aseanindia Courtesy: Prime Minister's Office
31 January 2014

India-ASEAN’s elusive services FTA

The India-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement in services and trade will allow India to leverage its competitive offerings in IT, finance, among other fields. But the pact has proved elusive so far due to the open squabbling between ministries. The deal now looks set to come through only after the new government takes over

indjap2 Courtesy: Ministry of External Affairs, India
24 January 2014

India-Japan: Alignment assured

Japan’s reaching out to India, as demonstrated by the upcoming visit of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, reflects the urgency with which Japan sees the threat of a rising China. India too has experienced Chinese aggression and must work with other democracies towards creating a multi-polar Asia

obama-xi2 Courtesy: Secretary of Defense/Flickr
23 January 2014

China is America’s biggest challenge

U.S. President Barack Obama’s focus on domestic issues has sidelined his country’s foreign policy at a time when China is ascending as a superpower. With China’s economy set to surpass the U.S.'s by 2017, a recent report presents a ‘grand strategy’ for the U.S. to counter China’s economic and strategic expansion

securityrisks Courtesy: Press Information Bureau/Wikimedia Commons
16 January 2014

India’s top security risks in 2014

What are the implications for India of the scaling down of U.S. forces from Afghanistan, the continuing tension with China at the border, and the political turmoil in Bangladesh? How should India address these and other upheavals in its neighbourhood, which are potential challenges to the country’s security?

west asia W123 Wikimedia Courtesy: W123/WikimediaCommons
6 December 2013

Orienting to the new West Asia

Whether backdoor geopolitics rather than careful negotiations brought about the interim agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme, the next six months will determine its fate. Reactions have ranged from a furious and mistrustful Israel to collective relief by many countries, and a worried India welcoming the agreement

Eu iran Courtesy: European External Action Service
26 November 2013

Iran-P5+1 interim accord: An assessment

On November 24, the P5+1 and Iran reached a consensus on the interim agreement regarding Tehran’s long-disputed nuclear program. How comprehensive is this agreement, and what are its potential upshots for U.S., and West Asia – especially Israel and Saudi Arabia? More importantly, can India play a positive role?