News for 'foreign-service'

Biden-Putin tango promises to be riveting

Biden-Putin tango promises to be riveting

Rediff.com27 Jan 2021

Both statesmen possess a cultivated pugnacious style which they keep in reserve and can at will bring into play, and despite the mutual distrust in Russian-American relations, they are proponents of detente, quintessentially, who take their mission deadly seriously, points out Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.

US Treasury's David Malpass bags World Bank's top job

US Treasury's David Malpass bags World Bank's top job

Rediff.com5 Apr 2019

The World Bank's executive board unanimously selected 63-year-old Malpass, who is currently Under Secretary of Treasury for International Affairs, as the bank's 13th President for a five-year term beginning April 9.

Why is Modi pushing Rajapaksa on the Tamils?

Why is Modi pushing Rajapaksa on the Tamils?

Rediff.com2 Oct 2020

Mahinda Rajapaksa is a democratically elected leader who received a massive mandate of 71% of votes, and he owes nothing to Delhi or Washington for staging his political comeback, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.

Can Russia help resolve Ladakh stand-off?

Can Russia help resolve Ladakh stand-off?

Rediff.com5 Sep 2020

'Russia is the only country that can act as facilitator for any eventual Chinese-Indian rapprochement,' points out Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.

Why John le Carre will never die

Why John le Carre will never die

Rediff.com18 Dec 2020

He will be remembered not only as a writer but as one of the great chroniclers and interrogators of the history of our times, says Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.

Post Coup Myanmar: India must be careful

Post Coup Myanmar: India must be careful

Rediff.com11 Feb 2021

It will not be to India's advantage to create misperceptions that it is bandwagoning with some Anglo-American project for regime change in Myanmar, argues Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.

Getting out of the hole with China is possible

Getting out of the hole with China is possible

Rediff.com14 Dec 2020

China is in no hurry to disengage at the border and the region and international community is moving on. The spectre of a long haul in Ladakh haunts India, points out Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.

'Independence for Kashmir is unworkable, unthinkable'

'Independence for Kashmir is unworkable, unthinkable'

Rediff.com13 Nov 2009

No book on South Asia published in recent years has received the kudos veteran diplomat Howard B Schaffer's The Limits of Influence: America's Role in Kashmir, published by Brookings Institution Press, elicited.In an interview with rediff.com's Aziz Haniffa, he explains why the Barack Obama administration should intervene in resolving the contentious Kashmir issue.

Why did Sri Lanka snub US?

Why did Sri Lanka snub US?

Rediff.com1 Nov 2020

Any form of entanglement with India or the US on the strategic plane will be anathema to Sri Lanka's Rajapaksa rulers, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.

American Democracy in Shambles

American Democracy in Shambles

Rediff.com9 Jan 2021

Biden is best qualified to address the root cause of the polarisation in American politics before it turns into terminal malignancy, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.

Will BECA scare the Chinese?

Will BECA scare the Chinese?

Rediff.com29 Oct 2020

'Analysts see BECA as a 'force multiplier' for India.' 'But China too is known to have such capabilities.' 'The military gap with China will continue to remain a fact of life, BECA notwithstanding,' argues Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar

Bumpy diplomatic ride ahead for Biden

Bumpy diplomatic ride ahead for Biden

Rediff.com27 Jan 2021

The US is not going to be able to mount a concerted 'Western strategy' against China or Russia in the present international milieu, predicts Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.

Diplomat-politician: Life and times of S K Singh

Diplomat-politician: Life and times of S K Singh

Rediff.com4 Dec 2009

S K Singh stood tall and made his voice heard as a diplomat and as a politician.

Ladakh standoff: Breakthrough in sight?

Ladakh standoff: Breakthrough in sight?

Rediff.com16 Oct 2020

'A breakthrough in eastern Ladakh leading to disengagement and creation of a buffer zone will obviate the need of military deployment through the winter months ahead,' notes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.

