Courtesy: Fox News
The decision to invite six countries — Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE — to join BRICS as full members has opened the grouping to a new geopolitical era. India can now play a seminal but challenging role in this evolved dynamic, given its growing cooperation with the West on the one hand and its active pursuit of the interests of the Global South on the other.
Courtesy: World Economic Forum
Digital services trade is a fundamental and growing element of our shared economic future. But policy makers are disrupting cross-border ecosystems by adopting divergent governance approaches. To realise the full potential of an inclusive digital market, it is vital that we embrace new means of regulatory cooperation on cornerstone technologies.
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The G20 today is undoubtedly the most significant grouping of major world economies, and one which can make a significant impact on world affairs. This is particularly true, as the role of the United Nations is seen to be declining, Read more
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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: Observer Research Foundation
In West Asia, nations such as Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries are starting to understand their pivotal geopolitical positioning in world affairs – and are making calibrated and strategic moves to preserve or recover global stability. It’s welcome at a time when more than two dozen conflicts are ongoing, when geopolitical rivals have hardened their positions, and diplomacy has failed to de-escalate in the primary contests.
Courtesy: Lowy Institute
The 15th BRICS summit is set to take place on August 22-24 in Johannesburg. Against a backdrop of escalating global tensions, the summit's agenda encompasses crucial topics including greater representation of the Global South, reform of MDBs, and geopolitical flashpoints like the Ukraine crisis. The summit's outcomes will extend beyond the grouping and redefine the landscape of international cooperation among emerging economies.
Courtesy: Hindustan Times
PM Modi’s State visit to the U.S. was marked by over a hundred agreements in emerging technologies, trade and investment. Manjeet Kripalani, Executive Director, Gateway House, spoke with Atul Keshap, President, U.S.-India Business Council, on the future of the India-US bilateral and thier multilateral relationships through the Initiative on Critical and Emerging Technologies (iCET) and the Quad.
Courtesy: Kuwait Times
The 56th ASEAN Foreign Ministers Meeting in Jakarta reflected the grouping’s resilience amidst transformative geopolitical changes in the Indo-Pacific. Striving for unity and centrality, ASEAN tackled challenges posed by COVID-19, economic slowdown, climate change, and U.S.-China competition. However, internal differences on sensitive issues like Myanmar have tested its credibility.
Courtesy: WION
ASEAN's efforts to restore democratic transition and political normalcy in Myanmar have come up against a wall of non-cooperation from the state's current military regime. The grouping's internal unity and credibility has also been challenged by two parallelly unfolding policy lines - one favoured by the grouping and the other pursued by Thailand and its supporters. India, which has vital national interests at stake in Myanmar, has supported ASEAN centrality and the 5PC on Myanmar, while also simultaneously demonstrating an understanding of the Thai unilateral policy.
Courtesy: The Week
To qualify for the IMF’s latest bailout, Pakistan has had to share accurate information on its economy including its debt to China. This confirms the speculation of Pakistan’s gigantic indebtedness to China.