 billion trade vision has raised expectations. Although differences remain—including in the energy and defence sectors—global developments could bring the two countries closer

michaelfroman Courtesy: wikimedia
11 November 2014

How fair is America’s ‘fair trade’?

There is a sense in Washington that if the U.S. is not tough with India, it will send a wrong signal to other countries. But the ongoing investigations by the Obama administration into India’s IPR regime and trade practices have become an unpleasant part of doing business with America