India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar accosting US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Munich, Bavaria, February 15, 2020 Among the notable interactions External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has had on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference (February 14-16), the momentary encounter with the US House Speaker Nancy …
Continue reading “Tweaking ‘Namaste Trump’ is still possible”
US military convoy entering Iraq from Syria The morning after a summit meeting often holds surprises. Turkey lost no time to follow up on President Recep Erdogan’s hugely successful but “difficult” talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Sochi on Tuesday. On Wednesday itself, Ankara formally conveyed to Washington Erdogan’s decision that the Turkish …
BJP workers at Delhi Airport to receive PM Narendra Modi as he arrived from New York on September 28, 2019 In the South Block folklore, if a high-level visit by a foreign dignitary lacks substance, simply hype up protocol and make it look larger-than-life. The euphoric welcome accorded to PM Modi at Delhi airport by …
(President Maduro’s supporters mark 20th anniversary of rise to power of socialist predecessor Hugo Chavez, Caracas, Feb. 2, 2019) The phone briefing by a “high-ranking” US official on Friday regarding the situation in Venezuela triggered speculation that the Trump administration is considering the use of military force against the Maduro government. The US official said …
Continue reading “Trump takes his Venezuelan itch to the UN”
(Talibs as diplomats beckoning to peace.) Panic has seized the Indian analysts – mixed with fury and frustration – that the Americans are marching out of Afghanistan. Yet, the fact of the matter is that no such decision has been announced yet by President Trump, who actually has nothing to lose and everything to gain …
Continue reading “Delhi shouldn’t panic that Afghan war is ending”
(Kerch Strait, Crimea, and Sea of Azov) The ‘frozen conflict’ in Ukraine has suddenly become active on Sunday with an encounter involving the naval vessels of Ukraine and Russia at Kerch Strait in Crimea, the entry point of the Sea of Azov from the Black Sea. The Russians have detained three Ukrainian ships that tried …
Continue reading “Rising Crimea tensions mar Trump-Putin meeting”
(Putin receives Bolton at the Kremlin, October 23) The highlight of the consultations of the US National Security Advisor John Bolton in Moscow on Monday was the announcement of a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump in Paris on November 11 on the sidelines of the ceremony marking the centenary …
Continue reading “A sombre run-up to US-Russia summit in Paris”
