Comment & Briefs

Whenever a civilian government has attempted to improve relations with India, it has either had to backtrack on promises made or the Pakistan Army ensures that, through its actions at the LoC and inside J&K, these promises stand scuttled.

The best way forward for India is to initiate talks with Bangladesh and seek a mutually acceptable political solution for the issue of illegal immigrants.

India’s quest for being recognized even as a regional power, let alone a global power, requires a balanced and simultaneous growth of its economic and military capabilities.

The UK Combat Air Strategy unveiled on July 16, 2018 can actually be termed as the Combat Aircraft Industry Strategy. India, with a nearly non-existing aircraft industry, can benefit by understanding the key rationales underpinning the CAS.

The upper riparian China is uniquely positioned to influence the flow of Yarlung Tsangpo/Brahmaputra into lower riparian India. In the absence of a water sharing treaty, the Chinese decision to build more dams on Yarlung/Brahmaputra and continued evasiveness on its long-term plans would remain an issue of major concern for India.

Given that Iran accounts for around 10 per cent of India total oil imports, the immediate factor for New Delhi will be to look at various options to deal with the situation without jeopardising its energy security.

Eradicating the fake news problem calls for a collective effort of individuals, governments, social media and content platforms, and innovative technology solutions.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made a foreign policy course-correction after realising that the strategic tilt towards the United States has not only grossly upset India’s geopolitical image but also undermined national interests.

The way forward for New Delhi is to seize the momentum and develop a strategic partnership with the UAE to safeguard its core national interests while avoiding regional entanglements.

While it is necessary to identify and shore up the convergence of interest between India and Iran, it is equally important to recognize differences and pitfalls.