Are the dams on the upper Mekong a far-sighted effort to secure a supply of water and electricity against future need? Or, considering the devastating downstream social and environmental effects of these dams, are they part of a strategy to develop a “hydraulic empire,” maintaining regional power through control over access to water, while also […]
At first glance Ethiopia may appear weak relative to the foreign powers with a growing interest in the area, but history shows that the country has the potential to be much more powerful than it is today. Two empires predating modern Ethiopia – the Aksum Empire (A.D. 100-940) and the Ethiopian Empire (1270-1974) – amassed […]
China’s ambition to reshape the Asian order is no secret. From the “one belt, one road” scheme to the Beijing-based Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, major Chinese initiatives are gradually but steadily advancing China’s strategic objective of fashioning a Sino-centric Asia. As China’s neighbors well know, the country’s quest for regional dominance could be damaging – […]
The nationalist premiers of Japan and India — Shinzo Abe and Narendra Modi — who are meeting this weekend in Delhi have a very different set of ideas. They are betting that Japan and India can influence Asia’s strategic future by reclaiming regional leadership. Translating this ambition into reality, Abe and Modi know, will depend […]
Saudi Arabia’s incursion into Yemen reflects a new foreign policy that assertively presses Saudi claims in the Middle East and even uses its own armed forces to ensure its interests. After centuries of relying on external empires—first British and then American—to safeguard its territory and protect its regional interests, the House of Saud is beginning […]
In fact, no matter how close the relationship between India and the U.S. grows, India willnot be a major player on the American team. The ‘rebalancing’ strategy consists of threeparts – politics, economy and security. However, Indian national power is not sufficientlystrong in any one of the three aspects. Read Here – People’s Daily
Much of the globe sees India as a relatively non-violent, tolerant and pluralistic democracy with a benign international influence. Its values are seen as largely positive. Read Here – The Diplomat
“China won’t like it.” That has been a consistent refrain of the UPA government and the Congress party in shaping India‘s recent foreign policy. New Delhi‘s self-induced fear of provoking China has restricted the pursuit of beneficial engagement with other major powers and Asian neighbours. India’s self-denial is hardly consistent with its proclamations on “strategic […]
Concomitant with its growing power, India is expanding its influence, both within the region and in global arena. While Indian diplomacy has been struggling to bridge the gap between what the country believes is its rightful place in the international community, on the one hand, and the actual status, on the other, its status and […]
When Prince Turki al-Faisal suggested last year that the House of Saud would join in the U.S.-led sanctions against Iranian oil, by seeking to displace Tehran’s oil exports from the global economy, he was not referring to a novel idea. Indeed, Saudi Arabia has led two prior oil wars against Iran. Read Here – The National Interest
looking beyond borders 