Publications : Opinion & Commentary
Topic
A Chain that Links us All
Ramu Damodaran writes about how a governor of Andamans influenced the Barbados programme of action for Small Island Developing States in 1994.Podcast | A Decade of Neighborhood First: India’s Strategic Shifts...
Riya Sinha reflects on a decade of India's 'Neighbourhood First' policy since its inception in 2014.Podcast | Beyond the Coastline
Riya Sinha discusses greater inland connectivity, particularly between India's Northeast region and the Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal sub-region given the potential it holds for greater economic activity in this podcast.US Campus Crises: Are America and a Fragile World Order at Risk of Coming...
The divisions in the US universities beyond the gates of the campus have created the perfect breeding ground for political bottom-feeders.Interview | How To Bridge India’s Great Neighbourhood Divide
Constantino Xavier and Riya Sinha discuss how India can foster economic corridors and bridge the gap with its neighbours.All Powers Great and Small: Why Bigger Isn’t Always Better in...
Shivshankar Menon examines the shifting dynamics of global geopolitics, emphasising the historical evolution from empires to modern superstates and the continued relevance of small states.Interview | Questioning Katchatheevu Agreement Could Damage Ties,...
Former envoys to Sri Lanka say the Ministry of External Affairs’s position for the past decade has been in line with previous government thus farWhy India Must Put Africa at the Heart of its Global South Vision
As Africa houses three-fourths of humanity and over 39 per cent of the global GDP, there's a growing call to reform existing structures towards a more inclusive and representative system focused on development.Podcast | A Fresh Look at India’s Neighborhood First Policy
Constantino Xavier joins Milan Vaishnav to assess the Modi government's approach to managing India's relationship with its neighbors across the Indo-Pacific in this episode of Carnegie's Grand Tamasha podcast.Govt Must Rethink the Role of Defence Attaché
With growing capabilities and interests, India needs to reconsider the current terms of the partnership between the military and our diplomats.Ukraine War, Gaza Conflict and Middle East Strikes: It’s Time Businesses...
Vikram Singh Mehta advises businesses to integrate scenario planning into risk management processes to tackle political risk in an increasingly uncertain global context with upcoming elections in several countries.When an Admiral gets to Helm China’s PLA
The choice of a defence minister from the Chinese navy is also an attempt to avoid further embarrassment for China, domestically as well as externally.Setting Course for the IMEC: Gaza War has Delayed Plans for the Corridor,...
The Israel-Hamas war has naturally compromised any significant movement on fleshing out the gigantic ambition of an economic corridor through one of the world’s most divisive, conflict-ridden regions.Podcast | Trade Ties: Exploring South Asia’s Evolving Geopolitical...
Sanjay Kathuria discusses how the geopolitical competition in South Asia is influencing trade relations and policies of the states engaged in the region.To Lead the Global South, India Must Leverage Its Bridging Power
India actively works with the United Nations on South-South development, being one of its largest financial donors.How the Psychology of Benjamin Netanyahu, Joe Biden and MBS is Driving Oil...
The dominant drivers of the crude oil market today are not the fundamentals of demand and supply, but the non-fundamentals, the psychology of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Joe Biden and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.Podcast | COP28: Spotlight On Indian Climate Diplomacy
In the last one decade, India has cast itself as being part of the climate solution—which in turn has created the space for diplomatic negotiations.Can a Polarised India Deter China?
If the smartest thinkers in the US can worry about its political dysfunction and can call for ‘rebuilding support at home’, Indians should worry too, about how our country’s external aspirations are articulated and achieved.Climate Diplomacy Must Begin at Home
It is now time to invest in a strategic capacity so that India's climate diplomacy is better equipped to transform prevailing climate commitments into action.A Renewed Focus on Emerging Technologies
Fully realising the potential of emerging technologies in the military requires altering existing organisations and approaches.The Virtues of Restraint
Shivshankar Menon writes about why the use of force is rarely a sufficient response to terrorismIndia’s Global Climate Strategy
India’s progress in driving the need for climate mitigation and adaptation has been commendable and swift. A key question is whether results in terms of reduced carbon emissions will arrive.China in Focus, Defence Reforms Get Underway
Defence reforms reimagine the relationship between the defence ministry and the military and foster greater inter-services collaboration.Podcast | How India and China Compete in Non-Aligned South Asia and The...
China’s economic, diplomatic, and military activities in South Asia and the Indian Ocean island states have New Delhi concerned about Beijing’s growing influence in its neighborhood. In this episode of Global India, Tanvi Madan discusses with Constantino Xavier about how India is responding.A Trust Redeemed: Celebrating and Reinforcing Achievements
Ramu Damodaran writes about trust between states, governments and people as a means to extend, and not inhibit, the promise and possibilities of national sovereignty.Interview | Shivshankar Menon on India Canada Relations
In an interview with ABC News, Shivshankar Menon discusses India Canada diplomatic relations.Interview | Shivshankar Menon on Israel Palestine conflict
CSEP Distinguished Fellow Shivshankar Menon discusses the Israel-Palestine conflict with Republic World.Podcast | Shivshankar Menon on India, Narendra Modi, China, Australia and...
In this episode of The Director’s Chair, Michael Fullilove speaks to the leading Indian scholar and diplomat, Shivshankar Menon on Hamas’s attack on Israel, how India manages its relationship with China, and why he is an optimist about the relationship between India and Australia.Pakistan’s Missing Market
Resuming trade with India is a chance to escape spiraling crises, writes Sanjay Kathuria in this article.Did Mahatma Gandhi miss Nobel Prize because of an Air Crash?
A diplomat had nearly swung the honour for Gandhi in 1961Canada needs to see India – not just the Diaspora
Dealing with common challenges requires a political compact that addresses how both countries view Canada’s Indian diaspora and mitigating its worst impulses, particularly those fanning separatist embers in India.Podcast | A Big-Picture Look at the India-China Relationship
Shivshankar Menon shares his views on the India-China competition, the potential for cooperation or crisis, and what it means for India’s partners on the inaugural episode of Global India, in this podcast.What India’s G20 Achieved for the Global South
A multipolar world with competing power centres, rising economic fragmentation, and deglobalisation will only compound the pressures on institutions like the G20. With great power tensions at an apogee, resolution might not matter as discussions and resolutions pivot to smaller and smaller “like-minded” groups, writes Karthik Nachiappan.Nepal-India Transit Trade Ties Can Unlock Economic Opportunities,...
Nepal and India have renewed their transit trade agreement, improving Nepal's access to Indian sea ports and inland waterways, boosting supply chain resilience. This also marks potential breakthroughs in cross-border electricity trade and digital payments.Interview | The outlook for India’s Economy Shines Bright
Riya Sinha talks about India’s connectivity with neighboring countries, liberalization of the economy, and strategies to attract foreign direct investment.Interview | More Than Geopolitics, There’s Now Also an Economic Basis to...
