Despite the opacity of Central Asian politics, the course of political change in the region is likely to be smooth, which is also essential for peace and stability within and outside Central Asia.
It is time to engage in a dialogue process not just for enhancing strategic trust but also to think more cunningly about how to benefit from China’s riches by gaining access to Chinese credit and technology, and securing markets for Indian products.
A lot of literature has appeared in recent years on how Russia and China have come to present a common challenge to the US-led world order. But the author of the book Power Politics: How China and Russia Reshape the World, Rob de Wijk, has propounded a different theory to prove a case rather in an ominous way that the old-style power politics has never gone away from the global scene even after the end of the Cold War.
While it was difficult to delve into the depth of the country’s internal dynamics, the overall impression one got was that the democratic process is making marked progress, albeit as per Uzbekistan’s own political ethos and traditions.
Any Indian initiative which is economically prudent and culturally appropriate could neutralise those advantages China seeks to draw from its Belt and Road Initiative vis-à-vis India, and even maximise its benefits.
Senior Fellow, IDSA, Ambassador P Stobdan’s article on Ladakh, titled ‘Optimising Ladakh’s strategic advantage’ was published in The Tribune on December 21, 2016.
Senior Fellow, IDSA, Ambassador P Stobdan’s article on Central Asia, titled ‘Connecting with Central Asia’ was published ‘The Pioneer’ on December 20, 2016.
Senior Fellow, IDSA, Ambassador P Stobdan’s article on Kashmir, titled ‘Reset J&K, separate Ladakh’ was published in the Sunday Guardian Live on December 17, 2016.
Senior Fellow, IDSA, Ambassador P Stobdan’s article on India’s stand on Tibet, titled ‘Is India playing the Tibet card?’ was published by India Today on December 15, 2016.
Senior Fellow, IDSA, Ambassador P Stobdan’s article on India’s policy of promoting India’s rich tradition of Buddhism in a soft-power approach to Asian geopolitics, titled ‘One-off events and ‘competing’ with Chinese Buddhism isn’t the answer. India needs to embrace the spiritual traditions and depth of Buddhism’, was published in ‘The Wire’ on November 29, 2016.
Democratization Process in Kazakhstan Unfolds
Despite the opacity of Central Asian politics, the course of political change in the region is likely to be smooth, which is also essential for peace and stability within and outside Central Asia.