Courtesy: Global Trade Observer
President Xi’s speech at the 3rd BRI Forum for International Cooperation in October 2023 has grabbed the headlines in suggesting a vision for a reset BRI, ten years on. Is it a case of ‘old wine in new bottles’ or something radically different? And what does it mean for African development, the poorest continent on the planet?
Courtesy: Gateway House
Between 2023 and 2024, a sweep of democracies across the world are scheduled to hold general elections. India has an interest in several of these: its own national election and those in its immediate neighbourhood; in the G20, of which India is still part of the troika; and in BRICS-plus, where a new global game is afoot.
Courtesy: India TV News
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to Cairo on 24-25 June en route home after a successful state visit to the U.S., has highlighted the presence of the small but flourishing Indian community in Egypt. Comprising just 4,300 today, these Indians built businesses over the decades when Egypt was a British Protectorate, and after, and are important to the current upswing in the bilateral
Courtesy: X / Presidency Nigeria
The admission of the African Union to the G20 marks the multilateral's first ever expansion. The G20 will now speak for 80% of the world's population. For Africa, this means an opportunity to mainstream its concerns and priorities in global decision-making. Lastly, as the inclusion of AU in G20 took place during India’s presidency, New Delhi can enjoy the fruits of its creative diplomacy as Voice of the Global South.
Courtesy: Gateway House
The expansion of BRICS and the military coups in West Africa have brought to the fore long-suppressed intensities and tensions in the world order. Developed and developing words are in a moment of transition, with middle powers like India playing key balancing roles. Amb. Neelam Deo speaks with us on Unfolding Geopolitics, a new podcast series which observes and explains current and emerging geopolitical and foreign policy trends across the world.
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The BRICS Summit in Johannesburg has drawn international attention to the grouping’s past record of achievements and failures, its strained internal dynamics, and new challenges. As BRICS heads into its 18th year, its success and way forward will depend on the members’ ability to tackle the principal challenge of retaining its internal solidarity while balancing expansion and its impact and influence in the world.
Courtesy: Arab News
The coup has revealed three truths: the long tail of colonialism is reaching its end; alternatives to western control and command have emerged; the younger generation in developing countries have neither awe nor loyalty to the old master and nothing to lose in overthrowing the past, even though they know not their future.
Courtesy: The Hindu
India’s rise as a global player is linked to the kind of relationship it enjoys with African countries, especially as the latter is undergoing demographic, political, and socioeconomic transitions. A new report on the India-Africa partnership recommends a resilient ‘Africa policy’ that will collectively enhance diplomatic, defense, cultural, and developmental collaboration between the two countries.
India's proposal to invite the African Union as a full member of the G20 comes three months before the Leaders’ Summit. The AU’s entry will make the grouping more representative and inclusive, thereby enhancing its moral credibility. For its part, the AU’S economic potential and mineral wealth can have a positive impact on decisions of global importance.
Courtesy: Asia Times
After many early achievements, BRICS is now in gridlock, made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic, India-China border tensions, and the Ukraine conflict. Despite its apparent diplomatic bankruptcy, 19 countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America are eagerly waiting in line to join the grouping.