Siddharth Varadarajan spoke to India’s former National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon about Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to the US, the deals signed, the politics and economics involved, and China's role in bringing the two nations together.India is Adapting to the Shifting Climate Terrain
India has a unique opportunity to use the G20 presidency to drive climate cooperation as crises abound and the desire for deep climate action is dwindling.An Opportunity and a Challenge in Northeast
In the last few years, India prioritised enhancing railway development in Manipur and Mizoram, inching closer to the border with Myanmar, writes Riya Sinha.Developing a Regional Single Window System in the Indian Ocean Region
India and Australia can support the development of a Single Widow System in fellow Indian Ocean Region states for trade facilitation at the regional level, writes Riya Sinha. This article was also co-published by Observer Research Foundation.India-China Rivalry Not Episodic or Contextual but Structural: Experts
It is not exactly true that India's rivalry with China is spoken of only in hushed tones. The Indian strategic community is quite vocal about this reality, & this rivalry is not limited to South AsiaReforms Will Determine Whether China Can Return to Rapid Growth
Its economy should adjust its growth model again and financial liberalization could set a ball rolling to accelerate expansion.Interview | Constantino Xavier on Operation Kaveri
WION News speaks to Constantino Xavier on Operation Kaveri and the crisis in Sudan.That Thucydides Trap Again
Does China have to inevitably face confrontation from the US and seek domination over India, asks Jaimini Bhagwati.Podcast | India’s Strategic Shift
Constantino Xavier discusses India’s foreign policy and its relationship with Russia.Podcast | Connectivity and Cooperation in the Bay of Bengal Region
In this episode of South Asia Chat, Ramita Iyer, Research Analyst, ISAS, speaks to the editors of the report - Constantino Xavier, and Amitendu Palit about the prospects and challenges in the region.Interview | Geopolitical Differences and Economic Ties
Rajesh Chadha discusses economic growth and geopolitical developments for India and Korea on Arirang News.What India, As President of G-20 and Architect of Credo of Non-violence,...
Is there not a threshold beyond which the severity of human suffering renders meaningless words like “political sovereignty”, “national security” and “territorial integrity”?Canada, India should change Script and Become Real Partners
To fortify their long-term relationship, both countries need to clinch more immediate opportunities while also insulating the relationship from episodic political turbulence.The towering legacy of diplomat Dasgupta
Ramu Damodaran's tribute to the late Ambassador Chandrashekhar Dasgupta who served as Indian ambassador to the European Union, Belgium, Luxembourg and China.India’s vishwa guru ambitions need to be backed by resources,...
Man power and resources can strengthen India's vishwa guru ambition. It will need those resources for cooperation and competition with other countries.Out of Alignment
Shivshankar Menon examines what a year of war in Ukraine has revealed.CO23016 | India’s Optimism for a New Regional Order
The global pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war have had a dual structural impact that accelerated Asia’s regional transition, which has been slowly evolving amidst rising US-China competition. India sees the ongoing disruption as a challenge, but also as an opportunity to realize its role as a bridging power to shape a new ...Podcast | A World Between Orders
Shivshankar Menon discusses what’s at stake in Ukraine, India’s place in this changing world, and what order could emerge from today’s great-power competition.India: Looking to Help Frame a New Global Balance
India has been playing a silent but important role in pushing Brussels...and other European capitals, to recognise that the future global balance of power hinges on what happens in Asia.How India Handles China will Determine Success of Foreign Policy
The issue of how India handles China is likely to remain India's most complex external challenge.India’s National Priorities are Best Served Domestically
We should scale down expectations and time expended on preparing for the SCO and G20 summits, says Jaimini Bhagwati.Putting Women at the Centre of Foreign Policy
More than a moral mission, by nurturing a feminist dimension in its Neighbourhood First policy, India will be able to better achieve its regional interests, says Riya Sinha and Constantino Xavier.‘India’s Nepal Policy has not Changed. There Will be Shifts, but...
Former Indian foreign secretary and national security advisor Shivshankar Menon on the changing power dynamics in South Asia, India’s political turmoil, and SAARC.Nepal’s Delicate Foreign Policy Balancing Act
By understanding Kathmandu’s domestic aims and regional balancing, both New Delhi and Washington can play to their strengths and maximize the developmental impact of their projects in Nepal.Drone Strikes: Targeted Killings Raise Troubling Questions
The increasing range and automation of drone strikes are a matter of global concern, says Jaimini Bhagwati.Seventy Five Years of Indian Foreign Policy: Key Successes, and the Gaps...
Indian diplomacy has been bold and innovative but today's challenges require another reworking of statecraft in pursuit of the country's 'unvarying concerns' – safeguarding its sovereignty and overcoming poverty.Nobody Wants the Current World Order
How did all the major powers—even the United States—became revisionists.Synopsis of Indian Thinking about China, 2018-2022
Constantino Xavier and Gil Rozman trace the evolution of Indian thinking about China from 2018-22 and recognize linkages with its response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.IPEF versus RCEP
The Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF) has military ramifications, but the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) does not, says Jaimini Bhagwati.Why is Sri Lanka in Crisis, and What Comes Next?
Constantino Xavier looks at how Sri Lanka’s governing choices over many years led to crisis, the difficult reforms ahead, and the implications of the collapse for other developing nations throughout Asia and Africa.A New Cold War May Call for a Return to Nonalignment
Why a growing number of countries want to avoid getting stuck in a great-power tussle—again.The Ukraine Conflict has Raked up Old Dilemmas
Vikram S Mehta writes: Issues related to energy security, climate change mitigation have been brought to the forefront.The Indo-Pacific Economic Bloc Offers India a New Opportunity
We’ll have to re-examine our traditional positions wherever needed to make the most of economic integration under the Indo Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), says Montek Singh Ahluwalia.India Could Drink Sustainably from the Spring-Wells of Development
Jaimini Bhagwati argues how India, as a swing state could seek greater accommodation of its strategic and economic interests with the West in light of the undeclared war with Russia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) countries.Western Companies Can Help Ukraine by Sending Work
Ukraine’s tech outsourcing sector, one of Europe’s largest, has adapted nimbly to the war.A Renewed Focus on India’s Border Management
Riya Sinha argues that simultaneous developments on both the security and socio-economic fronts will be key in India's renewed approach to land border management.Could S Jaishankar Don the Kissingerian Mantle?
If there were an India-led peacemaking initiative, Jaishankar might be the best qualified to crack the Ukrainian diplomatic impasse, writes Vikram Singh Mehta.The Fantasy of the Free World: Are Democracies Really United Against...
Russia’s war in Ukraine might be a pivotal episode in a global contest between autocracy and democracy. Chastened by Putin’s gross violation of norms, democracies will band together in a muscular reaffirmation of the liberal international order.Has the Government Handled the Ukraine Crisis Well? | Interview
In a 45-minute interview with The Wire, the former national security adviser Shivshankar Menon said the Indian government must play a forceful and active role in finding a solution acceptable to all sides.India can Act today to Shape Tomorrow’s Terms of Connectivity with...
Trade incentives, border infrastructure or any other such unilateral initiatives are simple, low-cost ways for Delhi to reverse the lost time and rising costs of India-Pakistan disconnectivity.Why the Corporate Flight From Russia Is No Precedent for China
Despite the rising tensions with China, it is hard to see how the Ukraine war could set a precedent for a confrontation with a vastly bigger economic power such as China.Russia’s Ukraine Invasion; India Impact Of A ‘New Energy World...
In an interview with Strat News Global, Vikram Singh Mehta assesses the impact on India of gas, oil and financial sanctions on Russia after it invaded Ukraine, fuel prices, the repercussions on India and Russia’s energy assets in each other’s countries, and many more.How to handle impact of Ukrainian crisis on India’s energy sector
To deal with energy volatility, India must build reserves, revive conversations on pipeline with Iran, TurkmenistanDon’t Use Chips to Play Poker With Putin
Semiconductor blockades are powerful sanctions—but may not prove effective with Russia.The ‘Whys’ Behind China’s Breathing-fire-24/7 Foreign Policy
The pattern of China’s internal politics and development has given a particular cast or shape to China’s external behaviour in the last decade.Can India Push China off its Dominant Perch?
"A compass to navigate the geopolitical churn with China." Vikram Singh Mehta reviews "Rising To The China Challenge" by Gautam Bambawale, Vijay Kelkar, Raghunath Mashelkar, Ganesh Natarajan, Ajit Ranade and Ajay Shah.Interpreting India at the Summit for Democracy
For the Indian government, the future of democracy is being played out in Asia and Africa, where states are experimenting with competing governance models amidst China’s growing autocratic influence.‘The Fractured Himalaya: India, China, Tibet 1949-1962’ review: A...
