Taliban Is the Winner at Moscow Conference
The Moscow meeting of ten regional states and the Taliban officials on Wednesday has produced an outcome that by far exceeds expectations. It is also clear – the Biden administration has lost the plot.
Narrative Traps in India’s Decision-Making
Powerful narratives envelop India’s deeply troubled relationships with Pakistan and China. Fundamentally, these narratives are stories about the way things ought to be. They may help make decisions easier for leaderships that lack erudition but the consequences of such decisions can be deleterious.
Iran’s SCO Membership Is a Big Deal
Two big regional developments took place last week — the announcement of the AUKUS, security alliance of three “maritime democracies” on September 15; and Iran’s accession to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation as full member on September 17.
How India Lost its Way in the Persian Gulf
India began to align with the anti-Iran regional front that Trump was sponsoring, involving Israel, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and with Washington’s Indo-Pacific strategy against China. With Trump losing the election, and Biden deciding to engage with Iran, India is getting sidelined in the region.
Saudi-Iran Reset Will Take Time
The US is a mere passive bystander while the two powerhouses in the Gulf – Saudi Arabia and Iran – are drawing close. One of them is Washington’s client state for almost 80 years while the other is an archetypal enemy for the past 40 years.
Modi Govt’s Vaccine Diplomacy Unravels, within India and Abroad
The root problem is the Modi Govt’s obsessive rivalry and one-upmanship vis-a-vis China, to display that India is shining better than China. It is a futile effort, as an original is always worth more than a copy.
The China-Iran Pact Is a Game Changer
The historic China-Iran agreement signed on March 27 in Tehran during the visit of China’s State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi is going to affect geopolitics hugely. The West Asian region is all about geopolitics — starting from oil and jihad to petrodollars.
India’s Forever Wars and Forever Warriors
Pre-conditions now exist for a positive turn to the India-China bilateral relationship. But whether it will lead to peace and stability in short and medium term depends on a number of factors.
Germany Draws Another Line in the Sand for the U.S.
By giving the goahead for the completion of the Nord Stream 2 AG project, Germany has signalled that it will not yield to pressure from Washington in their dispute over the pipeline project even after the transfer of power in the U.S. in January.
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China Cherishes Hanoi’s Nay to ‘Quad’
Vietnam has not bowed to American pressure to join the Quad. The result is that China and Vietnam’s economic relations have steadily prospered, and China is today Vietnam’s largest trading partner and the latter is China’s sixth biggest trading partner.