Momentous developments are taking place in Europe. In elections in Greece, France and Germany, Europeans expressed dissent against austerity policies adopted by their government to combat the economic crisis in Europe. How will these results affect the future of European policy-making?
Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons/Gunkarta
As India and the world welcome the recent democratization of Myanmar, this presents India an opportunity to increase its access to South East Asian countries as well, especially with members of ASEAN which still have catching up to do – particularly Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.
Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons/Tage Olsin, Hofres
Few people know that Sweden was severely affected by the 2008 global economic crisis. However, the Swedish government adopted prudent fiscal and monetary policies to overcome the situation. The author discusses the factors that helped Sweden to acquit itself so creditably in the most challenging of circumstances.
Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons/Htoo Tay Zar
The West is quick to claim that their sanctions against Myanmar have forced the government to implement political and economic reforms in the country. However, such bans do not usually achieve their stated purpose of forcing regimes to change their behavior.
Courtesy: Flickr/freeedomania
By forcing regime change in Libya, and attempting the same in Syria, and by promiscuously arming disparate groups of Wahabbis and Salafists to achieve this aim, NATO is creating more room for instability in the region. What Syria needs is engagement, not isolation; it needs dialogue and not the arming of rebels.
Courtesy: Ministry of Defence, India
India must revisit the need for a unified command structure, to effectively use the enormous combat power it is developing at such astronomical cost. A balanced force-restructuring based on operational needs can enable the armed forces to project itself as a single, viable, effective war machine.
Courtesy: PascalSubtil/Flickr
At times of declining growth rates and marginal economic reforms, there is a need for leaders in India to balance their needs with their budgets. With the absence of a comprehensive national security doctrine, can India afford high-cost acquisitions like the MMRCA deal?
Courtesy: PMO
India seems to be treading down the path of fruitless populism that has crippled many countries in the past, most notably in Latin America. Can populism be channeled to produce tangible and sustainable results?
Courtesy: Brasília-DF
Brazil and India’s commonalities are truly striking – multi-party coalitions, strong regional powers, and pressures between the executive, legislative and judicial pillars – and bilateral ties have recently acquired greater content. Can Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff’s visit give bilateral ties a further boost?
India and Brazil have declared inclusive development an imperative and have engineered creative solutions to meet their developmental challenges. But both also face many obstacles to equitable development. Can the upcoming BRICS Summit in New Delhi help drive a new development agenda?