The history of the critical initial years of a political relationship when India and China tried to manage issues such as the boundary question, and failed.Economic Heft and Foreign Policy Posturing
India's foreign policy options are circumscribed by its relatively inadequate economic size and technological capabilities, says Jaimini Bhagwati.In Defence, The Twin Transformations
The country’s political leadership took a leap in reimagining the military. But it must pay attention to structural issues.How India’s Gati Shakti Plan Can Have an Impact Beyond Its Borders
India's Gati Shakti plan can generate positive spillover effects, strengthen India’s economic ties with its neighbours.1971 War Tilted Balance in India’s Favour
Bangladesh today is a development success story as that country overtook India and Pakistan in terms of per capita income and human development indicators.Power balance has shifted against us: Shivshankar Menon on India-China...
We have to rely on ourselves to deal with China. We have started military reforms but it is too early to say we have been successful, says Shivshankar Menon.A Strategy For India In a World That is Adrift
The country’s path to power will be affected by the geopolitical and economic centres of gravity now shifting to Asia.Cross-Border Terror Not Over-Arching Threat, SAARC Policy Needs Review
India must rethink its attitude to cross-border terrorism which is “not an over-arching threat” and also urgently review its SAARC policy or run the risk of China being admitted as a member in India’s absence, says Shivshankar Menon.Neighbourhood’s First Responder: India’s Approach to Humanitarian...
Saneet Chakradeo maps India’s Humanitarian Assistance Disaster Relief (HADR) operations and its many dimensions – bilateral, multilateral, and civil society contributions.India and US have certain congruence in maritime security through IPS
"I think India and the US have a certain congruence in maritime security through the Indo pacific in keeping those sea lanes open, safe, free but I don’t think either side has linked that to whether India has a permanent seat in the UN security council or not."Indian tech unicorns are gaining at China’s expense. Is this a blessing...
The last thing India can afford is a bubble that bursts and for capital, talent and technology to take flight and seek refuge elsewhere.Strengthen Land Ports to Boost India-Bangladesh Economic Connectivity
It is pertinent to address several existing challenges at the land ports between India and Bangladesh that hinder seamless connectivity, says Riya Sinha.India’s Failure to Help Afghan Friends is a Strategic Liability
The Afghan crisis reflects the absence of systems and capability to protect India’s local partners in active conflict zones. More than a moral issue, this failure is also a strategic liability.India’s New Consulates and Subnational Diplomacy in South Asia
Constantino Xavier and Nitikar Nayar discuss how New Delhi's engagement with diverse subnational groups both within and across its borders will help define the future course of connectivity in South Asia.India is Failing its Afghan Friends
The absence of an asylum and evacuation system to protect partners in conflict zones is extracting costs, writes Constantino Xavier.Border Disputes? Let’s Make Boundaries Irrelevant Without Changing Them
Shivshankar Menon discusses the factors that make our boundaries contested.A Time for Strategic Autonomy, Building Up National Strength
Shivshankar Menon writes about the need to strengthen India's autonomy while working with major powers and our neighbours.Should India Keep Quad Out of the Neighbourhood?
Constantino Xavier discusses policy consequences and the impact of India being perceived as a part of the "non-China" camp.How the US Created China’s Dominance
The US, more than other G7 countries, has called out the bristling hubris of a totalitarian China, writes Jaimini Bhagwati.Integrated check posts are boosting connectivity but challenges remain
Riya Sinha looks at India's increasing trade and passenger movement with Nepal, Pakistan, and Bangladesh.Indus Waters Treaty is worth preserving
Selective cooperation with Pakistan, not mindless confrontation is the way forward, writes Jaimini BhagwatiEurope from Portugal to the Indo-Pacific
The unprecedented EU-India summit deepened ties but was also a political signal that Europe wants more weight in the Indo-Pacific.Borders: From zones of security to commerce via ICPs
The Integrated Check Posts along India’s borders show the capacity of the Indian Government to deliver on infrastructure projectsIndia’s civilian leadership must step up
Between the Indian Army’s ‘supremo syndrome’ and IAF’s ‘all is well’ syndrome, India’s military effectiveness is compromisedBook Review: The Absent Dialogue
There is a constant search for harmony among the three principal stakeholders of national security.India, China, and the stalemate beyond Ladakh
Behind the ongoing military stalemate at the LAC lies a stifling political stalemate between India and China.India can’t yet claim to be vishwa guru: Shivshankar Menon
Menon’s new book, India and Asian Geopolitics, is a “plea” for India to engage with the world, especially Asia.Interview: Shivshankar Menon On His New Book ‘India And Asian...
India-China relations will be reset and there’s no going back to the status quo, Shivshankar Menon tells Youth ki Awaaz.The great churning: Modi’s transformation of the Indian military
India’s current military transformation requires greater civilian participation and expertise in defense matters.China tore up the modus vivendi in 2020, the LAC is now live: Shivshankar...
We are still in the middle of a negotiating a crisis... the crisis is nowhere near over until Depsang, Gogra [are resolved], says Menon.India should not risk leaning too much on one side of global politics,...
Shivshankar Menon, author of ‘Choices: Inside the Making of Indian Foreign Policy’ and ‘India and Asian Geopolitics : The Past, Present.’ tells ThePrint’s Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta at ‘Off The Cuff’.Why is China aggressively turning to the sea now?
What is new for China is that it now must think as a maritime power, something it has never done for any extended period of time, if at all, writes Menon.Watch | Understanding ‘India and Asian Geopolitics’
Shivshankar Menon's new book offers a sweeping survey of India’s strategic history as part of the larger Asian geopolitical narrative.India-China ties set for ‘hard times’ over next 5-10 years:...
India and China have been working to ease tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh since the Galwan border clash in June 2020.Has Trump permanently altered U.S. foreign policy?
"Trump has changed U.S. foreign policy because the world now sees the United States differently and because the world has gotten used to a less predictable and engaged United States of America."Upgrading India’s regional disaster relief strategy
The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced new dimensions to the India–China competition in South Asia and the Indian Ocean region.Chinese social media debates who is in control of Ladakh as India, China...
The February 11 agreement for disengagement on the north and south banks of Pangong Tso and the PLA Daily, for the first time, publicly claiming four Chinese casualties from the Galwan clash on February 19 have once again made China-India border standoff a major talking point in China.Use the Ladakh crisis as an opportunity
Civilians need to focus, laser-like, perhaps by creating a Defence Reforms Unit nested within the National Security Council, to push the military to adopt necessarily painful organisational reforms.India’s long game with the Generals
New Delhi will say what it can and do what it must. Expect public support for democracy and private engagement with the regime.The Chinese chatter on Jack Ma and his mysterious disappearance
The world wants to know where is China’s most charismatic business leader Jack Ma, but the issue remains shrouded in secrecy and mystery.Book review: The Historian’s Eye
Romila Thapar provides a nonjudgmental cultural perspective on China.Connect East: Explaining India’s BIMSTEC focus
India’s growing interest in BIMSTEC reflects a geo-economic priority to correct the exceptional connectivity gap that continues to divide the Bay of Bengal region.India-China ties: The future holds ‘antagonistic cooperation’,...
The crisis has made it clear that India’s China policy cannot optimise for both security and prosperity.What China hopes to gain from the present border standoff with India
China's actions have brought about what it should be trying to deter, i.e. closer India-US coordination.A name upon a grave: India needs a proper account of the army’s war dead
If we are unable to reconcile the numbers of war dead, then naming and properly honouring every single one, and looking after their next of kin, is not possible.Their ties go back in time but India, China were absent from each...
