COMMENTARIES
  • COVID-19 in Iran: The Impact of Sanctions
    Sanaa Alvira    ·   04 Sep, 2020    ·    #5720    ·    Commentary    
    The US reinstated sanctions against Iran in November 2018, after withdrawing from the Iran nuclear deal. The imposition of new sanctions under the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign has left the Iranian economy reeling. Th...
  • UAE-Israel Abraham Accord: The Iran Context
    Majid Izadpanahi    ·   03 Sep, 2020    ·    #5719    ·    Commentary    
    On 13 August 2020, US President Donald Trump announced the signing of the United Arab Emirates (UAE)-Israel deal, also known as the Abraham Accord. The UAE is the third Arab state (after Egypt and Jordan), and the first Arab state in the Persi...
  • The Abraham Accord and UAE-Israel Relations: Winners and Losers
    Muneer Ahmed    ·   03 Sep, 2020    ·    #5718    ·    Commentary    
    On 13 August 2020, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Israel signed the watershed Abraham Accord—the peace agreement to formalise bilateral diplomatic relations. It marks a major turn of events in West Asia. Washington announced the deal with...
  • More than a Bargaining Chip: Health Diplomacy and India-Taiwan Relations
    Ashutosh Nagda    ·   31 Aug, 2020    ·    #5717    ·    Commentary    
    With 487 confirmed cases and seven deaths as of 24 August, Taiwan has been a global success in tackling the COVID-19 pandemic. This success has invited praise and attention to the country’s robust healthcare system, and foregrounded health as...
  • East Asia Compass
    To Withdraw or Not to Withdraw: South Korea’s Strategic Calculus and the GSOMIA
    Dr Sandip Kumar Mishra    ·   26 Aug, 2020    ·    #5716    ·    Commentary    ·   Column
    On 24 August, the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA), an intelligence-sharing agreement between South Korea and Japan, was automatically extended for another year. Article 21(3) of the agreement states: “This agr...
  • The Strategist
    China's Curious Wars
    Vice Admiral Vijay Shankar    ·   25 Aug, 2020    ·    #5715    ·    Commentary    ·   Column
    Never to be undertaken thoughtlessly or recklessly wars are to be preceded by measures that make it easy to win. —Sun Tzu, Art of War (Griffith, p 39) The Chinese tradition of warfare differs from contemporary understanding. Instead of...
  • Strategic Space
    Never Again: 75 years After Hiroshima and Nagasaki
    Manpreet Sethi    ·   24 Aug, 2020    ·    #5714    ·    Commentary    ·   Column
    This August marks 75 years of the dropping of Little Boy and Fat Man on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These were the first two nuclear bombs built by the US in the secret Manhattan Project; run at a frenzied pace to beat the possibility of Germany g...
  • In Context: Sri Lanka’s 2020 Parliamentary Election Results (Part-II)
    Dr. Sripathi Narayanan    ·   17 Aug, 2020    ·    #5713    ·    Commentary    
    The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP)-led alliance secured 151 of 225 seats in Sri Lanka’s August 2020 parliamentary polls. With this victory, former President, Mahinda Rajapaksa (MR), has returned to power, and was sworn in as the prime min...
  • In Context: Sri Lanka’s 2020 Parliamentary Election Results (Part-I)
    Dr. Sripathi Narayanan    ·   11 Aug, 2020    ·    #5712    ·    Commentary    
    After two COVID-19 induced postponements in 2020, Sri Lanka’s parliamentary election took place on 5 August. Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa (MR) was sworn in as the prime minister on 9 August after his party, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramun...
  • India: COVID-19 and Women’s Reproductive and Sexual Health
    Akanksha Khullar    ·   07 Aug, 2020    ·    #5711    ·    Commentary    
    Due to a wide range of factors, Indian women have historically faced multiple barriers to accessing sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care products and services. The COVID-19 pandemic and consequent disruptions have exacerbated these barriers...
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