Despite reports of deliberations of war in anticipation of and later publication of the latest IAEA report on Iran’s nuclear programme, the November 18 IAEA resolution has desisted from referring the issue to the UNSC. New set of unilateral sanctions on its oil sector by US, Britain, and Canada announced on November 21 though have further increased the economic stakes for Iran.
Obama has skilfully reaped the political benefits of ordering a ‘technical’ withdrawal and ending the US mission in Iraq, whilst not only retaining the substance of the US posture and presence but immeasurably strengthening it.
After the death of Gaddafi one may wonder why Syria has had a safe escape from any action by the UN Security Council. There are several reasons why the response to Syria has been different from the Libyan case.
The rare October 4 double veto by Russia and China on the draft resolution against Syria sponsored by France, Germany, Portugal, and UK condemning Syrian action on its civilian population has come to bolster the divide within the Security Council. Russia and China hinted that they may bring their own draft resolution but, at the moment, there is no sign of reconciliation or unanimity among the P5.
President Abbas' request for full UN membership for a Palestinian State may have created new opportunities for India in West Asia. New Delhi today is relatively well-positioned to contribute to the ongoing efforts for the resumption of Israeli - Palestinian talks in the coming weeks.
Yemen is stuck in a paradoxical and ambiguous situation. While it is widely believed that regime change is necessary, in the absence of reliable alternate leadership, the risk of chaos and instability looms large.
In the wake of its strategic partnership agreement with India, Afghanistan has become an untouchable, even an ‘enemy’, for many Pakistani commentators.
Irrespective of the outcome of the Palestinian bid to seek to become the 194th UN member-state, the effort is a definitive ‘fork-in-the-road’ as far as the future contours of the intractable issue are concerned.
IAEA Report on Iran: Storm before the Lull
Despite reports of deliberations of war in anticipation of and later publication of the latest IAEA report on Iran’s nuclear programme, the November 18 IAEA resolution has desisted from referring the issue to the UNSC. New set of unilateral sanctions on its oil sector by US, Britain, and Canada announced on November 21 though have further increased the economic stakes for Iran.