While exchanging goods, people, and ideas for centuries, India and China did not deal with other as states or impact each other’s politics or security until the 19th century.Make way for connectivity projects
Nepal and India should focus more on the strategic objective of developing infrastructure.How India can take the lead in reviving tourism in South Asia
The pandemic provides an opportunity for India to take the lead in promoting regional tourism, an important metric of soft power.League of nationalists
How Trump and Modi refashioned the U.S.-Indian relationship.India needs to invest in regional disaster relief mechanisms
Building capacities through training and joint exercises and coordinating comparative advantages for collective action will help India leverage goodwill among its neighbours through its disaster relief programmes.Domestic concerns still shape India’s foreign policy
It is a truism that foreign policy begins at home. But how does this work in India’s case? Five forces are at play — economic development, geographic reality, ideological positioning, transactional necessities and its place in the international order.Why Jagat Mehta would have seen Xi in the Mao mould, not Deng
I know my father would have advocated India find a diplomatic solution to the current imbroglio. But given his experience of Maoist China, he would have also urged that our velvet glove of diplomacy must now cover an iron fist of resolve.South Asia must now build resilient supply chains
Facilitate cross-border flow of goods and services by reducing tariffs; improving logistics, infra and digitisation.Is Modi’s balancing act a reworking of India’s classic...
How many acronyms can one invent to signal a country’s foreign policy interests? Many, if you are Narendra Modi. The Indian prime minister recently spoke about an India-France “In-Fra” alliance. Last year he reportedly coined or popularized the JAI (Japan, America, India) and RIC (Russia, India, China) trilaterals. There’s also his SAGAR ...Here’s why Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Australia are trying to...
Asia is in a state of flux. China’s Belt and Road Initiative is reshaping the region’s geography, with roads and railways traversing Eurasia and new ports dotting the Indian Ocean basin. Beijing’s militarisation of the South China Sea continues, despite negotiations towards a code of conduct. Japan has found itself in an ...India rising: Soft power and the world’s largest democracy
Arguably, few phrases are as misused in international relations as “soft power.” When he coined the term, Joseph Nye captured the important and (at the time) poorly studied phenomenon in international affairs of “getting others to want the outcomes that you want,” predicated on the attractiveness of one’s culture, political values and ...India attempts to empower BIMSTEC after realising its limitations
Diplomats and foreign policy experts are puzzled by the absence of a “big announcement” or a major breakthrough from the fourth summit of the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC). How will Prime Minister Narendra Modi claim victory from a bland declaration? Sometimes, no news is good ...Here’s why central and eastern Europe may become an area of promise...
In a rare high-level engagement by India in an increasingly pivotal region, President Ram Nath Kovind is on a visit to Bulgaria and the Czech Republic. Long seen as an area of competing Russian and western interests, central and eastern Europe (CEE) has not always featured prominently in India’s foreign policy agenda. ...What can be expected from a Trump-Kim meeting?
In keeping with his reputation as the global disrupter-in-chief, US President Donald Trump’s unprecedented acceptance of a face-to-face meeting with North Korea’s strongman Kim Jong-un in May has created a political whiplash. While most experts have only focused on the nuclear dimension, this initiative, if it is to materialize, is likely to ...Donald Trump’s trade war: A disruptive approach to trade policy
US President Donald Trump has changed the whole landscape of political discourse, especially with respect to trade policy. This began with the exit of the US from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), and continues with the repeated threats of leaving the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), explicitly introducing non-trade objectives in trade ...Three un-Davos men: How the culture of contradiction infused the speeches...
The Harvard political scientist, Samuel Huntington, is most well-known for the idea of a clash of civilisations: Post-Cold War conflicts, he anticipated, would be between clashing cultures rather than between ideologies or sovereign states. Not as well-known is another idea from Huntington: The rise of the Davos Man, a new breed of ...The year of being in denial
The act of denial is a psychological defence used by humans to reduce anxiety when they feel particularly disturbed by events. Nowadays, this phenomenon, where even seemingly rational people will vehemently deny truths, is exacerbated by the advent of alt-facts, which sometimes make the gap between reality and unreality difficult to discern. ...Why Donald Trump must grab the opportunity to get US trade policy right
US president Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) on his first day in office left the TPP highly uncertain. After several attempts to clarify the way ahead, the rest of eleven TPP economies (TPP11) have recently agreed to continue the momentum to conclude the agreement, with some amendments. In ...China’s Frankenstein: ‘Rocket Man’
The successful test of the Hwasong-15 missile by North Korea has triggered several consequences, intended and unintended: First, Kim Jong Un has demonstrated the capability to potentially strike the US mainland with nuclear weapons. Second, the achievement has made the moniker of ‘Rocket Man’ (disparagingly used by US President Donald Trump) a ...The emerging Indo-Pacific architecture
The term “Indo-Pacific” has long been in vogue among marine biologists and ichthyologists to define the stretch of water from the tropical Indian Ocean, through the equatorial seas around the Indonesian archipelago, the South China Sea, and to the western and central Pacific Ocean. The term entered the geopolitical lexicon only in ...What’s changed in the Trump administration’s approach to Asia?
Let us give credit where credit is due. For all the talk of dysfunction and policy incoherence in Washington under President Donald J. Trump, his administration has started to get some things right, especially when it comes to Asia policy. It helps that some of the key positions in the U.S. government, ...Warring over disarmament in the UN
For most people the UN is the venue of an annual kabuki theatre where world leaders come to make sonorous speeches and snipe at each other to score points with populations back home. While these theatrics, played out every September from the UN General Assembly (UNGA), make for high entertainment, they do ...Tillerson’s visit opens a window of opportunity that India must...
In 2000, in the midst of a US election, George W Bush’s top foreign policy adviser Condoleezza Rice wrote an essay in Foreign Affairs that outlined the candidate’s worldview. Among other things, it recognised the importance of India, and the need to facilitate its rise as a balancer in Asia. The US ...The rise and rise of Xi Jinping: At 19th Party Congress, he consolidates...
The National Congress of the Communist Party, held every five years, is the closest thing authoritarian China has to an election. The most recent Congress – the 19th – was held October 18-24, and was an occasion for the over 2,000 delegates to deliberate and agree on policy matters guiding the nation. ...Donald Trump’s Iran folly and India’s dilemma
On 13 October, US President Donald Trump, in a much-anticipated move, declared Iran a “rogue regime”, a sponsor of terrorism, and an aggressor in the Middle East. Although none of this relates to the hard-negotiated Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) on Iran’s nuclear programme, Trump announced that he would no longer ...Can insecurity in Asia be managed?
Since the end of World War II, Asia-Pacific has been the locale of direct and indirect military confrontation (in Korea and Indo-China, respectively) between the two superpowers; experienced unprecedented economic growth, which did not translate into closer integration (particularly among the countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations or Asean); witnessed ...Enhancing the India-Japan partnership
There has been much ado about the advance in India-Japan relations following the recent summit between Prime Ministers Narendra Modi and Shinzo Abe, which the India-Japan joint statement heralded as a “Special Strategic And Global Partnership”. Doubtless, the relationship has evolved to a level that might have been unimaginable just a few ...BRICS: From a big bang to a whimper
The 9th Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit in Xiamen began dramatically with a big bang, but it was not the kind of noise that host China would have wanted: the unannounced sixth and biggest nuclear test by China’s enfant terrible ally, North Korea. This test literally and politically ...China miscalculated how to handle India, allowed face-saving exit
To the considerable relief of all parties involved, India and China agreed yesterday to end a 74-day stand-off by their security forces near the trijunction with Bhutan. India initiated the announcement with a short statement that simply said that an “expeditious disengagement of border personnel…has been agreed to and is ongoing.” China ...Afghanistan and a new hyphenation
US President Donald Trump’s much anticipated speech outlining his administration’s approach to the quagmire in Afghanistan was uncharacteristic. It was cogent, coherent, logical, even compelling, and stayed on message. It was what one would expect of any significant foreign policy initiative but unlike most of the speeches that have become the hallmark ...Beware the Trump effect
This is a tale of two septuagenarians; I hope they never meet. One is the country of India as an independent democratic nation. The other is the American president, a reminder that independent democracy provides no guarantee for its product. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Washington DC, he extended an invitation ...Why are China and India in a border standoff?
