IDSA Comments - MP-IDSA

Referendum for Myanmar’s Constitution in the wake of Cyclone Nargis

Howsoever much others may want to distance India from mlitary-ruled Myanmar, the widespread devastation caused by Cyclone Nargis has brought India into the spotlight. That it occurred barely a week...

Udai Bhanu Singh |
May 12, 2008 |
IDSA Comments

Re-energising India-Iran ties

National Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan’s announcement at an international seminar that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad would be converting what was originally meant to be a refuelling stop into an official...

EC President Barroso’s Visit to China

José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, led a high-level team of nine European Union (EU) commissioners to Beijing on April 24 and 25, 2008, and met the Chinese...

ISRO Delivers Ten Satellites at a Go

India’s Space Programme has been contributing a lot towards bestowing ‘Soft Power’ status to the country over the last couple of years. The success of the PSLV-C9 mission on April...

Ajey Lele |
April 30, 2008 |
IDSA Comments

The Attack on Migrants in Manipur

Normal life in Manipur was drastically affected between March 17 and 19, 2008 when 15 migrants were killed by unidentified armed militants. While there have been accusations that local militants...

T. Khurshchev Singh |
April 29, 2008 |
IDSA Comments

A Test for Democracy in Zimbabwe

“There will never ever be change in Zimbabwe. We shall never reverse the gains of the liberation struggle. Zimbabwe will never be a colony again.” – Robert Mugabe (2008).

Gunjan Singh |
April 28, 2008 |
IDSA Comments

Taiwan Elections Vindicate the Status Quo

The KMT’s victory in the March 2008 presidential elections can be essentially attributed to the promises it made to improve economic ties with Mainland China and assure good governance. Ironically,...

Abanti Bhattacharya |
April 26, 2008 |
IDSA Comments

Hamid Ansari’s Visit to Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan

Vice President Hamid Ansari’s visit to Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan from April 4 to 10, 2008 opened up new vistas between India and the Central Asian Republics (CARs). During his visit,...

Nivedita Das Kundu |
April 24, 2008 |
IDSA Comments

Musharraf in China: Economic benefits of an “all weather friendship”

Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf’s recent visit to China from April 10-16 revealed the depth and confidence that highlight Pakistan-China relations. The much repeated refrain of an “all-weather friendship” between the...

Raviprasad Narayanan |
April 22, 2008 |
IDSA Comments

Pakistan’s Impending Economic Crisis

One of the biggest achievements of Musharraf’s rule, according to him, was that he turned around a tottering economy. Rescuing it from the verge of default, he brought it to...

Alok Bansal |
April 21, 2008 |
IDSA Comments

Ma, KMT and the new Cross-strait Policy

In a development that is expected to ease tensions across the Taiwan Strait, Taiwanese voted in favour of the Kuomintang (KMT, Nationalist Party) candidate Ma Ying-jeou in the March 22...

Jagannath P. Panda |
April 16, 2008 |
IDSA Comments

Sanctions Against Iran are Futile

The United Nations Security Council imposed the third set of economic and trade sanctions against Iran on March 3, 2008 for refusing to halt its nuclear programme. Resolution 1803, sponsored...

M. Mahtab Alam Rizvi |
April 16, 2008 |
IDSA Comments

India and Africa Partnership: Opportunities and Challenges

The India-Africa Forum Summit is an indication of the coming of age of India’s relations with African countries. While India’s relations with African countries are time tested and historical, nevertheless...

Ruchita Beri |
April 08, 2008 |
IDSA Comments

India Should Revisit its Tibet Policy

The Indian government’s response to the ongoing protests in Tibet has been to merely state its “distress” about the situation and reaffirm its position that Tibet is an “internal” affair...

Abanti Bhattacharya |
April 04, 2008 |
IDSA Comments

Yousuf Raza Gilani: A Tall Man with a Task of Tall Order

Yousuf Raza Gilani was nominated by Asif Ali Zardari as the PPP candidate for prime ministership on March 22, 2008. On that occasion, Zardari called upon Gilani “to accept the...

Ashok K. Behuria |
April 03, 2008 |
IDSA Comments

Mizoram on the Verge of Another Mautam?

Mizoram’s bamboo groves have been bursting into flower since November 2007, causing famine-like conditions. It is not as if the locals have been caught unawares. Since the flowering occurs over...

Namrata Goswami |
April 01, 2008 |
IDSA Comments

For EU, Trade Will Trump Tibet

The streets of Lhasa have started to become quiet once again. It would be just a matter of weeks if not months before the Forbidden City once again invites tourists...

DHD (N) and UPDS Agree to Ceasefire

People living in the two hill districts of Assam – North Cachar Hills and Karbi Anglong –witnessed a dim ray of hope for peace on March 18, 2008, when the...

Namrata Goswami |
March 26, 2008 |
IDSA Comments

Continuity and Change at the 11th National People’s Congress in China

The recently concluded 11th National People’s Congress (NPC) held in Beijing from March 5-18 was noteworthy for two significant features – administrative restructuring of the government and introduction of personnel...

Raviprasad Narayanan |
March 24, 2008 |
IDSA Comments

India’s Defence Budget 2008-09

Union Budget 2008-09 has allocated Rs. 105,600 crores for India’s Defence. Crossing the one lakh barrier for the first time, and accounting for nearly 14.1 per cent of total central...

Laxman Kumar Behera |
March 19, 2008 |
IDSA Comments