President Trump, on 6th Dec, unilaterally accepted Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and announced the move of the US embassy from Tel Aviv there. It was not a decision in haste, nor did it stem from his imagination. The US house of representatives had passed a law in 1995, demanding the move of the US embassy to Jerusalem. Every […]
In his remarks on ‘meeting the foreign policy challenges of 2017 and beyond’ Rex Tillerson commented on North Korea and Pakistan as the US’s two major challenges in the coming year. These two have remained on the US agenda for some time, but there has been no forward movement by any government. Trump has adopted a more stringent approach than […]
Trump was screaming against the Iran nuclear deal all through his election campaign, promising to pull the US out, when he came to power. When it was time to certify the deal, he did not, letting the US Congress take the decision, indicating his keeping the promise he had earlier made, but just about. His actions against the deal has […]
President Trump’s government unveiled its new National Security Strategy (NSS) last week. It has since been dominating headlines in the region. The NSS lays down his government’s views on existing and emerging threats and its strategy to counter them. The NSS is mandated by Congress based on the Goldwater Nichols act and each President is expected to issue it annually. […]
Strong statements by the US president, indicting Pak for its support to terror groups on its soil, was followed by the BRICS statement, which officially listed terror groups emanating from Pak. Pak objected to both the statements and is presently working on reorienting its US strategy. With both China and Russia behind the BRICS statement, Pak was caught between the […]
The recent North Korean missile launches and hydrogen bomb tests had the US and its allies worried. Japan and South Korea voiced their displeasure, while Trump threatened them with ‘fist and fury’. A special session of the security council was requested for by Japan, France, Britain, South Korea and the US. It is expected to vote on its future actions […]
There were immense expectations from the BRICS summit, especially since this was likely to result in the first meeting between Modi and Xi Jinping, post the stand down at Doklam. The summit statement was, as claimed by many, a win for Indian diplomacy as it contained direct reference to terror groups operating from Pakistan’s soil, though it did not name […]
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has issued its latest sanctions against North Korea. It has compelled the nation to cut down its exports to two billion dollars a year from the current three. These have impacted export of coal, iron and iron ore, as also restricted the number of workers it can send abroad to work each year, which […]
Recent press reports indicate that the US is preparing a new strategy for dealing with Afghanistan which would shortly be presented to President Trump. Inputs indicate a changed perception towards Pak including reduction of financial aid, more drone strikes and removing Pak from the status of non-NATO ally, an action already initiated in the senate, in addition to a surge […]
PM Modi is scheduled to meet President Trump over the weekend. The proximity which Modi had with Obama appears missing, hence expectations from this visit are low. However, for the US, India would be a key player as the US heads into a security isolation, solely due to Trump’s own policy of ‘America First’. Since his ascendency as the President […]