COMMENTARIES
  • Pakistan Elections 2013: On the Far Side
    Vijay Shankar    ·   23 May, 2013    ·    #3946    ·    Commentary    
    In the recent run-up to the general elections in Pakistan, one of India’s reputed TV channels hosted a panel discussion on its outcome. Strange was the readiness of the panellists to set aside the actualities of Pakistan’s situa...
  • Nuclear Security Summit: The North Korea-Iran Conundrum
    Somya Chhabra    ·   23 May, 2013    ·    #3945    ·    Commentary    
    With less than a year left for the third Nuclear Security Summit, to be held in The Hague in 2014, there is a need to revisit and re-examine its raison d’etre. The first summit was initiated by President Obama in Washington D.C. in 2010 to...
  • What next vis-a-vis China and Pakistan
    D Suba Chandran    ·   23 May, 2013    ·    #3944    ·    Commentary    
    The elections are over in Pakistan, and the political scenario in terms of the next government is clear. Nawaz Sharif is the new Prime Minister, and he has adequate support in the Parliament and is not heading an unstable coalition. The Prime Mi...
  • Nepal: Deciphering Prachanda’s “Trilateral” Strategy to Balance India and China
    Sohan Prasad Sha    ·   21 May, 2013    ·    #3943    ·    Commentary    
    Last month, Nepal's top Maoist leader made two widely reported trips to China and India in quick succession. The trips by Pushpa Kumar Dahal - better known by his nom de guerre Prachanda - sought to whip up support for his idea of a 'tri...
  • IPCS Discussion: Malaysia Elections 2013
    Asma Masood    ·   21 May, 2013    ·    #3942    ·    Commentary    
    Aparupa Bhattacherjee, Research Intern, SEARP, IPCS The Malaysia Elections took a surprising turn when Pakatan Rakayat (PR) was denied the victor’s crown despite gaining the majority in total votes. Barisan Nasional (BN) formed the ruling...
  • Bhutan: Democratically Challenged?
    Marian Gallenkamp    ·   21 May, 2013    ·    #3941    ·    Commentary    
    There are a number of analysts and activists who would strongly reject the question mark at the end of this commentary’s title, and instead replace it with an exclamation mark. Then there are others, whose romanticised vision of a last &ls...
  • Bhutan: Is Democracy a Reality?
    Kunkhen Dorji    ·   21 May, 2013    ·    #3940    ·    Commentary    
    According to the government of Bhutan, the first historical election on 24 March 2008 was a huge success, and democracy is on the right track in the Himalayan kingdom. But many are critical of such analyses and assert that it is a controlled dem...
  • India, China and the American Pivot: Should New Delhi Reassess its Strategy?
    Anu Krishnan    ·   21 May, 2013    ·    #3939    ·    Commentary    
    India has been playing a passive role in the US pivot. Does the recent incursion in Ladakh by China alter this role? Should India perceive the American pivot as an opportunity and use it to its advantage? Will such a strategy antagonize China fu...
  • Sri Lanka: Why are the Tamil Refugees Not Returning?
    Prof. V. Suryanarayan    ·   21 May, 2013    ·    #3938    ·    Commentary    
    A few years ago, Kasi Ananthan, the Poet Laureate of Tamil Eelam, wrote, “How long may we stay in another man’s land?” He added, “The parrot and the woodpecker may return to their nests without hindrance, but we, the Tami...
  • India and China in the Arctic: The New Great Game?
    Ramesh Ramachandran    ·   18 May, 2013    ·    #3937    ·    Commentary    
    Energy rivalry took India and China first to Central Asia and then to Africa. Now, they are scrambling for resources and attendant benefits on the icy slopes of the Arctic. On 15 May 2013, the two Asian giants were made observers in the Arctic C...
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