For the first time since Gaza crisis began, Chief of Staff of Iranian Armed Forces Gen. Mohammad Baqeri engaged with Russia’s Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu on October 19, 2023. There is no question that smart power enhances foreign policy. Since the notion of “smart power” entered international diplomacy some two decades ago, a major regional power, …
Continue reading “No takers for a West Asian war but war seems inevitable”
Massive Polish opposition rally ahead of Sunday’s election, Warsaw, October 1, 2023 There is no question that Sunday’s surprising vote in Poland is going to be the most consequential election in Europe this year. It is a game changer for Poland’s democracy and a tipping point geopolitically for the European Union, the Ukraine war and …
Continue reading “Ouster of the populist-nationalist government in Poland is highly consequential”
Palestinian children and a rare white dove with an uncertain future amidst the ruins of Gaza City following horrific Israeli air strikes. One week has passed since an explosive situation erupted in West Asia around Israel. India’s famously loquacious External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar is maintaining deafening silence. That is not befitting the Vishwaguru (world …
Continue reading “Netanyahu is an albatross around India’s neck”
Azerbaijan’s military takeover of Nagorno-Karabakh led to a mass exodus of entire region’s population of ethnic Armenians Frozen conflicts can only be understood through history. That is why the ‘erasure’ of Nagorno-Karabakh from the map by Azerbaijan is an incredibly tumultuous development for Transcaucasia and its surrounding regions. The backdrop is the breakup of the Soviet …
Continue reading “The Caucasus and West Asia are joined at the hips”
Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan (above) is turning to the West Armenia no longer disputes that Nagorno-Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan. The prospect of peaceful resolution of a regional conflict ought to be good news, but this is an incredibly complex situation with an external environment where a brutal war is raging with no end in sight, …
Continue reading “Russia scrambles as EU surges in Caucasus”
The gusto with which the United States co-opted the idea of an India – Middle East – Europe Economic Corridor [IMEC] during the recent G20 Summit should not come as a surprise. It brings to mind an astounding natural phenomenon in the northern desert of Saudi Arabia — a little purple flower that blooms very rarely, …
Continue reading “India-Middle East – Europe Economic Corridor is a geopolitical pipe dream”
Long-range cruise missiles supplied by UK and France, hit Russia’s Black Sea fleet at its home port of Sevastopol, Sept 13, 2023 The ground war in Ukraine has run its course, a new phase is beginning. Even diehard supporters of Ukraine in the western media and think tanks are admitting that a military victory over …
Continue reading “‘Biden’s phase’ of Ukraine war is beginning”
Family photo of the leaders of BRICS ‘troika’ (Brazil, India, South Africa) flanked by World Blank president Ajay Banga (L) and the US president Joe Biden (R) at the 18th G20 Summit, New Delhi, Sept 9, 2023 The impact of the G20 Summit in New Delhi on September 9-10 is to be measured by the …
Continue reading “US stoops to conquer Global South with some Indian help”
India’s External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar (L) met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Jakarta, September 6, 2023 Any longtime observer of Russian politics would know that the state of play in the Russian-American tango is best assessed from subplots, often obscure and unnoticed, away from its amphitheatre where gladiators cross swords. Therefore, two alleys on …
Continue reading “Ice cracking sounds on frozen lake of US-Russia relations”
The Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Springfield in Busan for a port visit, South Korea, July 22, 2023 The psychology of forgetting and why memory fails is a tantalising topic in the life of individuals or nations. Cognitive psychology spawned many theories about it. The main theory, the motivated forgetting theory, is the most charming …
