Release of former Indian Navy officers by Qatar: Much more than a mere diplomatic win for India India News Network 18 Feb 2024 Eight Indian naval officers were freed from custody in Qatar, a little over three months after being sentenced to death. Seven have since returned to India. Not much was known about the nature of charges leading […]
West’s glaring double standards on terrorism First Post 16 Feb 2024 The latest example of nations adopting double standards emerged post a drone strike launched by the Islamic Resistance, a pro-Iran group based in Iraq, on a US base in Jordan, killing three US service personnel and wounding forty more. In retaliation, US air force struck multiple targets in […]
Jostling between the US, Israel and Iran The Excelsior 13 Feb 2024 The Middle East was witnessing a period of reproachment. Saudi Arabia and the Houthi’s had agreed to a peace deal, resulting in ceasing of Houthi drone attacks on the kingdom. Relations between Riyadh and Tehran were on the mend as were ties between the UAE and Iran. Turkey […]
India in global crosshairs The Statesman 06 Feb 2024 The Chinese government recently issued a statement supporting Pakistan’s claim of the Indian government being involved in killings of Pak nationals on its soil. The Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson, Wang Wenbin, stated, ‘China noted the reports and recent diplomatic disputes between relevant countries. The information released by Pakistan is worth […]
Global spread of ongoing conflicts The Excelsior 02 Feb 2024 Two major confrontations have dominated as also divided the planet in the past year. The first is the ongoing Russo-Ukraine conflict while the second is the Israel-Gaza war. Like all conflicts, both have had their impact. In both cases, it has been the common citizen who continues to suffer. […]
Why could US pull back from Afghanistan, Libya and Iraq, but not Russia and Israel First Post 17 Jan 2024 When Putin launched his ‘special military operation’ into Ukraine, his stated end goals were to ‘forestall Kiev’s punitive action’ against Ukraine’s Russian speaking Donbass region as also ensuring that it remains neutral, does not join NATO, thereby providing a […]
Is India a mediator? The Statesman 16 Jan 2024 Indian foreign minister Dr S Jaishankar visited Tehran on Monday and met his counterpart, Hossein Amirabdollahian. He also called on the Iranian President, Ebrahim Raisi. The visit emerged after a conversation between Jaishankar and the US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken. After the discussion with Blinken, Jaishankar tweeted, ‘A good […]
Democracy has different connotations The Excelsior 10 Jan 2024 While in prison on multiple charges, Pakistan’s ex-PM, Imran Khan, published an article in The Economist. In the article, apart from continuing to accuse the US of being behind his ouster he stated that elections (if held) would be a ‘disaster and a farce.’ He added, ‘such an election would […]
Much hinges on China’s poll gamble in Taiwan The Statesman 09 Jan 2024 Xi Jinping in his annual New Years Day address stated, ‘China will surely be reunified, and all Chinese on both sides of the Taiwan Strait should be bound by a common sense of purpose.’ Earlier in his summit with President Biden, Xi Jinping bluntly stated that […]
Mercenaries and ongoing conflicts The Excelsior 03 Jan 2024 A recent report in Nikkei Asia, covering inputs from Nepal, quoted the Nepalese PM, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, mentioning that ‘as many as 200 Nepalese nationals may be serving in the Russian Army. A small contingent of Nepalese is also understood to be serving in the Ukrainian army, finding themselves on […]