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NEW DELHI: For those in India galvanized by the sale of the BrahMos missile to the Philippines, take a breather. Elections there are less than two months away and going by the precedence in many democracies, big-ticket agreements or sales are generally put on hold for the next government to decide upon. Actually this suits […]Read More

NEW DELHI: From the shores of Africa to the far corners of Asia, one refrain has become strikingly apparent: China-funded development projects, while badly needed, are too expensive and often overpriced. The list of African countries cancelling China-funded projects is getting longer. Sierra Leone on Africa’s west coast was the first in 2018, cancelling a […]Read More

NEW DELHI: In the beginning of May 2020, Chinese troops intruded along the disputed and un-demarcated Line of Actual Control (LAC) to unilaterally change the status quo which resulted in standoffs, fist fights and brawls between Indian and Chinese troops at different points along the LAC. On 15-16 June 2020, Indian and Chinese soldiers clashed […]Read More

NEW DELHI: For a country notoriously squeamish and selective about exporting offensive weaponry, the BrahMos missile sale to the Philippines could be a turning point for India. Until now, except for the odd Dornier aircraft, Dhruv helicopter or patrol boats supplied to littoral navies, neighbours and friends, big ticket military exports have been rare. The […]Read More

NEW DELHI: India’s approach to outer space activities has changed drastically since the May 2020 reforms were announced. Remember the days when budgetary allocation to the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) was the only thing discussed regarding space activities. The Amritkaal 2022 Budget Speech of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has finally dislodged the term ‘space […]Read More

NEW DELHI: One of the most significant geopolitical events in many decades transpired when the United States intervened in the relation-normalising Abraham Accords between Israel and several countries in western Africa and the Arab world. Overall, the relation-normalising process will slowly percolate on numerous fronts, including trade, security, education, health, transportation, science and technology, communications […]Read More

GENEVA: Until February 2021, Indian goods exports had surpassed $30 billion in a month only on five occasions ever. The $30-billion mark was seen as what is called a psychological barrier in cricketing terms. Since March 2021, ten months in a row now, India has clocked more than $30 billion in goods exports. In fact, […]Read More

NEW DELHI: The U.S.-Russia negotiations over Ukraine are being closely watched from Delhi. India cannot influence the direction of the talks; nevertheless, it has very high stakes in a successful resolution. If the two sides are able to strike an agreement, from Delhi’s point of view there are two important fallouts: Russia can step back […]Read More

NEW DELHI: The U.S. has begun the new year in India on a strangely absent note: a new ambassador has yet to move into Roosevelt House (although Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti is expected to win Senate approval soon); there’s no word on the next 2+2 dialogue (of defence and foreign ministers) to be held […]Read More

NEW DELHI: Here’s a view on CAATSA (Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act) and whether it would apply to India. When Turkey received the first S400 system in July 2019, the very next week Washington stopped the sale of F-35 fighter aircraft to the Turkish air force. CAATSA sanctions followed the very next year in […]Read More