Comment & Briefs

At one point there were an estimated 800 children in the ranks of the Maoists. Variously known as Bal Dasta, Bal Sangh and Bal Sangham, they are used for intelligence gathering, carrying food and arms, and serving extortion notes.

How did the Chinese media portray Prime Minister Modi’s May 2015 visit? And what does that indicate about official China’s perceptions of India given that the coverage of India in the Chinese media is overwhelmingly State-controlled?

There are distressing signals that the EU led by Germany is going in the wrong direction, moving away from the vision of its founders who aspired to build a Europe of democracies based on solidarity among Europeans.

Instead of exhibiting eagerness to take a leading part in every internal security task, it would be prudent for the Army to remain alert and be prepared and willing to back up the police.

For the 70th commemoration anniversary of the end of World War II to be meaningful, Japan, China and South Korea need to jointly address the issues involved through a combination of moral responsibility and political maturity.

For the people of Sri Lanka the choice is clear – between de-democratisation represented by Rajapakse and his supporters, and democratisation represented by Sirisena and his political allies.

Recommendations that defence procurement be handled by the military brass, ministers stay out of defence deals, and an external procurement agency be set up to handle procurement and focus on indigenization are indeed extraordinary.

While the first watt of power from foreign-aided projects may take many years to come, the 10th anniversary coincides with major transformations in India’s indigenous nuclear energy programme.

The new equation is that the Americans nudge India, the Chinese press Pakistan, and together they try to ensure that things don’t go out of control in South Asia.

An Indian application for NSG membership should face less resistance than what china had faced. Such an option is certainly worth an attempt instead of waiting indefinitely for the NSG PGs to arrive at a consensus on inviting India.