The Russians have arrived in West Asia, with a bang, with airstrikes against the terrorist Islamic State (Dawlat al-Islamiyah f’al-Iraq w Belaad al-Sham, or Daesh, in Arabic), giving a new leash of life to the beleaguered Syrian President. Their arrival has strengthened Iran, the sole regional ally of the Damascus … Read More
India’s Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs), to be unveiled on Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday on October 2 for added moral dimension, are keenly awaited across world capitals after Prime Minister Narendra Modi pointedly apprised leading western nations, notably the United States, France and Britain, of the third world’s need for access … Read More
The crisis in Nepal could have been handled better by Indian diplomats as the draft of the new Constitution was made public for two weeks in July 2015, to elicit popular opinion. As the overwhelming majority of people favoured a “Hindu Rashtra”, the Nepal government agreed to withdraw the term … Read More
Sri Lanka’s national unity government comprising the United National Party and Sri Lanka Freedom Party faces its first major challenge in the UN Human Rights Commission’s report on war crimes committed by both sides in the protracted war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. With President Maithripala Sirisena’s and … Read More
After the abject failure of the constituent assembly of 2008 and the inability to achieve unanimity in the assembly elected in 2013, Nepali lawmakers have understandably opted to end the impasse by voting for a draft approved by the three major parties, viz., Nepali Congress, Communist Party of Nepal (Unified … Read More
The Supreme Court’s decision to stay the Rajasthan High Court’s astonishing order declaring Santhara (also Sallekhana) a form of suicide punishable under law gives respite to the tiny Jain community for whom the judgment came as a lightning bolt. It is a setback to the agent provocateurs who, unmindful of … Read More
The Delhi power distribution companies’ (discoms) rip-off of the consumer has finally been established. Under the benign gaze of a regime that gifted 51 per cent controlling interest in the Delhi Electricity Supply Undertaking, the two private companies (three discoms) engaged in a scam whose full dimensions are not yet … Read More
On 16 July 2015, the Srinagar bench of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court set a dangerous precedent by ruling that the State legislature and not the Parliament of India, is sovereign. This poses a serious threat to national sovereignty and territorial integrity and calls for an immediate challenge in … Read More
Given the sharp and rising levels of agrarian distress in the country, the Centre has been wise not to press the land acquisition bill in the monsoon session (likely to be a washout unless the Speaker suspends the disruptive MPs) and to wait for the report of the joint panel. … Read More
United States By the time Ashraf Ghani took office, the security situation had become complex and a firm date for withdrawal of American troops was no longer a priority; indeed, one of his first acts was to sign the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) with the US and the multilateral security … Read More