The standoff between Chinese and Indian forces near the trijunction with Bhutan is a live, and sensitive, issue for all three countries. It has also given rise to considerable misinformation. The facts of the matter are that on June 16, Chinese forces attempted to extend a road southwards in territory that China ...For a greater global role, here’s why India should take SDGs...
On 19 July, India presented its first voluntary national report on the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the UN. Although India was just one of 43 countries to do so this year, it was, doubtless, the most anticipated report; there is broad consensus that the success or failure of the ...The birth of the new Nuclear Prohibition Treaty
The 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) is based on three myths: first, that nuclear weapons are an entitlement bestowed upon only a handful of countries that had tested a nuclear weapon before the treaty entered into force in 1970. Second, that the security of most of the world’s nations indeed world order ...Even as India attempts to ‘Act East’, it is ‘Thinking...
Not that long ago, the words ‘Not valid for travel to South Africa or Israel’ used to be clearly written on all Indian passports. Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Israel, the first by an Indian prime minister to that country, brings a long diplomatic arc to its natural conclusion. Since normalising relations ...When Narendra Modi played the Trump card
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first meeting with US President Donald Trump was, by most accounts of Raisina Hill and Washington, DC beltway watchers, a success for both countries. From an evenly matched handshake to the deft signature Modi baby bear-hug (a notable feat given Trump’s germ phobia) to the joint statement, the ...On China, Modi Won Unexpected Support From Trump
There is a lot to analyse, and possibly over-analyse, about the recent meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and U.S. President Donald Trump. There were some notable surprises, including the strong language used when condemning Pakistan for its refusal to crack down on terrorist groups operating across borders. There were also some ...Book Review: Man on the Run
BRITISH INVESTIGATIVE journalists Cathy Scott-Clark and Adrian Levy have established themselves as specialists in fast-paced, densely-researched, narrative non-fiction books about the shadowy security of South Asia. Nuclear Deception was an account of the AQ Khan nuclear proliferation network. The Meadow told the tale of Western backpackers taken hostage in Kashmir in 1995. ...Realizing the India-US trade potential
There is significant scope to develop a cooperative India-US trade relationship that expands bilateral economic ties. This is something for US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to keep in mind when they meet in a few days from now. Making progress on trade, however, will not be easy. ...Moving forward on defence and security
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets US President Donald Trump for the first time, the focus will be on establishing a good rapport between the two leaders. There remain concerns that their two governments’ objectives are not compatible: that Trump’s “America First” approach, which conceives of US interests in narrow, transactional terms, ...Narendra Modi goes to Washington, again
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi plans for his fifth visit to the US in just four years and his first face-to-face meeting with President Donald Trump, there is a perception that the two polarizing and uber-nationalistic leaders could determine the future course of India-US relations in two diametrically opposite ways. On the ...Brace Yourself, South Asia’s Geopolitics Is Becoming More Complex,...
As in other parts of the world, the geopolitics of southern Asia is a result of its geography and history – and of its international context and domestic politics. Interestingly, the southern Asian sub-region has a bounded geography only to the north, where the high Himalayas mark a clear geographic, cultural and ...Donald Trump’s friends and foes: a role reversal
Since the US took to the global stage during World War I, two categories of countries have mattered to its world view: allies and adversaries. Both sets of countries garner great attention from Washington, though sometimes the latter commands even more consideration than the former, who are often taken for granted. Countries ...Donald Trump’s friends and foes: a role reversal
Since the US took to the global stage during World War I, two categories of countries have mattered to its world view: allies and adversaries. Both sets of countries garner great attention from Washington, though sometimes the latter commands even more consideration than the former, who are often taken for granted. Countries ...‘Vasudhaiva kutumbakam’ for the 21st century
From Jawaharlal Nehru to Narendra Modi, India’s leaders have often evoked the phrase vasudhaiva kutumbakam (the world is one family), taken from the Maha Upanishad, to elucidate the country’s global outlook. While the term has become a mantra of India’s diplomatic lexicon, it has remained ambiguous and rarely elaborated. Indeed, despite their ...India doesn’t have a lot to lose by boycotting OBOR. Read why
What does India want from the world? It’s quite clear, really: international partnerships to accelerate its domestic development, a stable and conducive periphery, a multi-polar Asia, an end to cross-border terrorism and a sufficient role in global governance to enable it to meet these goals. Today, each of these objectives relates in ...New Delhi’s efforts at ICJ may just have won Kulbhushan Jadhav a...
On May 18, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) – the principal judicial arm of the United Nations – ruled on the case of Kulbhushan Jadhav, whom Pakistan alleges is an Indian spy. The court unanimously declared that Pakistan must take all measures at its disposal to ensure that Jadhav is not ...Joint Doctrine for Armed Forces: the single-service syndrome
Last month the three service chiefs released the latest iteration of the Joint Doctrine for the Indian Armed Forces. In the foreword the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee, Admiral Sunil Lanba, wrote that that the Joint Doctrine “provides foundations for greater integration and interdependence, to achieve higher inter-operability and compatibility ...Should India Inc. bid for Westinghouse?
George Westinghouse and the company he founded in 1886 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, pioneered the commercial production and transmission of a scientific marvel called electricity, which has since powered and revolutionized the modern world. With the dawn of the nuclear age, Westinghouse Electric Company went on to develop pressurized water reactors (PWRs) for ...Coming up Trumps
As Donald Trump completes 100 days as US President, what has it meant for India? The short answer is, nobody knows, not even Trump. But in an era of greater uncertainty, it is important for India to identify the key variables triggered by Trump’s election. They relate, essentially, to four broad areas: ...Donald Trump’s tumultuous 100 days
As Donald Trump lunges towards 100 days of his presidency with the elegance of a raging bull in a china shop strewn with nuclear trip wires, he has notched up several dubious “firsts” in this brief period: the first to lose a hand-picked national security adviser to scandal in a mere 24 ...Can unarmed states prohibit nuclear weapons?
Guess what terrifies nations armed with the most powerful weapons ever invented? Believe it or not a mere UN conference to ban them, which began on 27 March in New York. This gathering of nations without nuclear weapons to negotiate a “legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading towards their total ...Can unarmed states prohibit nuclear weapons?
Guess what terrifies nations armed with the most powerful weapons ever invented? Believe it or not a mere UN conference to ban them, which began on 27 March in New York. This gathering of nations without nuclear weapons to negotiate a “legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons, leading towards their total ...View from India: Pak may want to think twice about US mediation
Donald Trump, deal-maker. That’s how the president of the United States has long branded himself. But his tenure as deal-maker-in-chief has not gotten off to a great start. Whether it is the defiance of North Korea’s Kim Jong Un in conducting missile tests or Syria’s Bashar al-Assad using chemical weapons, Trump has ...China benefits from nuclear disorder
The rise in global nuclear disorder and its increasing disconnect from world order is epitomized in the nuclear weapon programmes of two weak and potentially failing states Pakistan and North Korea. While both these countries might understandably perceive some advantage to having acquired nuclear weapons, the real beneficiary is China. Beijing’s ...North-East Asia goes dangerously ballistic
If there was any doubt that North-East Asia has become the most dangerous place on earth, with the prospect of a nuclear exchange, then recent events provide ample evidence that the region has attained this dubious distinction. Additionally, a new UN report, which went practically unnoticed, revealed that North Korea has continued ...Indo-US naval cooperation: steady as she goes?
The US and Indian navies could carry out ‘benign naval and maritime activity’ during periods of diplomatic strain. In the ever-expanding universe of Indo-US cooperation, perhaps the brightest and most alluring star is the deepening partnership between the Indian and US navies. Consider two recent pronouncements: First, admiral Harry Harris, the commander ...Trump’s new trade tax in uncharted territory
The proposed border tax adjustment policy deviates from the conventional WTO-consistent regime. US President Donald Trump is expected to announce his new tax policy, with lower corporate tax and a border tax adjustment (BTA) scheme. In addition to recent Bills pertaining to BTA introduced in the US Congress, the Republican Party’s House ...Can Trump really value a strong, independent India?
