mayawati Courtesy:
2 March 2012

The Makeover of Mayawati

Uttar Pradesh (UP) is going to the polls this month and the results will have implications even beyond India. However, Mayawati, the Chief Minister of UP, will encounter big challenges for re-election as the state faces major problems such as poverty and an inefficient education structure.

5564587370_fb077e785f Courtesy: freeedomania/Flickr
29 February 2012

Where is Syria headed?

As the al-Assad regime faces increasing international pressure to step down from power, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad attempted to make political reforms recently. However, Syria has strong relations within West Asia and the denouement will profoundly impact developments in this region.

China, What Nixon wrought Courtesy: White House Photographer/Wikimedia Commons
23 February 2012

China: What Nixon wrought

Forty years ago, former President of the United States Richard Nixon made a visit to China that has perhaps changed the whole gamut of U.S.-China relations. In the following years, China witnessed the rise of a significant middle class and became the world's second largest economy.

kayani mullen Courtesy: U.S.ArmedForces/WikimediaCommons
30 December 2011

Pakistan: Mired in Politcal Miasma

The 'memogate' fiasco in Pakistan highlights, yet again, the tensions that exist between the country’s political establishment and the Pakistan Army. While the final acts of this maneuvering are being played out, will the all-powerful Army continue to push the civilian government into a corner?

imran kkhan Courtesy: Jawad Zakariya/WikimediaCommons
30 December 2011

Imran Khan: Yet another messiah?

Imran Khan, leader of the Pakistani political party Tehreek-e-Insaaf, means well, and has the support of many in his country. But without any solid reforms manifesto, and almost no one in his party to implement his plan, what really are his chances in the upcoming elections?

manipur Courtesy: Manipur Police/WikimediaCommons
22 December 2011

Look to Manipur before looking East

What have economic blockades in India's North East achieved? For one, they choked off the supply chain of an already isolated region. With Myanmar showing signs of warming towards India, New Delhi must establish ties with its eastern neighbour, but first, it needs to fix Manipur’s broken socio-political landscape.

monus wahhabi piece Courtesy: White House photo/WikimediaCommons
29 November 2011

NATO vs Shias: A geopolitical miscalculation

The Wahhabis, who now merit NATO backing, continue on their global mission of converting the Muslim Ummah to its relatively harsh and antediluvian ways of thinking and living. For NATO, this is a geopolitical miscalculation that will have tragic security consequences for the alliance within a decade.