celac2 Courtesy: Martinmartin/WikimediaCommons
29 June 2012

Regional integration in Latin America and the Caribbean

Latin America is witnessing an exponential rise in regional integration of business houses. The resource-rich nature of most Latin American economies has led to an inward concentration of investment, which makes it an extremely interesting prospect for Indian investors.

piracy piece Courtesy: BlatantWorld.com/Flickr
27 June 2012

Piracy: A dangerous eco-system

The concern with piracy is in our waters is three-fold: the threat to Indian-owned vessels and Indian citizens; the difficulty in dealing with piracy and hostage-taking on the high seas; and finally, squeezing the organized industry. Can India play a leadership role in this effort?

tightrope india us Courtesy: The White House
13 June 2012

Iran tests India’s policy

Apart from bilateral ties, also at play at the India-U.S. Strategic dialogue is the difficult triangulation in India’s relations with the U.S. and Iran. It does not serve India to get enmeshed in the U.S-Iran confrontation. Instead, the relationship must develop on the basis of realpolitik and mutual interest.

pacific alliance pic Courtesy: ESO/WikimediaCommons
12 June 2012

The Pacific Alliance, yet another bloc in Latin America

The newly-formed Pacific Alliance bloc seems more like a political club to counterbalance the Atlantic-facing, Brazil-led Mercosur group. However, the bloc accounts for 30% of India’s trade with Latin America. Can India engage the group so it is not left out from their Asia focus?

rio 20 Courtesy: rio20.net
6 June 2012

Return to Rio: Debating sustainable development

In one of the biggest gatherings of its kind, world leaders will attend the Rio+20 summit to discuss sustainable development. The summit will take the environmental debate a step forward by helping create viable partnerships between countries to address issues of energy, water and other essential resources.

Can BRICS swaps save the rupee copy Courtesy: Flickr/t3rmin4t0r
1 June 2012

The case for BRICS swaps

Banks around the globe would be wise to take a second look at what now could be the most significant agreement in international finance since the Euro: the BRICS currency swap. Though certain geopolitical risks are involved, could this free India from unpredictable currency fluctuations?

616px-Swedish_flag_with_blue_sky_behind_ausschnitt Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons/Tage Olsin, Hofres
15 May 2012

Why is Sweden number one?

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.

Brics_Summit_-_2012 copy Courtesy: Saurabh Das/AP Photo
30 March 2012

BRICS: Moving in the right direction?

The 4th BRICS Summit in New Delhi has brought a new dimension to emerging markets. The author explains why the summit was perhaps the most significant of the BRICS meetings so far – and one that should have the developed world really worried about their eroding position at the top of the global heap.

dilma rousseff Courtesy: Brasília-DF
22 March 2012

Brazil: Distant yet similar and now a partner

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?