Chinese lunar capsule Chang’e 5 landed on moon’s surface on December 1, 2020 and returned to earth a fortnight later with the first fresh samples of rock and debris from the moon in more than 40 years. In the old Frank Sinatra song, flying to the moon meant “playing up there with those stars” and …
India should hold the line on Myanmar
Fire from burning Chinese-owned factories in Myanmar’s industrial township of Hlaingthaya, Yangon, March 15, 2021 The Indian government has done the right thing by sending an advisory to the four northeastern states — Mizoram, Nagaland, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh — to be vigilant about preventing large scale influx of people from across the border with Myanmar …
Quad: Say It Like Modi
Quad held its first summit meeting on March 12, 2021 India hasn’t had a prime minister to match Narendra Modi in his grasp of the power of speaking with purpose to connect with his listeners. When he speaks on foreign policy issues, however, Modi uses communication skills of a certain kind where he doesn’t have …
Asymmetry in US-Russia-China triangle
US-China dialogue in Anchorage, Alaska on March 16, 2021 The privilege of posing the first question to the Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the customary press conference last Sunday on the margins of the 13th National People’s Congress in Beijing went to the Tass correspondent. The extraordinary gesture, dripping with symbolism, …
Return of ‘Pink Tide’ in Brazil. Viva BRICS!
Brazil’s former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Brazil’s former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has hit the political turf running. He was catapulted back on to the frontline of Brazilian politics only on Monday by the surprise decision of the country’s Supreme Court to declare that the anti-corruption operation that scuppered Lula’s bid …
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Yemen war a quagmire for Saudi Arabia
Houthi fighters claim to have taken control of 10 out of fourteen districts of the strategic northern city of Marib, Yemen With the world’s largest oil export terminal coming under missile and drone attack — a giant Saudi Aramco complex capable of exporting roughly 6.5m barrels a day, nearly 7% of global oil demand — …
India, Pakistan on the road to peace
New hope for India-Pakistan relations? Opportunities missed and opportunities seized in the chronicle of international diplomacy in modern history provide two outstanding illustrative examples. After centuries of enmity and the colossal destruction inflicted by two devastating world wars in the last century, France and Germany seize an opportunity to turn a new page in their …
Biden proposes a Quad summit. This is why
Quad Upgrade: US President Joe Biden plans the first-ever summit meeting with Quad counterparts from India, Japan, Australia The Axios reported Friday that President Joe Biden plans to meet his counterparts from the so-called Quad — Japan, Australia and India — later this month. Biden’s plan can potentially transform the regional alignments in Asia-Pacific. Its …
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Blinken blinks on human rights
Protesters wearing helmets, gloves stand behind makeshift shields during a demonstration in Yangon, Myanmar, March 1, 2021 On March 3, the US State Department has put on its website a hilarious statement titled The United States Opposes the ICC Investigation into the Palestinian Investigation. In a nutshell, the statement exposes that the Joe Biden Administration …
Colombo port deal calms India’s paranoia
Colombo Port needs China and India to emerge as trans-shipment hub in the Indian Ocean The Sri Lankan government has announced that it is going ahead with a project to develop jointly with India and Japan a new container terminal from the scratch at Colombo Port called the West Container Terminal. According to the official …
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