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Neighbourhood Views of India
In the past few years, the SAARC region has seen promising engagements in mutual cooperation between nations. For these developments to hold, new ideas must be discussed
Courtesy: wallygrom/Flickr
The Maldives: Geopolitics trumps geoeconomics
The move by the Maldives to renege on Bangalore-based GMR’s $500 million investment is a classic case of geopolitics trumping geoeconomics. This is an appropriate time for India to boost its diplomatic efforts by including the Ministry of Commerce in initiatives taken by the Ministry of External Affairs.
Courtesy: BotMultiChillT/WikimediaCommons
The Larijani factor in Iranian politics
The Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, Ali Larijani, will soon visit India. Given that he enjoys Iran's Supreme Leader's confidence, and is Mahmoud Ahmedinejad’s rival, he’s likely to be visiting India not just as a Speaker, but also as a key strategist of the Islamic Republic, and a messenger of Khamenei.
Courtesy: takver/WikimediaCommons
Prioritizing West Asia
India is tied to West Asia by economic, religious and political threads. The ongoing social and political flux in the region can have adverse consequences for India and requires a serious rethink of its foreign policy priorities. How can India insert itself usefully into this geopolitical cauldron?
Made in Mexico
Ambassador R. Vishwanathan blogs about the current trajectory of the Mexican economy, and explains why it's likely that Mexican-made products will overtake Chinese-made products in the U.S. market, by 2018.
Courtesy: Dragonfire and Georgethewriter/WikimediaCommons
Iran-Egypt: old foes, new competitors
Rivals Iran and Egypt have become the two most important powers in today’s West Asia. Yet, Iran is looking for neither a smooth victory nor a quick failure for Egypt’s rise. Tehran will remain the key regional player, while it’s too early to tell if Cairo is capable of overcoming Iran’s influence.
What China learned from Russia
The Chinese have learned from Russia’s past mistakes at reforming state-owned enterprises (SOE), and some well-connected politicians have reaped the economic benefits that followed. Will the new administration in Beijing reform China’s SOEs or maintain the large role of government in industry?
Courtesy: Voice of America
Deciphering China’s leadership transition
Rising income inequality, corruption and the ouster of former Politburo member Bo Xilai from the Chinese Communist Party were all significant aspects of China’s 18th Party Congress. However, the new leadership has committed to reforms and repeated that increased economic growth will be achieved.
Courtesy: Swami Stream/Flickr
Mumbai, after 26/11
Four years after the 26/11 terrorist attacks, Mumbai remains almost as vulnerable. The city is losing its expansiveness, while terrorism drives a wedge between the Hindu and Muslim communities in bindaas Mumbai. Are India’s secular traditions strong enough to emerge from such assaults with its integrity assured?
Israel-Hamas: Only an intermission
The series of Israeli offensives against Gaza, which began on November 4, ended when Egypt's new President Mohamed Morsi brokered a ceasefire between Hamas and the Israeli government on November 13. The possibility of this ceasefire holding up, however, seems remote.