Sri Lankan Presidential Elections: India’s Stance
It will be in India`s interest to adopt a neutral posture vis-à-vis the contestants in the January 2015 Sri Lankan Presidential elections.
- Gautam Sen
- December 15, 2014 |
- IDSA Comments
- |
It will be in India`s interest to adopt a neutral posture vis-à-vis the contestants in the January 2015 Sri Lankan Presidential elections.
The military cooperation agreement between Russia and Pakistan raises two pertinent questions: What are the driving factors behind Russia’s Pakistan strategy? And should India be concerned?
It is difficult to visualise how the Russian offer to make LUH in India could be actualised unless the government invokes ‘strategic considerations’ for making it in India or signs an inter-governmental agreement for that purpose.
The 2014 edition of the air show tried to reinforce the Chinese theme of a rising, strong and technologically advanced industrial base to the domestic constituency, international arms market and adversaries.
The PAC-3 missile defence deal is a win-win package for both the United States and Saudi Arabia in terms of both their bilateral relations and the enhancement of regional security.
Sultan Qaboos once observed that “while other Gulf Arabs prefer to get on a camel and go west into the Arab desert, Omanis prefer to be on a boat and drift towards India.”
The trust and comfort factor in the India-Russia relationship still exists. Modi needs to find more diligent ways to reboot the relationship with Russia and make it more relevant for changing times.
Is India now looking at energy through the strategic prism? Its recent signing of the TAPI deal is certainly indicative of that.
Is the Eurasian Economic Union aimed at reincarnating the Soviet Union minus the Marxist ideology? While some in Russia assert that the term “union” symbolically harkens back to the Soviet Union, many outside Russia fear that it could be so.
If the Sinhala opposition parties, the Tamil TNA, and the Muslim parties support the common candidate, there is a possibility that they may be able to defeat Mahinda Rajapaksa. But will these political forces come together?