The Muslim Brotherhood tries to project itself as holding moderate and liberal economic and social policies in its Nahada Manifesto. Although it claims to support the establishment of a liberal market economy with a business friendly climate, the document is rich in generalizations and short on specifics.
Courtesy: BlatantWorld.com/Flickr
The concern with piracy is in our waters is three-fold: the threat to Indian-owned vessels and Indian citizens; the difficulty in dealing with piracy and hostage-taking on the high seas; and finally, squeezing the organized industry. Can India play a leadership role in this effort?
Courtesy: Juan Alberto Pérez/Flickr
While the ouster of Paraguay’s president is a setback to the young democracy of the country, it shouldn’t be viewed as a repeat of Latin America’s history of coup d’états. The painful process of democratic maturity will continue, albeit slowly.
The presidency of Mohamed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood's candidate, will have a defining influence both in Egypt and the region. Having won the battle through the ballot though, will Muslim Brotherhood also be willing to cede power through the ballot?
China has affirmed its status as one of the world’s leading space powers by sending three astronauts into space this week. Should India – which has one of the world’s six major space programs – take efforts to imitate its neighbour? Can it develop such capabilities? At what cost though, and for what benefit?
Courtesy: Embassy of India, Washinton D.C.
The third India-U.S. Strategic Dialogue saw more talk of ‘mutual capabilities’ than of a mere alliance. The larger endeavour in the bilateral is to find the right fit as partners, where both countries can preserve their strategic autonomy and benefit from their unique positions in the international community.
Courtesy: Open Democracy
The NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2014 should be done tactically so that it doesn't destabilize Pakistan. Despite having accepted Pakistani help in the past, the Taliban might empathize with Pakistani Pashtuns and spread the very secessionist tendencies which Pakistan’s Afghan policy was designed to prevent.
Courtesy: The White House
Apart from bilateral ties, also at play at the India-U.S. Strategic dialogue is the difficult triangulation in India’s relations with the U.S. and Iran. It does not serve India to get enmeshed in the U.S-Iran confrontation. Instead, the relationship must develop on the basis of realpolitik and mutual interest.
Courtesy: ESO/WikimediaCommons
The newly-formed Pacific Alliance bloc seems more like a political club to counterbalance the Atlantic-facing, Brazil-led Mercosur group. However, the bloc accounts for 30% of India’s trade with Latin America. Can India engage the group so it is not left out from their Asia focus?
Courtesy: U.S. State Department
The setting for the third Indo-U.S. Strategic Dialogue is promising: a global shift of economic weight to Asia, U.S. military exhaustion and indebtedness to China and other factors call for a greater convergence in Indo-U.S. interests than ever before. It is essential then, to take bold decisions at the dialogue.