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The U.S. has finally ended its outdated policy of isolating Cuba.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.

US elections Courtesy: wikimedia
5 November 2014

What the U.S. mid-term polls foretell

The Republicans emerged as the clear victors in the U.S. mid-term elections on November 4, taking control of both Houses of Congress. How will this outcome, which has made President Obama’s task more complicated, impact American foreign policy? What are the implications for India? Gateway House analyses the results

Hong Kongers Courtesy: eurosouth-hub.net
10 October 2014

Hong Kong’s identity crisis

China’s rise as an economic power has meant that Hong Kong has lost its edge as the East’s international centre for business. This decline combined with Beijing’s efforts to cement control over the city has led to protests that have an underlying theme of Hong Kong wanting to chart its own path under the “one country two-systems” policy

marina silva Courtesy: wikimedia commons
10 September 2014

The rise of Marina Silva

Brazilian president Dilma Rouseff's bid for re-election has been ambushed in just two weeks by activist Marina Silva who is now predicted to win the October elections. If elected, Marina is likely to continue with the pro-poor policies of the current government, and she has already shown a keen interest in foreign policy. PM Modi will find Marina more proactive and forthcoming than Rouseff

images Courtesy: fcpamericas.com
4 September 2014

Poverty and politics

The credit for significant poverty reduction achieved in the last decade in Latin America goes to the pro-poor policies of the leftist governments. The Left is expected to be voted back to power in the October elections to be held in Brazil, Uruguay and Bolivia. The increase in affordability power is good news for the Indian companies who are exporting goods to the region

buddhist-monk-myanmar_Virathu Courtesy: paula bronstein/getty images/file
26 August 2014

Buddhist-Muslim violence in Myanmar

An alarming pattern of complicity of the government officials in the anti-Muslim violence in Myanmar are emerging. This trend is detrimental for emerging democracy and gives rise to the question that these cases are a diversionary tactic to draw the attention away from the real issue of stalling democratic reforms

japan_india_flag Courtesy: Gateway House
26 August 2014

Modi in Japan: great expectations

A lot has been written about the Modi-Abe equation and expectations are high from the upcoming Tokyo summit. Despite the bonhomie shared by the two leaders much work needs to be done on the civil nuclear deal as well as defence cooperation to arrive at a substantive and fruitful relationship