(Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif arriving in New York on April 19, 2019 on what is turning out to be a fateful diplomatic mission.) Winston Churchill has been often quoted as saying that Russian politics is comparable to a bulldog fight under a rug. “An outsider only hears the growling, and when he sees …
Delhi must show realism on Taliban reconciliation and peace talks
(A procession escorting the body of Staff Sgt. Christopher Slutman arrives to a funeral home in the Bronx borough of New York, April 22, 2019.) The trilateral meeting of the United States, Russia and China at the level of special representatives in Moscow on April 25 signifies that the Afghan peace talks will be shifting …
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Modi govt caves in to US diktat on Iran oil
Prime Minister Narendra Modi travels around the country every day claiming to be the defender of national interests in Pulwama, Balakot, ASAT and so on. But he’s keeping deafening silence on the one issue that has come up in the foreign policy that is going to have devastating impact on the Indian economy and affect …
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Governing Ukraine is no laughing matter
(Comedian Vladimir Zelensky sweeps to victory as Ukraine’s next president, Kiev, April 21, 2019) Comedy, it is often said, is unusual people in real situations and farce is real people in unusual situations. No doubt, it can be said that by electing comedian Vladimir Zelensky as their new president in a landslide victory in Sunday’s …
Iraq hopes to ease Saudi-Iranian tensions
(Speaker of the Saudi Shura Council Abdullah Ibrahim Al Al-Sheikh being received by Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mohammed Al-Halbousi at Baghdad International Airport, Iraq, April 20, 2019) To be sure, the conference of speakers of parliament in Baghdad on April 20 was an extraordinary event invested with heavy symbolism both in terms of Iraq’s role in …
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Trump, Erdogan seek reset of US-Turkey ties
(In the eye of the storm: US’ F-35 multirole ‘stealth’ jet and Russia’s S-400 anti-aircraft defense system) Even as the countdown has begun before the first batch of Russian-made S-400 missiles will arrive in Turkey — expected in coming ten weeks from now — a crisis situation envelops the Turkish-American relationship. No doubt, this crisis, …
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Pakistan-Iran ties set for makeover — II
CPEC lurches toward Iran Imran Khan’s visit to Iran on Sunday can be seen as vindicating Tehran’s nuanced approach to the relations with Pakistan. Surely, border security will top the agenda of the discussions in Tehran between the two leaderships. Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei will be receiving Imran Khan. Tehran is indeed seeking a much …
Pakistan-Iran ties set for makeover — Part I
(Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan receiving Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Islamabad, August 31, 2018) The visit by Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to Iran on April 21-22 will be a major event in regional politics. Whether it will be remembered as a landmark event, time only will tell. At its most obvious level, …
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How Widodo won the election — and Modi could too
(Indonesian President Joko Widodo meeting supporters at a campaign rally.) The reports from Jakarta indicate that the incumbent president Joko Widodo has won the election on April 17 and secured another five-year term in office. Widodo draws comparison with Prime Minister Modi. Both are charismatic figures. Both surged in national politics as rank ‘outsiders’. They …
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Arab Spring and geopolitics of Sudan
The 7-year old conflict in Syria that is drawing to a close turned out to be a geopolitical struggle ultimately, although it began with the Arab Spring. For all protagonists involved in the conflict, geopolitical concerns were the overriding factor. For example, Tehran gave primacy to the geopolitical struggle because it has implications for its …