Time for India to fix relations with Kuwait

Time for India to fix relations with Kuwait

Rediff.com6 Oct 2020

'Modi has visited all these three countries (the UAE more than once, inexplicably) but has left out Kuwait and Oman, the two Gulf countries that are closest to India in their political, cultural and civilisational ethos,' notes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.

Trump is setting the stage to grab power

Trump is setting the stage to grab power

Rediff.com12 Nov 2020

If push comes to shove, Trump is probably planning to order the US army to clear his path for a second term. What if the armed forces refuse to obey their commander-in-chief?, asks Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.

Spectre of Biden presidency haunts India

Spectre of Biden presidency haunts India

Rediff.com8 Nov 2020

'The hardliners in Delhi are in for a big disappointment,' predicts Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.

The American who caught Gandhiji's killer

The American who caught Gandhiji's killer

Rediff.com30 Jan 2020

In the shock after Nathuram Godse murdered Mahatma Gandhi that January evening 72 years ago today, a young American diplomat rushed to capture the assassin. Vaihayasi Pande Daniel traces the memorable life of Herbert Reiner, who History has sadly relegated to a footnote.

Gopal Baglay takes charge as MEA spokesperson

Gopal Baglay takes charge as MEA spokesperson

Rediff.com27 Feb 2017

Baglay replaced Vikas Swarup, who was made India's new high commissioner to Canada.

KRN's life was a saga of surprises

KRN's life was a saga of surprises

Rediff.com27 Oct 2020

'KRN's journey from a humble cottage in Uzhavoor to Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi was no less spectacular than that of Abraham Lincoln from the log cabin to the White House'.

Biden's secretary of state will be...

Biden's secretary of state will be...

Rediff.com16 Nov 2020

'Biden's promise of returning to 'normalcy' after Trump appears to mean that the same old politicians, who are responsible for the 'endless wars' in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, are being brought out of the woodwork after four years,' notes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.

What Modi can learn from Abe

What Modi can learn from Abe

Rediff.com31 Aug 2020

Both have been robustly muscular leaders who began as immensely charismatic politicians conveying an impression that they were makers of history, raring to go. Both have been hyperactive on the world stage. But in the final analysis, Abe is departing on a sombre note, unceremoniously and apologetically, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.

'I am the most venomous speaker around. I can spew poison'

'I am the most venomous speaker around. I can spew poison'

Rediff.com24 Apr 2014

'I do spew poison against Modi and his communalism. I am deeply depressed that India is on the edge of reaching where Germany was in January 1937 when Hitler came to power through a democratic election,' Mani Shankar Aiyar tells Rediff.com's A Ganesh Nadar.

Without Trump, the world stage will be poorer

Without Trump, the world stage will be poorer

Rediff.com6 Nov 2020

Trump was good for world peace. He didn't start a war anywhere, which is not something that can be said for most of his predecessors, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.

India-US relations: 'The rupture is certainly real and quite tragic'

India-US relations: 'The rupture is certainly real and quite tragic'

Rediff.com17 Feb 2014

'Never before have I seen a diplomatic crisis in US-Indian relations, or for that matter a crisis involving India and any other country, driven by bureaucratic trade unionism, where the political leadership was simply missing in action.' Dr Ashley J Tellis, one of the foremost strategic experts on US-India relations, accesses the fallout of the diplomatic spat provoked by Devyani Khobragade's arrest.

PM's principal secy Nripendra Misra to step down

PM's principal secy Nripendra Misra to step down

Rediff.com31 Aug 2019

Modi has appointed P K Sinha, who superannuated as cabinet secretary on Friday, as Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO), he said.

Indian envoy to US Sarna meets Trump in Oval Office

Indian envoy to US Sarna meets Trump in Oval Office

Rediff.com26 Feb 2017

This was the first meeting of the top Indian diplomat with Trump after he was sworn in as the US President on January 20.

