With Prime Minister Modi emphasizing India’s commitment to the early conclusion of a balanced and comprehensive Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) at the ASEAN-India Breakfast Summit in Singapore in November 2018, India has clearly articulated the importance of trade and investment in enhancing prosperity and security of the Indo-Pacific.
India and Indonesia recently upgraded bilateral ties to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, a move that comes on the eve of 70 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. This deeper engagement serves to highlight the importance of the Indo-Pacific for both countries. India and Indonesia have recently witnessed some intensive engagement in the political, strategic, defence, security, and economic spheres.
Senior Research Associate, IDSA, Dr Udai Bhanu Singh’s article on India-Indonesia bilateral relations, titled ‘Emerging India, Indonesia maritime axis’ was published in Free Press Journal (Newspaper) on June 1, 2018.
The article analyses the bilateral relations between the two countries, which after a long hiatus, seem to be headed in a direction where the immense potential may begin to be realised.
Senior Research Associate, IDSA, Dr Udai Bhanu Singh’s commentary on ‘Indonesian President Joko Widodo's Visit to India’ was published in Volume 5 of ‘Diplomatist’ in January 2017
The process of active collaboration between the practitioner and the scholar can sometimes result in desirable policy outcomes. The book under review is one such commendable initial attempt. Ambassador Navrekha Sharma retired from the Indian Foreign Service (IFS); her assignments included Joint Secretary (JS) South (1999–2001) and Ambassadorial posting to the Philippines and Indonesia. In fact, she had two postings in Jakarta, first as Minister-Counsellor (1993–1996) and later as Ambassador (2006–2008).
Australia’s comprehensive strategic approach towards the Indo-Pacific region and a renewed interest in the Indian Ocean has served to rekindle its relationship with India. Australia’s recently released 2016 Defence White Paper (DWP 2016) demonstrates that a growing convergence in strategic approaches can be discerned as Australia looks West and India begins to ‘Act East’.
Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) won by a landslide majority in the openly contested elections Myanmar held on Sunday, November 8, 2015.The NLD won a convincing majority with 255 seats in the lower house, 135 in the upper house and 496 seats in the state and regional legislatures. This paves the way for election of President of its choice and forming a government. The election had 33.5 million eligible voters (over 18 years) of Myanmar’s 52 million population.
Myanmar is an underrated neighbour with the potential to influence India’s vital strategic and economic interests. To keep track of the pulse of the mystic nation that is India’s closest Southeast Asian neighbour demands not just a scholarly approach but an empathy and an emotional connect. Rajiv Bhatia’s book, India–Myanmar Relations, is timely as it comes during a period when Myanmar is going through a significant phase of transition. Myanmar today stands at a crossroads confronted by a combination of developments on the domestic, regional and global planes.
This volume is based on the proceedings of Delhi Dialogue VII held in March 2015. It epitomizes the growing dialogue between India and ASEAN at all levels. Delhi Dialogue brings together practitioners, corporate leaders, opinion makers, academics and journalists, every year, to discuss a wide range of issues of common interest and concern that animate the India - ASEAN relationship. Discussions held at the Delhi Dialogue, subsequent to ASEAN Commemorative Summit issuing the ‘Vision Statement’ in 2012, provide a good insight into the likely scenarios and possible trends in the post-2015 era.
The ability of history to intrude into the present has often been underestimated. Nowhere is this more evident than in India’s relations with territories to its immediate east. Colonial rule by the British in Northeast India and Myanmar left a lasting impact on the two countries, which is felt to this day. Japanese control of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands also left its own historical imprint.