The US capital is a strange place these days. The District of Columbia’s coffee shops are running a brisk business, attending to a steady stream of ex-Obama administration officials and patient federal government employees awaiting policy direction from on high. Many members of the Republican policy firmament appear alienated, some bitterly so. ...A disrupter’s guide to India’s defence budget
While India’s defence budget is now the fourth largest in the world, it is not providing adequate bang for the buck The latest Union budget unveiled on 1 February by finance minister Arun Jaitley has been widely commended as a “defining” and “watershed” moment, as providing “stability and predictability”, and as being ...What Trump’s TPP withdrawal means for India
In one of his first acts upon assuming office, Donald Trump signed a presidential memorandum confirming the U.S. withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). This move did not come as a surprise. As a presidential candidate, Trump had vociferously campaigned against what he described as bad or unfair trade agreements that the ...Passing the baton: what to watch in the Donald Trump regime
With Donald Trump taking over as US President from Barack Obama, what legacy does he inherit? How could the change in administration in Washington affect India, directly or indirectly? Bilateral Issues Immigration: Trump campaigned on anti-immigration sentiment, but sometimes tried to make an exception for high-skilled immigration, which includes the H-1B visa ...Global trends: discontinuity and disruption – risks and challenges...
Key global trends include rising income, climate change, growing cyber dependency, ageing population, artificial intelligence, and the changing nature of conflict Last week, two events held the world spellbound: one featuring outgoing US President Barack Obama was a cerebral, dignified and solemn affair while at the other guttural, farcical and burlesque circus, ...Barack Obama leaves a mixed legacy: impressive handling of the US economy...
Eight years ago, on a freezing January morning, I stood with over a million people on the National Mall in Washington DC to watch a 47-year-old African-American senator become the 44th US president. There was a pervasive sense at the time, particularly among young, highly educated and urban Americans, that Barack Obama ...How Donald Trump may re-negotiate the TPP
In a recent video message, US president-elect Donald Trump announced certain actions he would take on the first day of his administration. On the Trans-Pacific Partnership, he said: “I am going to issue our notification of intent to withdraw from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a potential disaster for our country. Instead, we ...Trump’s decision on Trans-Pacific Partnership gives India some...
Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) was a landmark trade deal driven by US which spanned 12 Pacific Rim countries, excluding China. It was viewed as President Barack Obama’s strategy to set more ambitious trade rules and preserve US dominance. In keeping with his election promise, President-elect Donald Trump said he would undo TPP on ...How to tame a dragon: To deal with Chinese muscle in a post-American...
The election of Donald Trump as US president has unleashed further uncertainty on a world already in considerable flux. Trump has promised economic protectionism, reversals on immigration and militarism against terrorists, but has outlined few concrete policies. Much will depend on his cabinet appointments and his ability to work with US Congress ...‘India should be less worried about trade with US than others’
Dhruva Jaishankar, Fellow, Foreign Policy, Brookings India, tells Aditi Phadnis of the Business Standard that India should take advantage of Donald Trump’s election as US President and shape an outcome to its advantage. Edited excerpts: After a long hiatus, a Republican has become the President of the United States. And it is ...India, meet President Trump
For India, there are naturally opportunities in Trump’s election, but concerns over his Asian policy cannot be brushed aside With the election of Donald Trump, we have seen the biggest shock to US politics in 70 years. Trump was given only a slim chance of victory. He had no previous experience as a public servant and few detailed ...Uncertainty and unpredictability about Trump’s presidency
Dhruva Jaishankar spoke to Quint and BloombergQuint on what having Donald Trump as the next U.S. President means for India. The election of Donald J Trump as the 45th President of the United States was a surprise to many people in America and around the world. While there will be a lot of ...With Trump’s victory, American exceptionalism came to an end
Fifteen years ago, I came to the United States as an undergraduate student. A few weeks after my arrival, I watched the World Trade Center’s twin towers collapse live on television from my dormitory in Minnesota. Two years after that, stuck in a snowstorm in Colorado, I watched America plunge headfirst into ...Brics Summit overshadowed by “how to isolate Pakistan” agenda
Instead of using the Brics summit to push for greater economic growth and a greater global governance role, India sought to use it more for dealing with Pakistan Hosting international summits inevitably offers a country the opportunity to lead the agenda and provide leadership to the meeting; enhance the institution’s role in ...Pew survey results heartening for government but should not lead to...
What does India think? This is a question that those of us who work on policy issues outside of government are often expected to answer. A country as big and diverse as India is naturally home to a wide variety of views. Often, we tend to reflect the positions of our peers, ...India’s bid for “regionalism” in South Asia and what it...
The killing of 18 Indian soldiers on Sunday, which New Delhi blames on Pakistan-based militants, is just the latest incident to drive a wedge between the two countries. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has spent his first two years in office engaging his Pakistani counterpart, Nawaz Sharif. In an unprecedented move, Sharif was ...Why Hillary is a safe bet for India
The field is set. With the formal anointing of party nominees at the Republican and Democratic Party conventions in July, either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump is certain to be the next U.S. president. This match-up is remarkable for several reasons. Trump would be the first U.S. leader in over a half ...China’s reaction to Hague ruling could have negative impact on other...
China’s shrill and bellicose response during and after the ruling has only served to heighten alarm over Beijing’s intentions and behaviour among all the major powers, including India The ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague against China’s claim on the South China Sea in a case brought ...The South China Sea arbitration ruling, and why it matters to India
The future of the South China Sea has global implications, as jurisdiction over a few seemingly minor islands legitimises control over vast amounts of sea On Tuesday, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague released its much-awaited ruling on a case brought by the Philippines against China on the South China Sea disputes. ...As China’s Pakistan ties deepen, India needs a strategy to mitigate...
Much of what we have seen in the strengthened China-Pakistan alignment in the last decade is a reaction to the rise of India. Andrew Small, a former journalist who is now a fellow at the German Marshall Fund in the United States, has written a detailed and well researched book on a ...Here’s how the future of the South China Sea will have global...
On Tuesday, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague released its much-awaited ruling on a case brought by the Philippines against China on the South China Sea disputes. The decision marks the most high-profile development concerning the overlapping and intensifying territorial disputes, which directly involve China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, ...Brexit, missile control and India
A diminished England, sans nuclear weapons, coupled with a fragmenting Europe, is unlikely to play its traditional role of shaping norms Two recent though unrelated events are likely to significantly impact the evolving global order and India’s role in it. The first was the unfortunate and histrionic referendum, which will lead to ...Divided, volatile world ahead
Brexit could not have come at a worse time. The world is a risky place, and many problems can only be addressed through global institutions and international cooperation. On the face of it, Brexit will not materially impact the energy market and, in particular, the efforts to weaken the linkage between fossil ...Brexit: The first major casualty of digital democracy
In the aftermath of the United Kingdom's vote to leave the European Union, we are left with more questions than answers. Dhruva Jaishankar writes that with all the questions about what happens next, there's a bigger question worth asking: What are the implications of Brexit for democracy? Arguably, Brexit represents the first ...
Critical Seoul NSG meet will have reverberations for India’s...
NSG meeting is no less important, for the potential implications it could have for relations between India and China writes Dhruva Jaishankar A decision by the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) on June 23-24 – as to whether to include India as a member – may be overshadowed in international media by other ...India’s underpowered foreign policy
Narendra Modi government needs to work with several other constituents, including state governments, corporate sector, think tanks and civil society writes WPS SIdhu At the end of its second year in office, the foreign policy performance of the Narendra Modi government resembles that of a gleaming Ferrari powered by a frugal Ambassador ...Can India’s Think Tanks Be Truly Effective?
