Comment & Briefs

The current trajectory of developments is likely to lead to the point where the US and the Sein government find ways to resolve outstanding points of contention between them, leading to Myanmar moving further along the path of greater political freedom, better human rights and good governance.

As long as the army remains loyal to Bashar, the rebels are unlikely to make much headway, although their continued ability to secure weapons through the Turkish border would plunge Syria into a protracted civil war.

The story of the Asian Security Conference is the attempt by IDSA to capture the complex issues involved in Asia’s emergence as the new locus of international affairs in the 21st century and India’s emergence as a factor in the continent’s evolving economic, political and security dynamics.

The range, speed, armament carrying capacity and the ability to accurately deliver a variety of weapons against different targets make the current IAF fleet of just over 32 squadrons far more formidable than when the IAF had almost 39.5 squadrons.

India must deal with the situation in a calm and mature manner since an unstable Maldives can have serious regional security implications as well as impact upon India’s security.

By bringing the Syrian question to the UN Security Council on the basis of proposals formulated by the Arab League, led principally by Saudi Arabia and Qatar, the western powers ran the risk of not only facing a combined Russia-China veto but of inflaming sectarian opinion.

As opposed to the singular cause of last year’s protests, the anniversary demonstrations have revealed multiple lines of discord, most importantly, between those inclined towards compromising with military rule and those who want a swift end to it.

The functional distortion of the arrangement of Pakistan’s major institutions—principally, the executive, the army, and the judiciary—is the cause of the current crisis.

Having rejected the western demand for oil sanctions, the real test for the Indian government lies in whether it can implement its public pronouncement.

Although the political situation is likely to stabilise in the short-term, multi-party democracy established in Maldives after the 2008 elections has received a definite setback.