COMMENTARIES
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China’s NGO Sector: Reality or Illusion?
Namrata Hasija · 04 Nov, 2013 · #4163 · Commentary
Post the reform era in 1978, the NGO sector in China mushroomed greatly. According to the official statistics of the Ministry of Civil Society, the number of NGOs rose from 6,000 before 1978, to 186,000 by 2006. Private NGOs that had previously ...
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Bangladesh Elections: The ‘Hifazat’ Factor and its Implications for India
Wasbir Hussain · 01 Nov, 2013 · #4162 · Commentary
The serving Bangladesh Army Colonel and one of his former bosses, a retired Major General, hold a common view—the rise of Hifazat-e-Islam, the new radical Islamist force in the country, will definitely impact the impending national electio...
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Iran: Nuclear Negotiations
Ruhee Neog · 31 Oct, 2013 · #4161 · Commentary
Ever since Hasan Rouhani assumed the presidency of Iran earlier this year, there has been great speculation about the reorientation of Iranian foreign policy. This article will look at why popular opinion widely supposes that his arrival hails a...
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Making Sense of LoC: Internal Politics & Bilateral Firings
D Suba Chandran · 31 Oct, 2013 · #4160 · Commentary
Why have our Line of Control (LoC) and the international border in J&K has suddenly become violent? After ceasing fire for almost a decade, what has substantially changed between India and Pakistan that is echoing along the LoC/IB in J&K...
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Nepal Elections 2013
Misjudged Challenges Ahead
Sisir Devkota · 31 Oct, 2013 · #4159 · Commentary
According to the Election Commission of Nepal, there has been a drop in the number of registered voters from 17.5 million in 2008 elections to 12.3 million this year. Apart from this, the general belief is that the polls will take place. The bel...
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Iran: Different Perceptions on the End of Isolation
Ayesha Khanyari · 31 Oct, 2013 · #4158 · Commentary
There is great buzz in the international community with respect to the recent developments to resume diplomatic relations between the great powers and Iran for reaching a deal on Iranian nuclear programme. Expectations are high, as Iran is now pre...
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India & China: An Assessment of October 2013 Agreements
An Overview of Contemporary Issues and Relations
Maj. Gen. (Retd.) Dipankar Banerjee · 31 Oct, 2013 · #4157 · Commentary
History will acknowledge the Year 2013 as a good one for India-China relations. That this was during the last phase of the UPA II rule in India and when the Government was not enjoying a particularly good year domestically, should add to the cre...
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India & China: An Assessment of October 2013 Agreements
The Positives
Teshu Singh · 30 Oct, 2013 · #4156 · Commentary
The year 2013 has been an eventful one for India-China relations. For the first time in five decades, the leaders of the two countries visited each other’s capital in the same year (the last visit was in the year 1954). The last decade has...
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India & China: An Assessment of October 2013 Agreements
Nalanda University as a Cultural and Educational Bridge
Namrata Hasija · 29 Oct, 2013 · #4155 · Commentary
Among the many agreements signed between India and China during Manmohan Singh’s visit, the MoU on Nalanda University for reviving the ancient seat of Buddhist learning, raises interesting questions. Why has China agreed to become a part o...
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India & China: An Assessment of October 2013 Agreements
Addressing the Heat Wave over Brahmaputra River
Roomana Hukil · 29 Oct, 2013 · #4154 · Commentary
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and China provides an opportunity for the two sides to strengthen cooperation on the trans-border rivers by expert level exchange of hydrological information during the flood season and emergen...
