Comment & Briefs

With the Senate Committee on Foreign Relatons agreeing on September 16 to send the New START to the full Senate for ratification, the prospects of realising the potential of the Obama administration’s signal foreign policy achievement seem to have improved considerably.

The NSG will be in trouble if China goes ahead with its plan to sell nuclear reactors to a non-NPT country like Pakistan.

If the China-Japan maritime dispute in the East China Sea is not tackled and left to linger, it would have a serious impact on regional security.

Though expectations are high, it is unlikely that Obama’s India visit would provide a fillip to the strategic partnership which has lost its sheen or reinvigorate the relationship.

What will define the future of Turkey-India relations in not Cyprus or Pakistan, but the stress on mutual strengthening of their economies and providing an environment for greater understanding of each other.

If basic equipment shortfalls that the defence sectors face are to be addressed, then Indian defence planners need to use the DEI framework to create solution models.

The most crucial aspect is inspection of the ration offered by a contractor under the contract and acceptance of the same by the contract operating officer with due care and with reference to quantity as well as quality.

The win-win situation for India and China lies in respecting the ‘buffer-status of Nepal’ which will also ensure political stability in Nepal.

Once the Chinese achieve the capability of producing UUVs with deep depth capability, they could surround India by placing these submersibles at strategic places.

The latest IAEA report dated September 6, 2010 to the Board of Governors, delineating Iran’s compliance or otherwise with the provisions and requirements of the IAEA and UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions, indicates that contentious issues have not been resolved. As sanctions tighten, the US, China and Russia have urged Iran to fully cooperate with the IAEA.