(Second RCEP Summit, Singapore, Nov 14, 2018) The ill-starred quadrilateral Joint-Secretary level format of ‘Asian democracies’ – US, Japan, Australia and India – would have held its third meeting in Singapore on Wednesday. Again, there was no joint statement issued after the meeting. In fact, unlike previous occasions when the four Asian democracies issued press …
Continue reading “Quad recedes into shade. It’s the RCEP, stupid!”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s hurried 36-hour visit to Singapore to attend the 13th East Asia Summit, Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership and other associated meetings of the ASEAN Summit compares with the full five working days from Monday to Friday that his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang will be camping in the port city with much the same …
Continue reading “PM Modi’s Singapore trip prompts rethink on BRI”
(Moscow conference on Afghanistan, Nov 9, 2018) Political transition has been a recurring feature of Afghanistan’s modern history. Once in every 10-20 years, transitions appeared – the coup d’etat against King Zahir Shah in 1973, the violent takeover by the communists in 1978 (“Saur Revolution”), the collapse of the communist government and its replacement by …
It is over a month since Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had announced that he was going to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin with a view to open a new page in the relations between the two countries following the incident over Syrian skies on September 17 when a Russian reconnaissance plane was …
Continue reading “Russia keeps Israel’s Netanyahu in anteroom”
(US-China Security & Diplomatic Dialogue, Nov 9, 2018) The joint press conference in Washington on Friday after the second US-China 2+2 (“Diplomatic & Security Dialogue”) throws much light on the tango between the two big powers. Delhi must draw some serious conclusions. Broadly, the American side is adopting a two-track approach – on the one …
The National Security Advisor Ajit Doval is heading for China for the Special Representatives talks on November 23-25 with the Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi. This will be the last round of talks in that format during the Modi government’s remaining term in office. The format provided a unique opportunity to cover …
(Turkey & the Persian Gulf) The reported plan by the United Arab Emirates to reopen its embassy in Damascus shortly leads to a startlingly new alignment on the map of the Middle East. At the most obvious level, it signals the realization among the Gulf States that the brutal war to overthrow the Syrian government …
The US midterm results are out. In a nutshell, Republicans retain majority in the Senate, while Democrats have seized control of the House of Representatives after a gap of 8 years. On balance, the midterm results constitute a setback for President Donald Trump insofar as while Senate confirmations for his executive and judicial appointments will …
Continue reading “Trump’s unchecked hold on power comes to an end”
(Taliban heads for peace talks) Many a slip between the cup and the lip may be possible when it comes to the Afghan peacemaking, but with the caveat added, prospects for the second Moscow conference on Afghanistan slated for coming Friday have significantly improved with the expected participation by officials of Afghanistan’s High Peace Council …
Continue reading “India has historic role in Moscow format on Afghanistan”
The new kids on the block are unaware that not a year had passed since the Islamic Revolution in Iran 40 years ago when US sanctions against that country wasn’t a fact of life. Iran has weathered multiple rounds of sanctions before. As a BBC commentary put it, “Iranians will be forced into finding creative …