If there is one big challenge that all think tanks face it is measuring their effectiveness writes Dhruva Jaishankar I have worked for much of the past decade in, or with, think tanks in both the US and in India, and am regularly confronted with misperceptions and misapprehensions about the sector. What ...What the Nuclear Security Summits mean for South Africa
WPS Sidhu provides an in-depth analysis of South Africa’s nuclear position and the ramification of Nuclear Security Summits on South Africa The Nuclear Security Summit (NSS) process – to prevent non-state actors, particularly terrorists, from acquiring nuclear material – was launched with fanfare in 2010 by US President Barack Obama with a single ambitious objective ‘to ...The Brussels syndrome
There needs to be an international consensus on zero tolerance for all terrorism, as advocated by India and several other countries writes WPS Sidhu. “What we had feared has come to pass,” said Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel on 22 March. Like the Stockholm syndrome a phenomenon in which hostages express sympathy ...Dr Barack versus President Obama
Barack Obama’s foreign policy reflects a moral duality that has befuddled friends and enemies alike Barack Obama’s foreign policy, like the main character in Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novella The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, reflects a moral duality that has befuddled friends and enemies alike and will complicate ...A tale of an election and a selection
Unless the P5 recognize that a weak and inept leader challenges their own legitimacy, the UN will be encumbered by a powerless leader writes WPS Sidhu This year will witness at least two leadership transitions of great international significance, including for India. The first is the election of the 45th president of ...Xi Jinping’s strategic Middle East gambit
The Chinese president’s visit to Iran (after summits in Saudi Arabia and Egypt) is of strategic significance. What is the difference between India and China’s strategic partnerships with Iran? Over $35 billion per year (the gap between India’s and China’s annual bilateral trade with Iran, which stands at $15 billion and $50 ...The global implications of Barack Obama’s speech
The US president’s swan song has eloquently, though incompletely, spelt out an ambitious but essential vision for a new world order The annual state of the union (SOTU) address by the sitting president to the US Congress is invariably a laundry list of the government’s legislative agenda aimed primarily at a domestic ...What drives South Asians to peacekeeping?
Germany’s international broadcaster, Deutsche Welle (DW), quotes Brookings India Non-Resident Senior Fellow WPS Sidhu extensively on how Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and Nepal are among the top contributors to UN peacekeeping missions across the world. What are the factors driving these “relatively poor” nations to send troops to work under the UN flag? Waheguru ...India has played a significant role in shaping 3 key deals in 2015
2015 will be remembered for bold initiatives at the bilateral, plurilateral and multilateral level As 2015 draws to an end, it will be remembered for bold initiatives and done deals at the bilateral, plurilateral and multilateral level, which will flourish or flounder depending on how successfully they are implemented. Almost all of ...Avoiding a cop out in Paris
Three of the most exciting initiatives have emerged on the sidelines of the official deliberations, and Indians have played a prominent role in all of them Ever since Charles Lindbergh landed at Le Bourget Field at the end of his epochal maiden solo, non-stop transatlantic flight between New York and Paris in ...Cities become battlefields of terrorism as world continues to urbanise
The recent series of dastardly and heinous attacks in places as dispersed as Baghdad, Beirut, Bamako, Kabul and Paris by myriad terrorist outfits ranging from the Taliban to Islamic State and al-Qaeda hold several important lessons for international efforts to counter terrorism. First, cities, especially those with a significant international presence (such ...Africa: The indispensible continent for India?
Despite the Narendra Modi government’s foreign policy hyper-activism, Africa has remained a neglected continent for India. When the India-Africa Forum Summit (IAFS), originally scheduled for December 2014 in New Delhi, was postponed ostensibly on account of the deadly Ebola crisis sweeping West Africa, this perception was confirmed for many Africa-watchers. However, the ...UN missions bedrock of India’s military engagement and assistance to...
India must have a serious dialogue with African countries on its role in future peacekeeping operations on the continent. India’s participation in the United Nations Peacekeeping Operations (UNPKO) is probably without parallel; it has been one of the largest contributors of peacekeepers and has suffered the most casualties in the process. Eighty per ...Private sector, state government, civil society can take India-Africa...
With over 40 African heads of governments and states attending, the third India-Africa Forum Summ (IAFS) being held in New Delhi is the biggest foreign policy event hosted by India in more than three decades. While this process was partly in response to initiatives by other emerging powers, particularly the Forum on ...Africa, the indispensable continent for India
Four ways in which India and Africa matter to each other The third (IAFS) in New Delhi this week, with over 40 African heads of governments and states attending, will be the biggest foreign policy event hosted by India in more than three decades. While this process was partly in response to initiatives ...Great power dance at the United Nations
Coupled with the re-engagement of existing and emerging powers with the proceedings, the UNGA is becoming an important venue for a great power dance Time was when the annual United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) jamboree in New York was an entertaining but worthless talkfest used by leaders such as Hugo Chavez, Muammar ...SGDs: India’s potential path to global power
Fact: India is home to more than 30% of the world’s extremely poor people Fact: Uttar Pradesh accounts for 8% of world’s population living in extreme poverty Fact: 8 Indian states have more poor than 25 of the poorest countries in Africa Fact: There are 66 million poor people in UP alone, more ...From Pittsburgh to Antalya
The G-20 may have to revert to its crisis management role, but in more complex conditions The G-20 finance ministers and Central Bank governors meeting took place last Friday and Saturday in Ankara, Turkey. The group’s summit meeting will be held in Antalya in mid-November, seven years after the 2008 summit in ...Space: securing India’s final frontier
The launch of the GSLV–D6 powered by an indigenous cryogenic engine is a game-changer Even as the country was agog with a salacious society murder and an indefensible regional protest over reservations, which hogged the electronic bandwidth and the print media, an event of strategic import crucial to secure India’s space frontier ...Chinese tremors
China’s path to global economic leadership is bound to be marked by episodes of turbulence Recent developments in the Chinese financial sector have raised concerns globally about another looming crisis. Fears about a currency war have been expressed and equity markets in both emerging and developed economies have plunged. These views are ...UNSC: Misreading an opportunity
Recent news reports would have us believe that India’s chances for a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) have been scuppered even before they began by the very countries that promised to support its case when the reality is the other way around. This is tantamount to reading a ...Revealing the real strategic significance of BRICS
The recently concluded twin summits in Ufa – the summits of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) grouping and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) – are a strategic milestone for the emerging global order. The outcomes of these summits also hold significance for India’s future role in it. While ...Strategic Importance of Ufa Summits
The recently concluded twin summits in Ufa, Russia of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) grouping and the SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) are a strategic milestone for the emerging global order and India’s role in it for several reasons. First, host Russia sought to use the summits to vindicate ...Brics: Shaping a New World order, Finally
From the 6th Brics (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit at Fortaleza to the forthcoming seventh Brics summit in Ufa this week, this unlikely grouping first conceived as an investment portfolio is increasingly reflecting the desire and limited ability to shape a new world order. This is a significant feat ...Keeping peace among peacekeepers
The word peacekeeping does not appear anywhere in the Charter of the UN. Yet, ever since the first peacekeeping operation was launched in May 1948 in the Middle East, that one word evokes the very raison d’etre of the world body. Since then the UN has deployed 70 peacekeeping operations with some ...Looking ahead: The next 365 days
By most accounts Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has notched up a good year in the foreign policy realm, with Modi himself being the principle planner and implementer of the most significant initiatives. Even his most ardent political critics have acknowledged the energy and vigour he has displayed while globetrotting around capitals ...What the Iran nuclear deal means for India
The Iran deal or the “Parameters for a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) Regarding the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Nuclear Program”, to use the wordy official moniker has been evaluated by most experts in only nuclear terms and measured in the number of centrifuges and Tehran’s break-out timeline to build a ...The Big Deal
This column first appeared in the Indian Express, on January 29, 2015. Like other products of the Brookings Institution India Center, this is intended to contribute to discussion and stimulate debate on important issues. The views are those of the author. Nuclear cooperation between the United States and India, starting with the July 18, 2005 ...The Bilateral Imperative
This column first appeared in Business Standard, on January 25, 2015. Like other products of the Brookings Institution India Center, this is intended to contribute to discussion and stimulate debate on important issues. The views are those of the author. During the five-year period 2003-08, even as the world economy was barrelling along, three countries ...Greek tragedy – Act II?
