People rallied in the northwestern Iranian city of Tabriz to denounce the violent unrest in the country, Nov 19, 2019 I once had an animated conversation with the Middle East correspondent of a leading Indian newspaper regarding the resilience of the Iranian political system. The year was 2001. The conversation took place in the backdrop …
With eye on India, Pakistan strengthens military ties with Iran
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani (R) met visiting Pakistani COAS General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Tehran, Nov 19, 2019 The low-key coverage by the Pakistani media on the 2-day visit of the army chief General Qamar Bajwa to Iran notwithstanding, the event signifies a surge in the tempo of ‘mil-to-mil’ exchanges between the two countries. The Iranian …
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Tehran loses patience with Modi government’s hide and seek
Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif received a group of Indian writers and journalists, Tehran, Nov 10, 2019 Historically speaking, India-Iran relationship had its ups and downs during the decades under Shah’s rule. The Lowest point was reached when during the 1965 and 1971 wars with India, Pakistani Air Force jets were stationed in Iran …
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The return of the ‘strongman’ in Sri Lanka
Winner takes it all: Gotabaya Rajapaksa storms to power in the Sri Lankan presidential election on Nov 17, 2019 The thumping victory of Gotabaya Rajapaksa in the Sri Lankan presidential election on Saturday, trouncing his nearest rival Sajith Premadasa by a margin of over 1.3 million votes — 52.25 percent of votes polled against 41.99 …
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Russia-Ukraine relations take leap of faith
Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) and Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky (L) to have first face-to-face encounter in Paris on December 9, 2019 The relationship of the famous Ukrainian oligarch and billionaire Ihor Valeriyovych Kolomoyskyi with President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky lends itself to various interpretations. Both Kolomoyskyi and Zelensky (rather, his spokesperson Iuliia Mendel) are …
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Tehran taunts US with Fordow; pokes at Trump with Agent Levinson
Satellite imagery of Iran’s underground Fordow uranium enrichment facility north of the city of Qom Tehran announced on November 7 that it has begun refining uranium at Fordow, a secretive site built inside a mountain to the north of the holy city of Qom, apparently to protect it from any aerial bombardment, and one that …
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40 years after Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall at the Brandenberg Gate, November 9, 1989 The 40th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall has turned out to be a sombre occasion. Certainly, the euphoria that Europe witnessed on November 9, 1989 has evaporated. The impetus for deeper European integration, manifest in the 1992 Maastricht Treaty, which established a framework …
A Brandenberg Gate at Dera Baba Nanak
The Kartarpur complex and Gurdwara Darbar Sahib. The corridor connecting the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in India’s Punjab with Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur in the Narowal district of Pakistan’s Punjab province, will be thrown open to the pilgrims on November 9, 2019 with the two countries set to hold separate ceremonies to mark the occasion. …
The endgame begins in Yemen’s war
Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman and AbuDahbi Crown prince Mohammed bin Zayed witness the signing of the Riyadh Agreement between the Yemeni government and the Southern Transitional Council, Riyadh, November 5, 2019 The power-sharing agreement signed in Riyadh on November 5 between the Saudi-backed Yemeni government headed by Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and UAE-backed southern …
Myths and reality in Saudi-Indian relations
King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud (L) received Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Riyadh, October 29, 2019 Indian analysts somehow feel they are obliged to praise Prime Minister Narendra Modi whenever he undertakes a visit abroad, no matter the actual outcome of the event. The recent visit to Saudi Arabia was no exception, as analysts …
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