Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) – Why India Opted Out
Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is described as the “largest” regional trading agreement. RCEP was originally being negotiated between 16 countries — ASEAN members and countries with which they have free trade agreements (FTAs), namely Australia, China, Korea, Japan, New Zealand and India. The purpose of RCEP was to make it easier for products and […]
India and US agree on an Ambitious Agenda for India-US Relationship
US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have set up an ambitious agenda to take the bilateral relationship between India and USA to the next level. Modi is the first foreign leader, whom Biden has spoken with beyond neighbours and key NATO allies, reflecting on the significance his administration attaches to ties with […]
The Centre Miscalculated Farmer Rage And Frustration by KC Singh
Farmers’ protests over the hurriedly passed Farm Bills in the Lok Sabha’s monsoon session have been brewing since September. The union government made half-hearted attempts to engage their leaders, failing initially when farmers’ representatives objected to being received by bureaucrats and not the concerned minister. The distrust level worsened after the Akali Dal’s sole cabinet representative, Harsimrat […]
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report on Climate Change ‘AR-6’ a ‘Code Red’ for Humanity
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) report was published on 09 August 21, making the most startling predictions about the havoc the ongoing global heating will wreak on our planet over the coming decades. UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres called the report “a code red for humanity,” and said it must “sound a death […]
Quad Leaders’ Virtual Summit – 12 March 21
Quad leaders held a first-ever virtual summit on 12 March 21 They discussed regional and global issues of shared interest, and exchanged views on practical areas of cooperation towards maintaining a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region. The following emerged from the Quad summit. The Quad Vaccine Partnership Quad leaders decided to launch a landmark […]
As Afghanistan crumbles to the Taliban – an examination of umbilical support to given by Pakistan to Taliban
The Taliban blitz through Afghanistan, that saw the Afghan National Defence and Security Forces crumble in province after province, and took the militant group to the gates of Kabul and eventual victory in days instead of the weeks or months that the CIA had predicted. As President Ghani fled Afghanistan on 15 August, there has […]
5 Reasons why the West lost in Afghanistan
The Western withdrawal from Afghanistan has gone hand in hand with a narrative of defeat, repeated so often it’s in danger of becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy. Five reasons stand out to explain why the West has failed in its mission: 1.The West’s best wasn’t good enough The lives of 3500 international troops plus an estimated 200,000 […]
Understanding Pakistan’s overtures for peace with India
PM Modi’s efforts to build peace with Pakistan after he came to power in 2014 were rebuffed by Pakistan with lip service one hand and terrorist attacks in Uri and Pulwama on the other. This resulted in surgical strikes across Uri and Balakot strike by the IAF. This was followed by most heated exchanges of […]
Afghan Taliban Talks – Light at the end of the Tunnel
Background The U.S.-backed government has held power in Afghanistan since the U.S. invasion in 2001, although the Taliban control large swaths of the country and the government in Kabul is considered weak. US-Taliban Deal (2020) On February 29, 2020, the United States and the Taliban signed a peace agreement in Doha, Qatar, officially titled the Agreement […]
Victorious Talibani look at avoiding a Civil War in Afghanistan – 8 Prominent Afghan Dissidents whom Talibanis are negotiating with
The Taliban’s military takeover of Afghanistan was swift and decisive but formation of an inclusive government to avoid another civil war is proving to be much harder. The militant group has been holding meetings in Kabul with Hamid Karzai, the first president after the U.S. invasion and other stake holders in Afghanistan to form an acceptable […]