New Delhi has actively worked with Beijing to address its massive bilateral trade deficit. However, it has another option. India can seek greater economic integration with ASEAN and substitute its imports from China with that of ASEAN. The India-ASEAN Summit on December 20 would be a good place to start.
Courtesy: Ministry of External Affairs, India
In the case of Myanmar and Aung San Suu Kyi, the battle for democracy is far from over. Can India use its leverage with the Myanmar government to ensure that a lasting democracy is inaugurated in that country?
Courtesy: thankhain/Flickr
There are 2 million stateless persons scattered across Myanmar and an estimated 400,000 of them are of Indian origin. As India participates in Myanmar’s rejuvenation, can it also use effective diplomacy to advance minority rights in the country?
Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons/Gunkarta
As India and the world welcome the recent democratization of Myanmar, this presents India an opportunity to increase its access to South East Asian countries as well, especially with members of ASEAN which still have catching up to do – particularly Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.
Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons/Htoo Tay Zar
The West is quick to claim that their sanctions against Myanmar have forced the government to implement political and economic reforms in the country. However, such bans do not usually achieve their stated purpose of forcing regimes to change their behavior.
Courtesy: Manipur Police/WikimediaCommons
What have economic blockades in India's North East achieved? For one, they choked off the supply chain of an already isolated region. With Myanmar showing signs of warming towards India, New Delhi must establish ties with its eastern neighbour, but first, it needs to fix Manipur’s broken socio-political landscape.
Courtesy: Michael Trolove/WikimediaCommons
Growing instability in the region make the planned Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline seem more like a burden than a solution to India’s hunt for alternative energy sources. Is it wise for India to move ahead with the $7.6 billion project?
Courtesy: U.S. Navy/WikimediaCommons
In the context of security and sovereignty, India is involuntarily Pakistan-centric and Sino-deferential. India must deal with China with deference without degradation, firmness without confrontation, and raise the threshold of its defense posture in physical and policy measures, without upping the ante.
Courtesy: SurfaceForces/Flickr
The turbulent waters of the South China Sea may soon see a major addition: an aircraft carrier, from China. The carrier - already seventy percent complete - is sure to change the equation and further Beijing's Four Modernisations programme.
Courtesy: WaltervanKalken/Flickr
Yingluck Shinawatra, sister of formerly deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, has been elected to power. Yingluck's win marks a move towards a move democratic Thailand and possibly the end of the Thai monarchy.