A flurry of diplomatic activities through the past fortnight starting with the first-ever summit meeting of Quad on March 12 mark a historic transition in the world order. While the western world has been the locus of international politics for the past five centuries, that is most certainly shifting toward the Asia-Pacific region. Not only …
Russia, China to resist US but engagement is preferred option
State Councilor & Foreign Minister Wang Yi (second from right) and Russian FM Sergey Lavrov (L) held talks in Guilin, March 23, 2021 The US President Joe Biden’s “killer” remark about his “soulless” Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin was outrageous by any yardstick — even by his own long history of diplomatic gaffes. But Moscow won’t …
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Talks in Alaska can be transformative for US-China ties
The testiness in the United States’ relations with China surged to the surface last week. The back-and-forth at the US-China talks at Anchorage, Alaska (March 18-19) marked a defining moment. The US readout was skimpy in detail while a more detailed Chinese account has appeared on the website of the State Council of China. The US …
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Ten years on, Syria is almost destroyed. Who’s to blame?
Syria in ruins after ten years of conflict (File photo) In George Orwell’s novel Animal Farm, the ruling pigs led by Napoleon constantly rewrote history in order to justify and reinforce their own continuing power. The rewriting by the western powers of the history of the ongoing conflict in Syria leaps out of Orwell. The …
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Why US senators are upset with Modi govt
US threat to sanction India over S-400 missile deal (File photo) By coincidence, the United States brandished the sword of sanctions at two of its allies this week — Germany and India. There are common threads in the two situations, although the threat to Germany can also be seen partly as a sop to Texas …
Reset of India-Lanka ties in the cards
Adani Group to build container terminal in Colombo In a stunning coincidence, on Monday, the Sri Lankan government issued a Letter of Intent to the Adani Ports and Special Economic Zones Ltd (APSEZ) to develop and operate the West Container Terminal in Colombo. To be sure, the Rajapaksa government took a calculated risk. If Delhi …
China, Russia team up for final frontier
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, …