Alarm bells that should have sounded decades ago began to reverberate in a meeting hall in Naypyidaw on 4 March 2014 when the Bangladesh prime minister, Sheikh Hasina informed her counterparts from the BIMSTEC nations that an increase in one degree Celsius in the earth’s climatic system—as a result of global warming—would submerge a fifth …
Development is a central factor of security. Indeed, one of the ways in which the security calculus of a nation can be ascertained is by ensuring all-round development in the crucial matrix and architecture. In the North Eastern context, the “dream of development” has more or less been one that has been confined to mere …
This column is based on a talk given by the author at the State Bank Institute of Leadership, Kolkata on ‘India’s Foreign Policy Imperatives in the Fast Changing World’. Ideally, the year 2020 should be erased from history. The devastation in terms of human lives, livelihoods, personal and economic security and productivity has been …
Addressing the 75th Session of UNGA on 22 September 2020, Xi says “We will never seek hegemony, expansion, or sphere of influence. We have no intention to fight either a Cold War or a Hot War with any country.” He further said that China would continue to narrow differences and resolve disputes with others through …
The Ladakh Border with Tibet is tense where the Chinese had intruded in the Northern Bank of Pangong Tso and advanced far ahead in the plains of Depsang. The Depsang plains are strategically important for both India and China. To its west lies Daulat Beg Oldie (DBO) and further north of it lies the Karakoram Pass …
The PRC needs a neutral India and this it hopes to achieve by showcasing that the costs of abandoning neutrality, which by definition includes continued reliance on Russia for defence needs, would be severe. Neither the top tier of the Chinese Communist Party (which elevated him in 2012 to the post of CCP …
The GCC needs to reform its economic structure in order to link it with the knowledge economy and retrain young citizens of the GCC. Since taking over as Senior Advisor to the President of the United States, Jared Kushner built up a relationship of friendship and trust with several royals within the GCC, prominent …
In the global game being played on a gigantic chessboard, the continuing game being played by India and China over many years has a significant place. But the game has been slow and without any results, often the two rivals forgetting their own stakes and working together to balance the others. But the Chinese moves …
Outer space provides a unique domain for conducting surveillance operation since it is literally the “highest ground” when it comes to military operations. Space based Electronic Intelligence (ELINT) capabilities has a very important role in this respect, as it could help countries locate and monitor radar facilities deep inside the enemy territory as well as …
Most political leaders have a habit of carrying non-performers with them. Rarely has anyone been sacked. A streak of ruthlessness is missing in our leaders to sack their favourites and appoint new faces. It is always safe to hear those who always please and play safe. You know the saying ‘Better a known devil than an unknown one’. Just to …
