As the Israel-Palestine conflict persists, the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), announced in the backdrop of the G20 summit held in Delhi in September, 2023, remains a non-starter. The resolution of the Israel-Palestine conflict is nowhere in sight. As opposed to delaying the implementation of IMEC until the crisis is resolved, the participating nations could look at additional routes that would connect India to Europe bypassing Israel. One such route can connect India to Europe via Oman, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, while the rest of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries can be connected to the corridor via branch routes.
Tag: India
We are Shifting Towards a Multipolar World
The landscape of international politics is constantly changing and posing a serious challenge to the existing global order for the last three decades. The emerging role of the different middle powers is key to shaping the power dynamics and has reduced the relative power of the U.S. and opened up the scope for emerging economies like China, India, South Africa, and Brazil. Robert Gilpin, a scholar of the Realism school, opined that the global order is a dynamic reflection of shifting power dynamics among states, historically marked by conflicts and restructuring the power equations.
China Launches Shenzhou-18 Mission Aiming for Lunar Exploration
China’s space program is making great strides with the Shenzhou-18 mission. This time, three astronauts are sent to the country’s first domestically built space station. Led by former fighter pilots Ye Guangfu, Li Cong, and Li Guangsu, the crew embarks on a six-month mission, which includes conducting experiments and preparing for lunar exploration. In the midst of all this are zebrafish, part of more than 90 scientific experiments. Among them are creating a closed aquatic ecosystem for studying the interactions between fish and algae in space, information that can maybe inform future designs of habitats.
Maldives’ Growing Proximity with China: Gain or Loss for India?
Since Mohamed Muizu became the elected president of the Maldives in September 2023, a series of anti-India sentiments has been sweeping the country. Evidently, the allegiance of President Muizzu’s clearly lies in China. President Muizzu has earlier given the deadline for withdrawing Indian troops from the country, which will be an eventual move, accepted by India. A few days earlier, the two maritime neighbourhood countries got into a spat after a reference from a Maldivian minister to call India a ‘bully’ of the smaller countries of the region. New Delhi reacted by reminding the amount of aid, $4.5 billion, that the Maldives accepts from India.
US Reports Reveal that China is Aiding Russia’s Military Expansion
According to an assessment by US officials, it is revealed that China is playing a significant role in the military expansion of Russia, particularly in its efforts in the war against Ukraine. China has been increasing its sales of various technology and equipment to Russia, which Moscow will use to build up its military arsenal. China has been the major supplier of microelectronics, machine tools, and other crucial technology to Russia. In 2023, around 90% of Russia’s microelectronics came from China, which is essential in the production of tanks, missiles, and aircraft. Additionally, over 70% of Russia’s machine tool imports came from China last year.
BRICS is the Cure for Bitterness between India and China
BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) is one of the major platforms of the five emerging economies, aiming at promoting peace, security, inclusive development and cooperation. The platform represents 43% of the world’s total population and 30% of the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Since its establishment against the backdrop of the 2008 global financial crisis, as a potential alternative to G7 platform. The BRICS has grown substantially as an effective platform to articulate views of countries in the Global South as at least one country is present from every different continent across the region. Economy, being in focus point of the grouping, the initial decade of BRICS has advanced coordinated policy initiatives in the field of global economic governance.
India’s Arunachal Pradesh or China’s Zangnan?
For a substantial period of time, the border conflicts between India and China have centred around the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, which is claimed by China and administered by India. Reflecting the severity of the conflict, following the Sino-Indian War of 1962, both nations have been constantly in conflict with one another. Since then, Beijing has primarily concentrated on using covert warfare techniques to sabotage India’s sovereignty, renaming Indian land, intensifying military buildups in border regions and defying signed pacts, norms & procedures, while the dragon has never faltered in its will to put mounting pressure on New Delhi.
UN-finished? Peace, Promises and Growing Disappointments
The result? A crescendo of global disappointment and a serious need for rethinking of the UN’s relevance in a world that has moved beyond its post-1945 landscape. Also, a legitimate question to ask is that as a common individual living in a fairly small country, why should one trust and rely on the UN to protect them in times of humanitarian crises and hold the perpetrators accountable, given the litany list of failures before us? A more casual way of asking the same question would be, ‘is the UN still relevant?’
Role of the Indian Diaspora in 2024 General Election
This year is significant because many of the countries have their general elections. India, being the largest democracy, the general election set to begin on April 19. The major contenders in this election are the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), which the current ruling party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is part of; and the Indian National Congress (INC). For this election, the Congress has formed a new alliance Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) with several regional political parties. The influence of the Indian diaspora on Indian elections eventually increased over the decades.
India-China Rivalry: Boon for USA’s Dominance in Asia
When considering the United States, its robust economy and formidable military are typically the foremost aspects that come to mind. However, if these strengths were ever endangered, it becomes crucial to contemplate potential scenarios. One significant concern would arise if India and China were to align their efforts. However, we are living in a realistic world where this scenario doesn’t seem likely to happen. This article discusses why such cooperation would be detrimental for the United States.