Dissent in China is not something new. A long tradition of political dissent is an integral part of Chinese history and owes much to Confucianism and Daoism. Despite the fact that Confucianism and the state has been historically fraught with conflict and tensions, the same Confucian doctrines that provided moral justifications for state control and power were also used against cruel and tyrannical rulers who could not deliver honest, compassionate and conscientious rule.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the sole recognized 'international' body that studies the scientific, technical and socio-economic effects of climate change, has come out with yet another report in 2014, which has gone one step ahead this time to include a chapter on 'human security'. The Working Group II that collates scientific information regarding Impacts, Adaptation, and Vulnerability, has provided details with regard to the ways in which climate change would affect cultures, values and societies.
The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), established in 1985 can be seen as an attempt to foster cooperation that never quite took off, in a region that has been marred by conflicts and animosity in spite of geographical and cultural similarities. The formation was initiated by Bangladesh's Ziaur Rahman and taken forward by India's Rajiv Gandhi and Pakistan's Benazir Bhutto, in an attempt to overturn the hostility that characterizes the region. Political will to necessitate cooperation still evades most of its members.
Climate change is a global challenge that is largely taking place due to increased levels of atmospheric greenhouse gases (GHGs), produced by the use of fossil fuels. The change in the climate is considered to be one of the greatest threats to Planet Earth. Climate variability is not a new phenomenon. In the past, it is known to have varied considerably at times too. However, scientific evidence has revealed that recent changes in climate triggered by both natural and human-made causes are catastrophic.
Since the 1990s, as India's influence in world politics has grown, the notion of the "extended neighbourhood" has permeated foreign policy thinking in both political and academic circles.
India-Japan relations have immensely improved in recent times becoming much more stable and multi-dimensional in nature. Both sides now accord utmost importance to the relationship and have mutually agreed to augment the political, economic and strategic aspects of the partnership. The changing geopolitics and geo-economics of Asia-Pacific affected by China's rise has invariably brought India and Japan together.
In the past half decade or so, China has made huge strides in the high speed train manufacturing sector and has been developing a vast high speed rail network across the large country. China has currently become one of the largest manufacturers of high speed trains in the world and boasts of world's largest high speed rail network.
China's ascent as a global power is certainly a major geopolitical development but the imports and impacts of the process seems not fully mapped and grasped.[i] Different countries perceive the phenomenon from their own vantage points – many are anxious, some admire, and a few are apprehensive. Above all, the fundamental question raised is 'what kind of power China would become'? Will China's rise strengthen or disrupt the global order in vogue?
"The successful launch of the GSLV-MK 2 marks a milestone for the Nation's Rocket Program" by Yang Kai and Qu Jing:
http://www.bjreview.com.cn/world/txt/2014-02/10/content_595651_2.htm
In this somewhat complementary article soon after India’s GLSV-MK2 launch, China has provided a short overview of the development of this country’s space program from their perspective.
The final frontier of outer space is yet to be transformed into a battlefield. If the present shaping up of the geopolitics of the world is taken into perspective, the next two decades will witness a global arms race, culminating in a sophisticated weapon system being put into the orbit.
