m Courtesy: Reuters/Soe Zeya Tun
19 March 2015

Will Myanmar return to its violent past?

The Thein Sein government’s initial successes in Myanmar have eroded, as it vacillates between reform and a return to an authoritarian past. The violent suppression of student protestors this month will further impact the president’s re-election later this year. But will a new government continue the reforms and honour peace agreements with ethnic groups?

Under the dome_India's daughter Courtesy: YouTube
12 March 2015

India, China and censorship

In the past week two documentaries that went viral in China and India were banned. In China, a documentary about pollution. In India, a documentary about the Nirbhaya rape incident in 2012. India's decision to ban the film suggests that the government's approach to censorship is starting to look more like China's

mexico bollywood Courtesy: NPR
26 February 2015

Mexican inspiration for Bollywood

Mexican director Alejendra Inarritu’s Oscar for his work on Birdman comes after his compatriot won the same category award in 2014. This is a matter of pride for the Mexican film industry which is undergoing a renaissance in the last fifteen years. Although Indian cinema dwarfs the Mexican film industry, Mexico’s success in Hollywood should hold as inspiration for Bollywood

Latin America AAP Courtesy:
16 February 2015

Latin American lessons for AAP

The nature of the sweeping victory of AAP and Kejriwal may be unprecedented in India but not in Latin America. In Brazil, Mexico and Colombia, there are lessons for AAP and Arvind Kejriwal as they assume power in New Delhi – and also for the Congress Party as well as the BJP

Rajapaksa Courtesy: Wikipedia.org
15 January 2015

Mahinda Rajapaksa: down but not out

Incumbent Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa lost to his opponent Maithripala Sirisena in the recent elections. The reasons have been attributed to nepotism and dwindling support from the Sinhala community. With considerable challenges awaiting the new government, it would be wise to not rule out a return of Mahinda

Fidel Castro with Nixon Courtesy: Getty Images
19 December 2014

Cuba: end of isolation

The U.S. has finally ended its outdated policy of isolating Cuba. It is a triumph for the proud and courageous Cubans who have withstood so many overt and covert destabilisation attempts by the U.S. It is also a victory for Latin America which has opposed the U.S. embargo and advocated normalization of relations with Cuba

Taiwan-China-Flag Courtesy: aiaworldwide
11 December 2014

Taiwan’s centrality in Asian geopolitics

Internal power struggles within the Chinese CCP has allowed the People's Liberation Army a greater role in setting China's foreign policy. This has significant implications for the region because the status quo between China and Taiwan needs to be maintained to ensure stability in Asia and to avoid of future conflicts.