India’s neighbourhood may undergo changes The Excelsior 25 Jan 2024 The Muizzu government in Maldives came to power on an ‘India Out’ campaign. Relations with India are on a sticky wicket as President Muizzu demands the withdrawal of unarmed Indian soldiers on the island, managing gifted air assets to the country, while Indians call for boycotting tourism in Maldives. […]
Agnipath back in the limelight The Statesman 23 Jan 2024 Addressing the media on Army Day, the army chief, General Manoj Pande, stated, ‘the positivity and integration of Agniveers in units is happening well. There are few challenges in terms of training, most of which are at the tactical level, entailing tweaking of our policies, limiting training periods and […]
After tit-for-tat missile strikes, Iran and Pakistan de-escalate tension; yet, trust fades India vs Disinformation 21 Jan 2024 The missile and drone strike into Pakistan by Iran on 16th Jan, hitting camps of the Jaish al-Adl, a US and Iran designated terrorist group, led to a retaliatory strike by Pak, a day later. Pak employed aircraft, in addition to […]
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 […]
Onus rests on Maldives The Excelsior 16 Jan 2024 In democratic nations, during elections, political leaders are known to make sweeping statements to win public support. Once they occupy the high table, they are expected to be suave in their comments. Playing to the gallery and demanding action from allies, they cannot do without, displays political immaturity. Leaders need […]
New Delhi- Male row: will Maldivian tourism suffer a blow India News Network 09 Jan 2024 The recent Maldives fiasco displayed strong Indian nationalism, the likes of which have not been seen in recent times. It commenced with PM Modi’s visit to Lakshadweep, during which he tweeted photographs of his walk on the beach, mentioning, ‘I am still in […]
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 […]