What Modi Gains By Taking India’s Politics To Distant Shores

Modi’s meetings have been clearly organised and financed by his local supporters and orchestrated by the BJP/RSS machinery in India, though the embassies have been involved in liaison with the host government for security and logistical support. As these interactions have become political, it is only natural that there will be echoes of domestic Indian […]

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The West Needs More Russophiles

Current dialogue between Russia and the West scarcely deserves the name. Too often, it is simply a contest of postures and a recitation of grievances, each side clinging to positions stripped of nuance or scope for compromise. This is doing no one any good. For all kinds of reasons, the West needs more unsentimental Russophiles. Read Here – The Moscow Times

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When Narendra Modi Goes To The Holy Land

In my view, viewing national and foreign affairs through a communal prism is one of the most pernicious, destructive and self-defeating features of the Indian scene. It would be far more useful to see the proposed visit to the Holy Land as the commencement of Modi’s engagement with the complex politics, economics and culture of West […]

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The New Authoritarians

Since the end of the Cold War, rising gross domestic product and regular elections have come to mark progress in large parts of the world. Such apparent resemblances to Western-style capitalism and democracy still enthuse many commentators. But do they actually conceal the deteriorating political and moral health of emerging economies until it’s too late? […]

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Adding Up The Pluses And Minuses Of Modi’s ‘Personalised’ Diplomacy

Belying conventional wisdom, Modi has surprised all those who had viewed him as a novitiate in diplomacy. His success appears to be in the special brand of ‘personalised diplomacy’ he has practiced, aimed at creating the maximum impact – telegenic and otherwise. Implicit also, has been the teleological message of fundamentally transforming India’s foreign policy. Read […]

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Iran’s Most Important Oil Salesman

As the June 30 deadline for a nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1 approaches, the world is eagerly following the fortunes of political moderate figures in Tehran. Can the Cabinet of President Hassan Rouhani overcome any last-minute roadblocks put up by hardliners in either Tehran or in Washington? One member of Rouhani’s cabinet, Minister […]

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Building The New Silk Road

More than two thousand years ago, China’s Han Dynasty launched the Silk Road, a sprawling network of commerce that linked South and Central Asia with the Middle East and Europe. Today, the idea of a “New Silk Road,” an intertwined set of economic integration initiatives seeking to link East and Central Asia, has taken hold […]

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