The Mecca Pact, barely a month old, has already been discredited. Its authenticity is in question, its efficacy doubtful. The very notion of an “Islamic Nato” has been exposed as a mirage. Collective defence requires not just declarations but capabilities, coordination and political will. None of these are evident in the pact’s functioning.
A more sensible and balanced engagement with India might help Bangladesh maintain its national interests while boosting its competitiveness in the region as it moves into the post-LDC transition period. A bilateral visit should happen soon to address Bangladesh's food, fertiliser and fuel shortages.
The real change, then, is not merely that Chinese media sounded friendlier towards India. It is that they assigned India a different place in the story. New Delhi appeared as a complex but consequential partner, whose strategic autonomy and cooperation matter to China's imagining of a changing world order.
Pakistan, for its part, will have to recognise that the old assumption of an immutable treaty operating independently of the broader India-Pakistan relationship has become untenable. Islamabad cannot expect the water relationship to remain insulated indefinitely from terrorism
If the Nagas are drawn into the already raging ethnic conflict in Manipur, it would be catastrophic for the border state and have repercussions in the entire northeast of India. The decision to fence the entire India-Myanmar border and cancel the FMR could potentially lead to discontent in Nagaland and Mizoram.
The Maldives case is a vivid example that Beijing is not going to stop its power play in India's neighboring countries. China's aim is crystal clear: to question India's bid for regional leadership.
If India and China are changing, so are many other countries who realise the futility of trying to persuade a bunch of religious fundamentalists, now enjoying absolute power, to change their way of treating their people.
Besides youth, efforts have also been made to increase women’s inclusion in electoral politics. Section 206 of the Elections Act 2017 mandates at least 5 per cent women's representation in general seats. However, major political parties often award tickets to women for unwinnable seats and focus on swing constituencies.
Nobel Prize-winning economist Amartya Sen is a vehement supporter of granting land access to women and argues that economic empowerment is a critical step to realise the goal of gender equality and women’s empowerment.
Ironically, recent actions will be playing into the hands of China which has a lien on many insurgent groups in Myanmar, including Meitei and Kuki-Naga groups, which it would use to destabilize northeast India.
It is a risible state of affairs in Pakistan where a three-time prime minister, who could have been in prison for ten years without going into exile returns, even as another one, Khan, is sentenced to ten
Though a vast majority of Muslims oppose violent extremism, it is a reality that most extremist and terrorist violence does occur in largely Muslim states, although it mostly consists of attacks by Muslim extremists on fellow Muslims and not some clash between civilizations.
The way this was done raises questions about whether Hindus have been spiritually awakened and also what this means for India as an avowedly secular, democratic country.
The protracted Red Sea crisis may hurt Bangladesh's exports, stoke inflationary pressures, and delay the recovery of the economy. Bangladesh’s apparel sector is highly dependent on the route, as nearly 70 percent of the country's clothes are exported to European countries
Worldwide sorghum is the fifth highest-produced grain crop and fourth in India. Nutritionally it is better than rice as it contains beta-carotene, folic acid, fiber, thiamine, and riboflavin.
Advani was gracious enough to handwrite his answer in which he said, “The Indian Constitution guarantees equality and justice to all citizens, irrespective of their faith. The BJP holds that this commitment of our constitution makers is a commitment of the nation. Anything else would be contrary to our history, tradition and culture. The BJP rejects theocracy. In India, we can never have Class I citizens and Class II citizens as you have in Pakistan and several Islamic countries.”
Trump took a broader view of the Indo-Pacific region and its role that aligned with India’s in a world where China assumes an increasingly aggressive posture towards neighbours and vies for global dominance. In his tenure, he extended the Pacific remit to the Indian Ocean, embracing India in the strategy for the region.
While the real issue of Ram temple is social, it is also a political play at its zenith. In a politically charged nation, what we see are distorted views of the developments in Ayodhya.
The adverse influence of uncontrolled social media in the relations between India and Maldives is a case in point. Social media poses an existential threat to the conventional methods of conducting governance, diplomacy, and warfare.
