Union_Jack_and_the_european_flag Courtesy: Wikipedia
19 June 2016

What does Brexit mean for India?

On June 23, the United Kingdom will vote on whether they wish to remain a part of the European Union through the Brexit vote. The debate surrounding the vote has spurred many a heated and emotional debate. While the Indian government has not declared anything publicly - remaining in the EU would be beneficial to Indian businesses.

fc89f72798eb98bae46ed25c7c44d9ac Courtesy: GeenPeil
21 April 2016

Resolving referendum roadblocks

The recent referendum in the Netherlands on the European Union’s Association Agreement with Ukraine raises important questions about the EU’s ability to reconcile ostensibly popular national opinion with the principles of a multi-nation political union.

washington-2010 Courtesy: Whitehouse.gov
29 March 2016

Developing global nuclear security

Once the fourth and final global Nuclear Security Summit is held this week in Washington, D.C., the challenge will primarily be for bureaucrats to continue working and keep leaders engaged on nuclear security. Inertia on this issue, especially when there is growing intelligence on security breaches, could be deadly.

Modi_Hollande Courtesy: Wikimedia
3 February 2016

Friendship with France: On a new high?

French President Hollande was the chief guest at the Republic Day parade on 26 January 2016. India-France relations, post President Hollande’s visit, are promising, and will have a positive impact on Prime Minister Modi’s scheduled visit to Brussels later this year including India's trade with the EU. Informed citizenry should appreciate the huge stakes involved.

Conférence des Nations Unies sur les changements climatiques - COP21 (Paris, Le Bourget) Courtesy: COP Paris / Flickr
16 December 2015

Cop-out at COP21

COP21 is a reality check for those who like to believe that geopolitical power is shifting from West to East. The just-concluded Paris Climate Summit was essentially about the early-to-develop Western powers continuing to exercise almost complete control over global governance structures, largely through the dominance of markets.

OIl Tech Flickr Courtesy: epSos .de/Flickr
3 December 2015

Paris Summit: eco-systems vs. profits

If COP 21 Summit in Paris is to play a decisive role in warding off climate havoc, it must strengthen efforts to resolve the greatest market failure in history. Efforts to reconfigure market culture are part of a larger civilizational process of treating profit as the means not the goal of business.

Merkel Modi Courtesy: MEA / Flickr
15 October 2015

Moving ahead after Merkel’s visit

German Chancellor Merkel’s recent visit to India with a high-powered entourage showed the weight attached to this bilateral relationship. German companies want to gain more access to the Indian market and be part of Prime Minister Modi’s high-tech initiatives—and it is up to India to surmount political hurdles and tap into this potential.

U.S. Mission / Eric Bridiers Courtesy: Wikipedia
8 October 2015

UNSC and sanctions: a balanced role

The sanctions against Iran impacted the country’s oil, banking, aviation, and other sectors, and had a major humanitarian impact. But neither is armed attack a more suitable method in most instances to address allegedly recalcitrant states. What then is the middle ground? And can the UNSC assume a more proactive role in this context?