Who are Yazidis, and why should we care?
The spiralling violence in Iraq has alarmed the world. The Sunni jihadist group, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), has captured large swathes of land in western and …
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Crisis in Iraq deepens, Maliki refuses to bow out
The political turmoil in Iraq has taken a new and vicious turn after Iraq’s President Fouad Massoum nominated Shia politician Haider al-Abadi as a candidate to replace Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki. …
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Deny sanctuaries to terrorists: India
India has called for intensifying regional cooperation in East Asia to jointly combat terrorism “with one yardstick” and to ensure that terrorists don’t get any sanctuary and support. “We must …
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Setting the stage for China’s President Xi’s visit to India
The foreign ministers of India and China have held preparatory talks in Myanmar’s capital Naypyitaw to firm up the agenda for the first visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to …
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South China Sea: US, China spar, India backs freedom of navigation
Stability in the South China Sea – a region disputed by China and Southeast Asian countries such as the Philippines and Vietnam – dominated discussions at a series of meetings held in Myanmar focused on the ASEAN and East Asia region. The meetings saw a prickly verbal exchange between US and China, with Beijing forcefully rejecting a US proposal for countries to refrain from “provocative” acts in the South China Sea
In Naypitaw, US Secretary of State John Kerry worked hard to ease tensions between China and its neighbours on the issue of the South China Sea Islands.
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India-Myanmar ties: Buddha, Business and Bollywood
The “neighbours first” policy of the new government in India will again be in focus when India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj goes on her maiden visit to Myanmar August 8-9 for bilateral talks, as well as to attend ministerial meetings connected with ASEAN, East Asia Summit and ASEAN Regional Forum. Myanmar will be the first Southeast Asian country Sushma Swaraj will be visiting after trips to three important neighbours in South Asia: Bhutan, Bangladesh and Nepal. The minister’s visit will take place soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s path-breaking trip to Nepal, and underlines the centrality of immediate and extended neighbourhood in India’s foreign policy matrix.
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As sanction war heats up, tough choices for Russia, West and Asia
The war of sanctions between Russia and the West has reached a new high after Russia announced a “full embargo” against food imports from the West. The food import ban …
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India presses for enhanced connectivity, security cooperation with ASEAN
India’s Look East Policy is set to acquire greater force in days to come, with New Delhi pushing for greater connectivity and economic integration within the region. In her interaction …
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An indefensible posture
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj’s talks with many Asian counterparts in a multilateral setting in Myanmar and Defence Minister Arun Jaitley’s engagement with US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel this week …
Read MoreThe Iraq Crisis and PM Nouri al-Maliki
As the Islamic State (IS) is rapidly gaining territorial and political control over key territories, oil fields and refineries in Iraq and Syria, domestic, regional and international stakeholders are calling …
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