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South Africa has just celebrated the 30th anniversary of its epic elections in 1994 which marked the end of apartheid rule. President de Klerk and Nelson Mandela avoided the expected bloodbath but, since then, the ruling African National Congress has not done well. Because the very qualities which make insurgent groups and liberation movements successful, are not the ones that make effective national governments.
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The burgeoning of international students in Australian private and state universities are a source of consternation and contention for Canberra. Though student visas are misused, specific skilled migrants are still needed, and the fees paid by these students fund essential university research. Regulators are clamping down hard, but once again, students will bear the brunt.
Courtesy: South China Morning Post
The recently-concluded National People’s Congress or Two Sessions in Beijing didn’t surprise much. But a thorough analysis reveals departures from the past – not holding a press interaction after the meeting, and further consolidation of domestic power by the Communist Party of China. Of note to India is the delinking of China’s defence budget from the country’s rate of growth – meaning freedom to enhance its military’s capability.
Courtesy: The Indian Express
Over three years of civil war in Myanmar, and there is no end in sight. The country’s stakeholders are unable to de-escalate the conflict or reliably distribute aid to those affected. Friends, including India, must step in — not only to stop the fighting and alleviate the suffering, but to help facilitate a return to normalcy.
Courtesy: Global Times
China’s world vision has entered its next phase. After the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), come the Global Initiative on Data Security (GIDS) so Chinese tech standards can lead, Global Development Initiative (GDI) so China leads the development dialogue, and Global Security Initiative (GSI), so China’s security is ‘indivisible’ from other countries – all in time for China’s 2049 goal of becoming a global power.
Courtesy: Gateway House
As Pakistan heads to the polls, debt restructuring and economic recovery are on the ballot. The winner of the contest will inherit a weak economy while wielding little authority to implement reform, and will eventually shoulder the blame for the inevitable crisis.
Courtesy: India Today
Former President Trump and incumbent President Biden have emerged as frontrunners in the ongoing U.S. primaries. While the former faces several legal hurdles, the latter has been criticised for his response to the crises in Israel and Ukraine and the strategic contest with China. Neelam Deo, co-founder, Gateway House, speaks with Purvi Patel, International Affairs Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations, about the electoral race, legal challenges to Trump's candidature, and what India can expect from another Trump presidency.
Courtesy: South Asian Voices
The proximity in the Indo-French relationship is reflected in the countries' increasing cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. An ambitious joint Indo-Pacific roadmap is supported by the Indo-Pacific Oceans’ Initiative and the recently announced Indo-Pacific Triangular Development Cooperation Fund. Both partners must now devise timelines for the implementation of the proposals.
Courtesy: Outlook
Bhutan’s newly elected People’s Democratic Party is inclined to modernize the bilateral ties with India through investment and commercial ties with cities like Mumbai and Bangalore. This is the moment for New Delhi to view Bhutan with a new, non-linear lens, to deepening ties with a valuable neighbhour.
Courtesy: Al Majalla
Maldives’ President Mohammed Muizzu’s desire to have an independent foreign policy has steered it away from India and closer to China. It has added a new dimension to the strategic contestation in the Indian Ocean. Rajiv Bhatia, Distinguished Fellow, Foreign Policy Studies, shares his insights on the Maldives’ strategic importance in the region, the ‘India Out’ campaign, and the way forward for Indian diplomacy in South Asia.