Comment & Briefs

The clash between Russia and Japan over the Southern Kurils in the North Pacific highlight Russia’s emerging role in the Asia Pacific Region and its relations with China and Japan.

The meeting between Dr. Manmohan Singh and his Chinese counterpart Wen Jiabao on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Hanoi on 28-29 October has brought about a warming of the atmosphere and may lead to progress in Sino-Indian relations.

China’s moves concerning Kashmir evoke apprehension regarding retrogressive changes in its Kashmir policy, designed to give it a hold over India. The best case scenario for China is that the Kashmir issue is never resolved; and if this issue inches towards any kind of resolution, that China should be considered a party to the Kashmir dispute.

People in India have traditionally looked up to the Armed Forces. Corruption in the Armed Forces therefore militates against the spirit of service to the nation. It has to be cleansed wholesale, with effective mechanisms for protecting whistleblowers and taking swift action against the guilty put in place. Caesar’s wife must be beyond reproach.

The US government has had a system to control exports through much of their history. In modern times, this aspect of export controls took a new meaning and role with the onset of the cold war in the late 40s.

This report summarizes the conclusions of a study that was initiated earlier this year on the future of India United States relations in the coming decade.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden visited Beijing on October 16 – 21 to discuss cooperation in manned space flight. While one swallow does not make a summer, it may signal that the US may be considering greater engagement with China in outer space, particularly manned flight.

The fruits of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s visit to Japan can be seen in the conclusion of negotiations on the long-pending CEPA, start of the negotiations on a civil nuclear pact and sharing of views on Afghanistan, UN reform, and on engaging China as a responsible stakeholder for peace and stability in Asia.

The long awaited IPO of India’s largest coal producer, Coal India Limited, is finally ready to issue on Dalal Street next week. It is hoped that it will herald a significant transformation of the sector and usher in much needed restructuring and reform to make it more efficient and productive and ensure India’s long term energy security.

This paper argues that the CSC does not confer any benefit to India and that it may in fact prove to be detrimental to Indian interests and why it should, therefore, not be signed.