The problem of absent quality control has plagued U.S. infrastructure projectsin Afghanistan from the start. The Kabul-to-Kandahar road, due to the multiplicity of subcontracting agencies with no one actually accountable, initially omitted the many bridges and overpasses along the way, which meant that cars and trucks had to veer off the paved road and chart […]
A little more than two years ago, the U.S. wouldn’t let Narendra Modi into the country. This week, India’s prime minister will have the honour of addressing a joint meeting of Congress. Read Here – Bloomberg
When Indian prime minister Narendra Modi addresses a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, he will find a warm reception from lawmakers — something nearly unthinkable 15 years ago, when India still proudly existed as a non-allied state with the US. Read Here – Defense News
An obscure court in The Hague will soon issue a ruling likely to inflame tensions in the South China Sea and force Washington to clarify how far it is willing to go to defend its allies in Manila. Read Here – Foreign Policy
The initiative is gigantic, with future investments of almost $1 trillion already announced. In comparison, America spent an inflation-adjusted $130 billion on the Marshall Plan following the World War II. China’s web of trade would span over 60 countries that are home to 4.4 billion people — more than half of the world’s population. Further, the initiative would […]
While the U.S. must understand India’s economic priority is not about adhering to some textbook notions of free market but to overcome poverty and seek development, India could begin to appreciate that U.S has a Pakistan-Afghanistan policy guided by multiple factors, and cannot change it only to please India. Read Here – The Hindu
Unsurprisingly, terrorism remains the preferred tactic of relatively weaker non-state actors who believe they can achieve their political objectives through violence. There has been a slight change in the perpetrators responsible for the most attacks. The Taliban replaced the self-proclaimed Islamic State as the number-one global perpetrator for terrorism attacks, with 1,093, which represents an alarming […]
For over ten years, the construction of the Salma dam has stretched the capacity of Indian diplomacy, administration and engineering to its limits, as New Delhi kept track of competing warlords on one side to maintain security, and the finance ministry’s beancounters on Raisina Hill. Read Here – The Wire
While the United States has resigned from its role as the leading world champion, it shouldn’t be surprising to see how this action has created an unprecedented vacuum, with dangerous and even evil powers queuing up to fill that void. This sadly has been the case in the Middle East and Europe and even in […]
These gathering clouds over Afghanistan mean that traditional partners such as India must get involved in ways that they chose not to earlier. The danger of a re-emergence of warlordism is now a very likely possibility if the Afghan security forces are not helped in their task of taking on the Taliban. Read Here – The Wire
looking beyond borders 