reasserting Courtesy: PMO
26 September 2011

Reasserting India’s independence

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s speech at the UN General Assembly has put Indian perceptions on the record and clearly outlined India’s independent foreign policy. India came out unequivocally in support of the Palestinian struggle & reiterated its traditional stance of respecting countries’ sovereignty.

mahmoud abbas and obama Courtesy: www.whitehouse.gov/WikimediaCommons
26 September 2011

Obama loses high ground on Middle East

Repeated applause greeted Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' speech to the UN General Assembly, asking for support for the “establishment of Palestine.” But with the U.S. backing Israel, under almost all circumstances, will Abbas' proposal be able to bring about any change?

brics bailing out europe piece Courtesy: www.kremlin.ru/Flickr
23 September 2011

BRICS bail-out of Europe: A far cry

In a reversal of historical roles, the BRICS nations may be coming to Europe’s rescue. During the Asian Financial Crisis, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) introduced structural adjustments in return for IMF loans, and many institutions and individuals went bankrupt. Will it be any different now?

US-India: Strategic Partners with a Limitless Future
15 September 2011

US-India: Strategic Partners with a Limitless Future

India and the United States have grown close very quickly over the last decade. Their commitment towards the war on terror, pursuit of joint energy security, and the prevention of the proliferation of nuclear weaponry are some on a long list of common goals.

protest pic rajni's artcile by mission against corruption Courtesy: MissionAgainstCorruption/WikimediaCommons
14 September 2011

India’s democracy: Evolution, not Revolution

While India's anti-corruption upsurge lends further intensity to a global restlessness about the future of democracy, it also raises a significant question: What are the values that will foster a truly democratic culture? The answer will determine whether the on-going agitation will succeed in combating corruption

sarah chayes article Courtesy: U.S.ArmedForces/WikimediaCommons
13 September 2011

Mafia-nation: State capture by criminal syndicates

Corruption has become a galling global phenomenon: structured, vertically-integrated networks, whose objective is the extraction of resources, are forming in countries around the globe. And strikingly, these structures are masquerading as democratically-elected, seemingly-open governments.

Courtesy: WTCTributeinLight/WikimediaCommons
12 September 2011

9/11 America: Dignity, democracy and fear

Although the U.S. has not faced another terrorist attack since 9/11, much has changed in its democratic framework. Gripped by fear, 3,984 federal, state and local organizations work on domestic counter-terrorism, spending an estimated $1 trillion.