Colonel (Dr) Anil Athale (retd) on how the global war on terror has changed the geo-politics of the world and India's role in it.
Describing Afghanistan as a sovereign country that has a right to have bilateral relations with any nation that it chooses, Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmoud Quraishi has said that Islamabad cannot hold a grudge against Kabul for having ties with New Delhi.
International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn today commended India's role in managing capital inflows, which have already crossed $50 billion this year--about 4 per cent of the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
India's unilateral offer was again relayed by the then Foreign Secretary Shiv Shankar Menon in his meeting with the Special US Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke on February 16, 2009 in New Delhi, wherein the latter praised India's developmental role in Afghanistan.
Pakistan's negative perception of India's role in Afghanistan is a matter of "continuing concern," a Pentagon official has said, while appreciating the development assistance being offered by New Delhi to the war-torn country.
India and the United States have come up with the idea of 'a triangular cooperation' on development issues involving countries like Afghanistan, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao said on Monday."An interesting new idea has emerged -- that of a triangular cooperation in places like Afghanistan and Africa. Let me say that on Afghanistan, (Secretary of State Hillary) Clinton spoke very positively about India's role in that country," said Nirupama Rao.
While India is terming the visit of American President Barack Obama as a very successful trip that will give a shape to the Indo-US strategic partnership, Pakistan is worried especially after Obama endorsed India's role in Afghanistan and India's right to a permanent seat in the Security Council.
Dr Abdullah Abdullah, erstwhile foreign minister of Afghanistan and a candidate in the 2009 Presidential election, has lauded India's role in Afghanistan in terms of infrastructure development and institutional capacity building as significant and dismissed Pakistan's paranoia and deep suspicions about New Delhi's involvement in his country as totally misplaced.
US President Barack Obama is unlikely to rake up the issue of Kashmir during his visit to India, a senior American official in New Delhi indicated. The US has reiterated that Kashmir is a bilateral issue to be resolved between New Delhi and Islamabad.
He also sought setting up of a global fund to contain terrorism.
Underlining the importance of stability in Afghanistan for regional security, Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao on Thursday said Washington 'fully recognises' India's role in the war-torn country and reiterated that New Delhi will not be 'scaling down' its operations there following the recent attacks targeting Indians. "The United States fully recognises that India has legitimate interests in Afghanistan. It appreciates the development work we do there," said Rao.
Well briefed on India's angst over the ambiguity on the access to Lashkar operative and 26/11 conspirator David Coleman Headley and also the perceived US indifference to India's role in Afghanistan, US President Barack Obama has assured Prime Minister Manmohan Singh that he was "fully supportive" of India's request for access to Headley and "fully appreciated" and "recognized the enormous sacrifices" India has made in helping "stabilize" Afghanistan.
Nursing "serious suspicions" on India's role in Nepal's political process, Maoist leader Prachanda has said the Indian establishment had failed to "grasp the verdict" of the historic 2008 election and he is keen to discuss his concerns with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Sitharaman, who is in Russia on a three-day visit, also met her Chinese counterpart Wei Fenghe on the sidelines of the international security conference.
'Modi's role at Paris last year is a testament to his willingness to take a political risk to do what he thinks is right, not just for his country, but for the planet'
Periodic misunderstandings and mutual bitterness in the relations between co-operating intelligence agencies are part of the intelligence game, writes strategic expert B Raman.
Pakistan on said it wants dialogue with India to resolve all outstanding issues and welcomed all efforts to normalise bilateral ties, days after the two prime ministers spoke to each other amid a war of words between the two countries.
'It should be an imperative of American policy to support the demand for Pakistan to shut down Lashkar-e-Tayiba,' says influential Afpak strategist Bruce Riedel.
'He is seeking to harness the power of Indian Diasporas to national (support for India in global capitals) and political (enhance the Bharatiya Janata Party's support base) ends.'
India's role as an important player in the future of Ford Motor Company's international strategy was underscored on Wednesday when the company's President and CEO Alan Mulally unveiled an all-new small car targetting the Indian car market: the Ford Figo.
'Sri Lankan army chief General Fonseka told me that 10 minutes before they were killed, ambassadors were calling up Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapakse to save Prabhakaran and top LTTE leaders. Fonseka said any fool would have known that a ceasefire appeal was to save Prabhakaran and not the people, because there were no people there,' reveals Nitin Gokhale, author of the new book, Sri Lanka: From War to Peace.
The Pittsburgh summit could determine the timing of a calibrated winding down of public spending, now that the signs of a global economic recovery are evident.
'The Indian Army served with honour and distinction in France and Flanders, East Africa, Gallipoli, Aden, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Palestine, Transcaspia, Persia and even China.' 'The sacrifice of India's soldiers was consigned to the dustbin of history in the post-colonial world.'
"This is a moment of opportunity. I hope both parties will make the most of it," former Secretary of State Madeleine K Albright when asked in an interview with PTI about the India-Pakistan relations after the formation of new government in Islamabad.
'Trump forgets that Kim is not one who likes to be treated publicly as a pauper; he wants to come to the table as an equal, and from a position of perceived strength, not as a suppliant,' says Dr Rajaram Panda.
"Therefore, we have given our full support to the consolidation of a multi-party democracy in Afghanistan. We feel that it can and should be a multi-ethnic society, a plural society backed by the United States and India," Saran said.
'Kulbhushan Jadhav is a very sad case.' 'I think Pakistan handled this issue very clumsily.' 'They gave too much of publicity and also said that they will hang him.' 'Now obviously, they are not going to hang him.'
Mohinder Amarnath on being eliminated from Jhalak Dikhla Jaa.
"They support terror operations in India with terrorist organisations. They support the Haqqani network and the Taliban in conducting operations against the United States and NATO and Afghanistan. They've got blood all over their hands with the casualties," General (Retd) Jack Keane said.
Arunabha Ghosh on why India will increasingly become an energy great power, but not an energy hegemon.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday asserted that India's efforts for engagement with Pakistan is on with peace as supreme objective but the forces have "full freedom to answer back" in whatever manner they have to.
How could India@75 improve law and order, courts, social, physical and soft infrastructure, efficient cities, e-governance, ease of doing business and other essential state functions by 2022, asks Shailesh Pathak.
"This will be the first dinner for a foreign dignitary at the White House under this administration. So, we think that's very significant," a senior administration official told reporters at the White House on the eve of Modi's arrival.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit will highlight the growing collaboration between India and the US and their "shared leadership" on the world stage, the White House said on the eve of his arrival.
India is playing its South China Sea card by restarting oil exploration off Vietnam coast despite China's objections as a calculated geopolitical move to force Beijing to make "compromises" on border issue and its close ties with Pakistan, a state-run Chinese think-tank has said.
a stronger cooperation with China could help India achieve faster growth
Barack Obama is expected to ask for India's support to create a global coalition against ISIS when he meets Narendra Modi on Monday. Sheela Bhatt/Rediff.com reports from New York.
'We would like India to play a much more vigorous role. Of course, there are constraints and inhibitions, but it is still possible for India to play a meaningful and proactive role.'
The mediators also praised India's role in the developments in the island nation.
The US considers Indian a critical financial centre.
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