More Indians have died of covid than all our wars together

More Indians have died of covid than all our wars together

Rediff.com24 Sep 2020

The corona deaths in India so far add up to 91,149 (September 24, 3.26 pm). It is seven-and-a-half times the number of Indian soldiers slain in all the wars (1947, 1961-1962, 1965, 1971 and 1999) in post-independent India's history, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.

26/11 set up India-Saudi strategic ties

26/11 set up India-Saudi strategic ties

Rediff.com19 Dec 2020

'The attacks made clear to all the Gulf States that Pakistan was the nursery and sanctuary of extremist violence and that this violence threatened all the countries in the region.'

Kerala's COVID-19 story is hard to replicate

Kerala's COVID-19 story is hard to replicate

Rediff.com20 Apr 2020

'What the northern Indian states lack is responsive politics based on the principles of development, social justice and equality.' 'A cut-and-paste job cannot make up for such lethal deficiency,' observes says Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.

War of the maps in South Asia

War of the maps in South Asia

Rediff.com8 Aug 2020

'The Modi government's grandstanding has hardened the reflexes in Beijing, Islamabad and Kathmandu and complicated India's relations with these three countries, which were even otherwise highly problematic.' 'Whatever prospects existed for a fair and balanced resolution of the territorial disputes may also have receded,' observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.

War of words between Cong, BJP over Sujatha's removal

War of words between Cong, BJP over Sujatha's removal

Rediff.com29 Jan 2015

A political war of words erupted on Thursday over the sudden removal of Sujatha Singh

Well Done, Ambassador T P Seetharam!

Well Done, Ambassador T P Seetharam!

Rediff.com31 Aug 2016

'His assignment as the Ambassador to the UAE was particularly appreciated by the Emiratis and Indians alike. He retires in a trail of glory,' says Ambassadpr T P Sreenivasan.

Khobragade owns properties worth Rs 10 cr in Mah, Kerala, UP

Khobragade owns properties worth Rs 10 cr in Mah, Kerala, UP

Rediff.com26 Dec 2013

In 10 months, her property value has zoomed almost six times

Modi and the Coronavirus War

Modi and the Coronavirus War

Rediff.com4 Apr 2020

'Without doubt, India's success story will come up for close scrutiny when Modi's prime ministerial legacy is summed up in history.' 'A failure is simply unthinkable.' 'And the success will largely depend on national unity,' notes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.

Meira Kumar, a diplomat-turned-politician

Meira Kumar, a diplomat-turned-politician

Rediff.com22 Jun 2017

Daughter of former deputy PM late Jagjivan Ram, Kumar, 72, was also the first woman to occupy the high office of the LS speaker

PM grants $12m to Pacific island states, $150m line of credit

PM grants $12m to Pacific island states, $150m line of credit

Rediff.com25 Sep 2019

A release issued by the MEA said the meeting was attended by the heads of delegations of Fiji, Republic of Kiribati, Republic of Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Nauru, Republic of Palau, Independent State of Papua New Guinea, The Independent State of Samoa, Solomon Islands, Kingdom of Tonga, Tuvalu and Republic of Vanuatu.

UPSC withdraws mandatory English norm in mains exam

UPSC withdraws mandatory English norm in mains exam

Rediff.com28 Mar 2013

Amid a nation-wide controversy, the Union Public Service Commission has withdrawn changes suggested by it in civil services mains examination, dropping mandatory English language paper requirement.

Why did a US senator warn Modi against Putin?

Why did a US senator warn Modi against Putin?

Rediff.com25 Aug 2020

'Washington senses that the anchor sheet of India's strategic autonomy lies in its longstanding partnership with Russia, which remains firm and immutable despite the changes in world politics in the post-Cold War era,' notes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.<

How will Biden deal with China?

How will Biden deal with China?

Rediff.com24 Aug 2020

It is premature to make the assumption that Biden's policy toward China will not be a break with Trump, observes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.