The US President John F. Kennedy (R) received India’s Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru (L) at the airport in Rhode Island, Washington, November 1961. The art of flattery, contrary to what one might think, is a complicated affair. If it is too straightforward, it runs the risk of appearing artificial, especially when the flatterer contrives to combine …
Continue reading “Howdy Modi had nothing of enduring value for India”
President Vladimir Putin (L) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi (R) met in Vladivostok for the jubilee 20th Annual Russian-Indian Summit, Vladivostok, September 4, 2019. PM Modi’s visit to Vladivostok on Sept. 3-5 has turned out to be anti-climatic. The main outcome of the event could be, arguably, that Modi can now add Vladivostok to …
Continue reading “Kashmir casts shadows on India-Russia ties”
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called up US President Donald Trump on August 19, 2019 to discuss regional tensions. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision on August 19 to telephone US President Donald Trump has been a smart diplomatic move. Trump had told Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on August 16 that he’d speak to Modi …
Continue reading “Modi breaks the ice with Trump — and stands to gain”
(PM Modi met Imran Khan on Dec. 11, 2015 at New Delhi. File photo.) It is no big secret that the Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC) is a damp squib. The impression becomes unavoidable that the decision to invite the little-known BIMSTEC leaders to PM Narendra Modi’s inaugural ceremony …
Continue reading “New India expects Pak obedience, not camaraderie”
Nearly a year it took for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President to have a phone conversation. The last time they spoke was reportedly in February 2018. On Monday, Modi took the initiative to dial up. Two divergent accounts of the conversation have appeared. The Indian version labored to inject some verve into the …
Continue reading “Modi curries favor with Trump but it won’t work”
