Pranay Sharma
The politically charged ’70s in Calcutta were a heady mixture of debate, discussion, demonstration and demolition—of both theories as well as buildings, sta...
Sources say the US officials at the Security Council have now been asking China for details of its objection to declare Masood Azhar a "global terrorist".
There is no doubt that the outcome of Wednesday’s development will impact not only the South Asian neighbours but also their relations with key international players.
The Indian statement makes two important points: one, it was a “non-military” action. Also, care was taken to avoid civilian casualties. Two, that India was forced to respond against the JeM who were responsible for the Pulwama attack.
The recent ‘ground breaking’ ceremony of the Kartarpur corridor, proved to be yet another opportunity for leaders of the two sides to enter a fresh bout of one-upmanship against rivals-- both across the border as well as those within the country.
Rajapaksa as Sri Lanka’s President had not only ended the LTTE led civic and ethnic strife but he also succeeded in killing its supremo Prabhakaran, and subsequently had marginalized the Tamil population in the country
It is not usual for China, which sees itself as the future leader of the world, make such a fervent appeal to India to join ranks and make common cause with it against the US. For policy planners in South Block this poses a serious challenge.
It can be argued that because of improvement in relations with China and the reaffirmation of strong ties with Russia, India has managed to keep more strategic space for itself which is likely to help it in striking a better deal also with the US.
For now, India seems to have concentrated its focus on increased diplomatic pressure—something that reportedly bore down heavily on Pakistan after both the Pulwama attack and the Balakot airstrike.
Ten years, is certainly long enough, if not to change the world of diplomacy then at least to introduce a set of new actors and fundamentally new challenges for inertia-bound foreign policy wonks to grapple with.
Career diplomat Dr Saud Mohammed Alsati speaks to Pranay Sharma on the evolution of Indo-Saudi relations and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s maiden state visit to India next week.
Economic, strategic engagements between India and Saudi Arabia are at a crucial juncture. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s visit will give a vital push to ties.
