Comment & Briefs

Public perception in the European Union (EU) has perceptibly changed against China due to its aggressive aid diplomacy and propaganda efforts during the pandemic

Even as Kazakhstan is making slow but steady progress towards further democratisation and openness of its political system, jostling by elites to secure their positions ahead of the ultimate exit of first President Nursultan Nazarbayev from the political scene, is set to grow.

India and the GCC countries should further strengthen cooperation in the fields of healthcare, education, defence and niche areas like space exploration, artificial intelligence, cyber security, bioinformatics, and renewable energy.

Even as the Al-Ula summit has set a positive tone for the restoration of unity in the GCC, a high level of commitment is required by all parties to bridge the trust deficit.

COVID-19 vaccine hoarding by wealthy nations will prolong the pandemic, and result in greater economic and social damage.

While Imran Khan’s efforts to build legitimacy around his ‘personality’ as a religious person and a crusader against corruption do not seem to have convinced many people, his government’s inability to bring the much-promised tabdeeli (‘change’) to Pakistan is beginning to hurt him politically.

It remains to be seen to what extent Turkish President Recep Tayyeb Erdogan’s recent efforts to mend broken regional ties and address concerns over domestic policies will succeed.

India and Bangladesh fought together “in the defence of human liberty”, in the words of Sheikh Mujib ur Rahman, to liberate Bangladesh, fifty momentous years ago.

Disagreements on cabinet positions continue to hamper the formation of a new Lebanese government, even as the country is going through socio-economic turmoil, compounded by the pandemic and the Beirut port blast.

The iDEX has made a commendable effort at putting a defence start-up ecosystem in place. The challenges ahead include maintaining momentum, obtaining funding, and accessing toolsets and data sets.