ASEAN-PIC Courtesy: Khem Sovannara/AFP/Getty Images
17 November 2022

ASEAN: Congruity with contradiction

Cambodia’s chairmanship of ASEAN exposed the grouping’s inherent incongruities and cleavages, despite its best intentions. To be taken seriously by its partners, ASEAN needs to first take itself seriously and adhere to the core of its charter.

Stalemate in Myanmar Courtesy: Ye Aung Thu/AFP
10 November 2022

The continuing stalemate in Myanmar

Nearly two years after the military coup in Myanmar, tensions remain, with no domestic or international solution in sight. Despite these setbacks, the Myanmarese people's commitment to democracy has not faltered. As they did a decade ago, the Myanmar elite and leadership of both camps must once again use resilience and pragmatism to craft a way out of the current crisis.

Members of a pro-Russian association support a decision of the Kharkiv city council to make the Russian language official in the city. From left to right, their placards say: "[City] Councillors! Ensure language equality. Don't forsake your fellow Slavs!" "For half of the population of Ukraine - Russian is a native language!" "Authorities - bring back the Russian [language] schools!" "Russian language [is] not foreign! And we [are] not foreigners!" Courtesy: Gennadiy Makarov/Wikimedia Commons
3 November 2022

The battle for Russian language in Ukraine

Language, nationality, and belonging have always been contentious issues in Ukraine. At least until February 2022, Russian remained the main language of business in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, as well as the main lingua in the streets. Now there’s a parallel battle ongoing to eliminate the Russian language from Ukraine.

Moutai PNG Courtesy: The Economic Times
27 October 2022

China’s new corporate top dogs

A quick look at the list of top Chinese companies shows that the vaunted private sector has receded and the state-owned giants now dominate. Under the new Xi Jinping regime, they are unlikely to relinquish their position. What does this mean for China – and for India?

Modi Hasina Image Courtesy: PTI
15 September 2022

India-Bangladesh is a model bilateral

Delhi and Dhaka are fully conscious that they must get this vital equation right, constantly strengthening and deepening their cooperation and countering the challenges they face. In this, the contributions of the Sheikh Hasina government in nurturing the special ‘bonding’ is enormous and widely appreciated.

Russia Central Asia Migrants Courtesy: Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation
8 September 2022

Central Asians are central to Russia’s economy

An estimated 9 million Central Asians reside and work in Russia, and almost every major city in the country is dependent on their labour. It’s a marriage of convenience but beneficial all around. Russia gets modernised infrastructure, while remittances bring in much-needed capital to Central Asia.

SCO Climate Courtesy: Erkin Bolzhurov/World Bank
8 September 2022

SCO needs proactive climate action

The SCO climate change initiatives to mitigate soaring temperatures, recurring droughts, and floods, glacial melts, and desiccation of the Aral Sea, are inadequate. Large swathes of Central Asia are hotspots for human migration due to a lack of freshwater resulting in pressure in a few habitable regions.