COMMENTARIES
-
Clinton’s visit to Southeast Asia: Implications for India
Tuli Sinha · 10 Aug, 2009 · #2936 · Commentary
Hillary Clinton’s declaration, made on arrival in Bangkok during her visit to the Asian partners last week, that "the United States [was] back," stressed America’s intent to engage in an all-around interaction and develop f...
-
Talks As Strategy
Ali Ahmed · 07 Aug, 2009 · #2935 · Commentary
India has engaged Pakistan through dialogue in the six rounds of talks in 1963-64, in the seven rounds of talks in 1990-1994, in initiating the Composite Dialogue process in 1997 and in five rounds since its resumption in 2004. The aim has been ...
-
The "Malacca" Mileage
Sandeep Anand · 07 Aug, 2009 · #2934 · Commentary
The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water between West Malaysia and the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It is effectively a 'short-cut' linking the Pacific Ocean to the Indian Ocean and is therefore a vital sea lane of communicati...
-
Negotiating with China
Bhartendu Kumar Singh · 07 Aug, 2009 · #2933 · Commentary
It is almost three decades since China and India initiated their border talks. While the levels of dialogue were raised, an agreement is still not in sight. So, when the Special Representatives (SRs) of the two countries meet for the 13th round ...
-
The Business of Being the Taliban
Kate Swanson · 07 Aug, 2009 · #2932 · Commentary
The Afghan Taliban, under the leadership of Mullah Omar, has issued a comprehensive book outlining a code of conduct for Taliban members. The book, "The Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan Rules for Mujahideen" is comprised of 13 chapters a...
-
Nepal: Caught in the Chinese Headlights?
Kimberley Layton · 07 Aug, 2009 · #2931 · Commentary
On 1 August, Nepal and China celebrated the 54th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between them. China is eager to celebrate the relationship, which it claims is cemented by a foundation based on its Five Principles of Pea...
-
Terrorist attacks in Southeast Asia: The likelihood of a global jihadi connection
Anna Louise Strachan · 07 Aug, 2009 · #2930 · Commentary
Southeast Asia has been the setting for a number of terrorist attacks over the last month. The incidents ranged from low-profile attacks in southern Thailand and the southern Philippines to the headline grabbing bombings of the JW Marriott and Rit...
-
The mention of Balochistan at Sharm-al- Sheikh
Prashant Dikshit · 06 Aug, 2009 · #2929 · Commentary
The mention of Balochistan in the Indo-Pak joint statement issued by the two Prime Ministers at Sharm-al-Sheikh has convulsed the political scene in both the countries for different reasons.
In India, the potency of the reaction, apparently s...
-
What if the US ratifies the CTBT? Debating India’s Options
D Suba Chandran · 31 Jul, 2009 · #2928 · Commentary
In his Prague speech, Obama mentioned categorically, that he would work towards getting the US Senate to ratify the CTBT. The general expectation amongst the non-proliferation lobby is that the US ratification of the CTBT will cause China to follo...
-
In J&K Promises are Meant to be Broken
Masood Ali Mir · 31 Jul, 2009 · #2927 · Commentary
The last six months of 2008 witnessed political tensions in J&K, as a result of the Government’s approach to communalize the Shri Amarnath Yatra and the Kashmiri tourism industry. There were other reasons for the public anger, too, inclu...