The deeper politics of deep sea ports
The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a development strategy of the Chinese government aimed at enhancing regional connectivity and cooperation among the Eurasian countries—primarily the People’s Republic of China and the countries that spread along the historically famous land-based Silk Road Economic Belt (SREB) and the Maritime Silk Road (MSR).
Revival of US bases a suicidal notion
THE suggestion of Defence Secretary Voltaire Gazmin that US bases be revived here is like suggesting that the Philippines put itself in the line of fire in the event that a Korean war, possibly nuclear in nature, breaks out. It is like running between two cowboys in a gunfight as soon as they start firing. Such a geopolitically naive proposal will draw Korean nuclear missiles into Philippine soil. This suicidal idea is unacceptable, coming from a Cabinet member and a prestigious former...
Core, periphery and Indian foreign policy
DURING the recent months, the divide between New Delhi and Tamil Nadu was obvious over how both of them perceive the ethnic problem in Sri Lanka. Not long ago, Mamata Banerjee played a spoil sport when the Indian Prime Minister visited Bangladesh, especially over the Teesta river. In J&K and in Sikkim, the local population have a different perception on cross-border relations and so has India's Northeast regarding relations vis-a-vis Myanmar and Bangladesh.
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From Look East to Indo-Pacific
INDIA has been looking towards the east since the 1990s. Now, there is a renewed emphasis on this in India owing to recent developments in Southeast Asia along with growing international interest in the Asia Pacific. In the changing context, how far should India look east? Should it look only towards Southeast Asia, or extend up to East Asia and Australia as well? Does the renewed international interest in this region demand an Indian pivot towards Southeast Asia and East Asia? Should India redefine this region as Indo-Pacific and pursue its interests accordingly?
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US must adopt Law of the Sea
Since the Obama administration's announced pivot to Asia, challenges have piled up in the region. With the exception of North Korea's nuclear brinkmanship, most of the challenges involve growing tension in the South China Sea and East China Sea. The US must devise a policy on these maritime disputes that preserves freedom of navigation and commerce, ensures regional stability, and upholds treaty commitments while avoiding military entanglements. A holistic strategy is required that calibrates the first term's diplomatic and military efforts while heeding the legal dimensions of these disputes, including the key role of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, or UNCLOS.
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