Courtesy: Gateway House
The two decade-old Indian Ocean Rim Association holds its first ever summit next week. Maritime safety and security in the region is a paramount concern as also enhanced trade, but will the Blue Economy be included as a priority? Another area of concern is devising modalities for cooperation with dialogue partners, such as the United States, China and Japan
Courtesy: Wikipedia
A strategic coming together of the U.S., Japan, Australia, and India was close to fruition some years ago, impelled initially by the tsunami of 2004. The spirit of the enterprise remains alive even now, and there are many merits in India joining the quad, but such an arrangement can skew existing Asian equations, jeopardising the Act East policy
Courtesy: IB Times
The era of globalisation is drawing to a close and a new one is emerging—an era of bilateralism over globalisation, of domestic over foreign focus, and reality-based policy-making
Courtesy: Flickr
Prince Salman’s accession to the throne after the death of Saudi King Abdullah on 23 January 2015 has been a game changer, both domestically and in West Asian politics. Within days, he sidelined rivals within the House of Saud, and took on Iran with a confrontational policy. But two years later, the results of his new strategy disappoint
Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons
The first ever summit of the Indian Ocean Rim Association, to be held in Indonesia in March 2017, will cast light on how India and other like-minded nations can develop oceanic resources sustainably. This event offers scope for India to mould outcomes
Courtesy: Wikipedia
European defence companies can contribute significantly to India’s military modernisation under the ‘Make in India’ campaign. But before this can happen they will have to deepen their interactions in the country at the political and strategic levels to identify common areas of interest and understand India’s technological priorities in the sector
Courtesy: Wikipedia
India-EU space collaboration is still nascent largely due to the EU’s limited autonomy over its space programme. Astro-geopolitics, an inevitable successor to geopolitics, requires confidence-building and furthering strengthening of bilateral linkages
Courtesy: MEA/flickr
The year 2017 may change some equations in the East Asian region. Will the near parity that the U.S. and China currently share turn into a keener contest? Will strained relations between India and China persist? Donald Trump’s election as the next U.S. president casts the spotlight squarely on these inter-state relationships
Courtesy: Wikipedia
Cyber cooperation between India and the European Union currently lacks a security focus despite the common threats they face. Differences persist on both sides regarding India’s data adequacy status which has resulted in a blocking of the Bilateral Trade and Investment Agreement negotiations.
Courtesy: Wikipedia
With common objectives in the Indo-Pacific, the maritime sphere is a good opportunity for India and the EU to deepen cooperation. They must focus on preventing outbreak of an inter-state armed conflict; addressing maritime piracy; adhering to the UNCLOS; and developing maritime infrastructure and the blue economy in the region