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

Modi with Xi Jinping_India Courtesy: MEA/Government of India
26 December 2014

New-look India-China ties in 2015?

2015 is likely to begin with India-China boundary talks in New Delhi, and strategic analysts believe it can be a unique window—arising out of the new political dynamism in both countries—to resolve the dispute. Besides, if Modi visits China in 2015, it can expedite investments—also making it a big year for bilateral ties

Modi on Air India Courtesy: Ministry of External Affairs of India
26 December 2014

Modi’s 2014 diplomatic calendar

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a busy diplomatic calendar in 2014. He travelled to seven countries and met dozens of world leaders in his first six months in office, and received 11 heads of state during that time. Gateway House followed his foreign engagements closely, commenting on them in our weekly newsletter to our members

Modi at G20 Courtesy: Ministry of External Affairs/GoI
26 December 2014

India’s foreign policy reimagined

The style and substance of the foreign policies of Narendra Modi’s six-month-old government have been remarkably different from those of his predecessors. Gateway House examines the changes in India’s equations with three critical countries—the US, China and Pakistan—and outlines a foreign policy forecast for 2015

china check or mate v3 Courtesy: Make in India & Wikimedia commons
19 December 2014

India 2015: China’s check or mate?

From the Indian perspective, how China manages the readjustment of its economy and how secure South Asia remains, will be two major determinants that will influence world affairs in 2015. Gateway House has developed four scenarios to explain the outcomes that will ensue, starting 2015, when these two determinants intersect.

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The U.S. has finally ended its outdated policy of isolating Cuba.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

Carter_final Courtesy: defence.gov
11 December 2014

Ashton Carter knows India well

Chuck Hagel’s unremarkable stint as the U.S. Defence Secretary should soon be forgotten if Ashton Carter’s nomination is confirmed. Even though Carter’s nomination bodes well for the India-U.S. bilateral due to his work on furthering the defence partnership he will be faced with more immediate concerns and the onus will then be on India to strategically enhance the relationship