This column first appeared in Business Standard, on January 11, 2015. Like other products of the Brookings Institution India Center, this is intended to contribute to discussion and stimulate debate on important issues. The views are those of the author. Developments in Europe have dominated the headlines over the past couple of weeks, and not ...Learning the art of deal-making
This column first appeared in Mint, on December 8, 2014. Like other products of the Brookings Institution India Center, this is intended to contribute to discussion and stimulate debate on important issues. The views are those of the author. Three recent bilateral agreements have the potential to dramatically change India’s relations with major powers and ...Saarc: building a constellation of stars?
This column first appeared in Mint, on November 23, 2014. Like other products of the Brookings Institution India Center, this is intended to contribute to discussion and stimulate debate on important issues. The views are those of the author. With squabbling members and embarrassingly poor integration there are few expectations for the 18th summit of ...War, peace and international order
This column first appeared in Mint, on November 9, 2014. Like other products of the Brookings Institution India Center, this is intended to contribute to discussion and stimulate debate on important issues. The views are those of the author. The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of this year will mark ...Modi’s delivery challenges
By all accounts Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US was triumphal: both in purely investment terms and in terms of the lofty rhetoric and unprecedented public buzz that his outings generated. The former, according to the US-India Business Council, will yield an investment of over $41 billion over the next ...Rhetoric signifying something
This column first appeared in the Indian Express, on October 6, 2014. Like other products of the Brookings Institution India Center, this is intended to contribute to discussion and stimulate debate on important issues. The views are those of the authors. Only the most churlish would argue that the prime minister’s visit to the US was ...Modi’s prayer at the multilateral altar
This column first appeared in Mint, on September 29, 2014. Like other products of the Brookings Institution India Center, this is intended to contribute to discussion and stimulate debate on important issues. The views are those of the authors. The inevitable hype over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the US, particularly the impressive line up ...Energy: A Solid Pillar upon which to Build India-U.S. Relations
In this India-U.S. Policy Memo, Vikram Singh Mehta emphasizes the importance of energy as a solid pillar for building and consolidating India-U.S. relations and identifies three ways in which the two countries can cooperate further.The merits of going nuclear with China
This column first appeared in Mint, on September 15, 2014. Like other products of the Brookings Institution India Center, this is intended to contribute to discussion and stimulate debate on important issues. The views are solely those of the author. The maiden visit of Chinese President Xi Jingping to India this week, following close on ...Lessons not to emulate from Japan
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s maiden visit to Japan coincides with his 100 days in office and underlines his foreign policy emphasis on deeds (particularly deliverables) rather than words or highfalutin rhetoric (without concrete results). Predictably then the focus of the Japan trip has been on specific deliverables in trade, investment, energy and ...A brave new nuclear deterrence world?
Since the dawn of nuclear weapons in 1945 two axioms have dominated the discourse: one, only nuclear weapons could deter other nuclear weapons. Two, as conventional conflict would inevitably escalate to a nuclear level the primary objective of the military in nuclear-armed states was to avert wars. Thus, Cold War relations were ...A transformative India-US dialogue?
This column first appeared in Mint, on August 4, 2014. Like all products of the Brookings Institution India Center, this is intended to contribute to discussion and stimulate debate on important issues. The views are solely those of the author. Opinion on the recently concluded fifth India-US strategic dialogue ranged from it being a dramatic “transformative ...Just another set of BRICS in the wall?
There is supreme irony that the genesis of the self-consciously anti-western BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) grouping came from the most evocative symbol of the western liberal economic world the head of an investment bank’s asset management unit, Jim O’Neill of Goldman Sachs. This underlies, on the one hand, ...Just Another Set of BRICS in the Wall ?
Waheguru Pal Singh Sidhu outlines how due to inherent contradictions within the group and open competition between China and India, BRICS might not be the ideal vehicle for the five countries to become part of and shape the emerging world order.
Why multilateralism matters for India
Conventional wisdom suggests that great powers and aspiring great powers prefer bilateralism to multilateralism or plurilateralism; they consider the former a characteristic of the strong and regard the latter only as the privilege of the weak. India is no exception. Yet, multilateralism offers a useful path for countries to emerge as great ...Iraq: Modi’s black swan moment
In the grand scheme of candidate, and now prime minister, Narendra Modi ‘Iraq’ never featured either benignly or as a potential cause of concern. Yet, these four letters, coupled with the dreaded acronym ISIS (variously elaborated as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria or the Islamic State of Iraq and the ...Iraq: Modi’s Black Swan Moment
In this article, W.P.S. Sidhu talks about the crisis in Iraq and how the kidnapping of the Indian hostages by ISIS caught the Modi administration off-guard. He concludes, however, that this crisis might provide just the right incentive to rework India’s policy to the Middle East.US & India: Hope of deliverance
Initiatives by US President Barack Obama and Prime Minisiter Narendra Modi, leaders of the world’s biggest democracies, last fortnight evoked dramatically contrasting reactions: it appeared that the former could do no right while the latter could do no wrong. Obama’s major foreign policy speech at West Point Academy; the Taliban prisoners for Sargent Bowe Bergdahl exchange; the ...Narendra Modi’s Foreign Policy
*This column first appeared in Mint, on May 25, 2014. All views are personal. Brookings India does not hold an institutional view on any subject. Narendra Modi’s ambitious development plan, anchored in investment, infrastructure and job creation, requires two fundamental external conditions. First, ensuring a no-war environment, particularly in India’s immediate neighbourhood ...Foreign policy: continuity, not change
On the last day of polling in India’s 16th general elections the final phase of which witnessed vicious, communal and extremely local campaigning in one corner of a single state one could be forgiven for concluding that foreign policy has no role in India’s future direction. Nothing could be further from reality. ...Updating India’s nuclear doctrine
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will “study in detail India’s nuclear doctrine, and revise and update it, to make it relevant to challenges of current times.” (Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat, BJP’s 2014 election manifesto). Unsurprisingly, these words have perturbed international strategic experts. Everyone remembers how the party delivered on its 1998 manifesto ...Saudi Arabia, Iran and a three-way tango
If India is serious about being everyone’s ally in the Persian Gulf, it will have to engineer a rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran In a deft diplomatic dance last week India simultaneously hosted Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the defence minister of Saudi Arabia, and Mohammad Javad Zarif, the foreign minister ...Perils of preserving the ancien régime
The old order changeth yielding place to new… (The Passing of Arthur) Despite the veracity of this maxim, existing members of the old nuclear order, which is closely intertwined with the world order even today, are challenging the inevitability of this line from Alfred Tennyson’s classic poem. In doing so, the original ...India’s travails when peace talks fail
The spectacular failure of the Syrians on both the political and humanitarian fronts has put India’s objectives in jeopardy and reflects the perils of failed negotiations We all came out to Montreux, on the Lake Geneva shoreline, to make records with a mobile, we didn’t have much time… Deep Purple, “Smoke on ...Hearing echoes of 1914 in 2014
The spread of power centres all over the word (rather than its concentration in Europe as was the case in 1914) may prevent global war Noted Oxford historian Margaret MacMillan in a thoughtful essay titled The Rhyme of History identifies several worrying trends from the eve of the First World War in 1914, which ...