'Young IFS officers today would take it for granted that they represent a major country with strengths and capabilities.' 'They will be aware that India is seen as one of the 10 significant countries in the world and therefore their voice will be heard whether on climate change or regime change,' says Ambassador B S Prakash.
This is the time when the US would need the conceptual strategic thinking of a Henry Kissinger, able to ally diplomatic skills with a well-conceived worldview of what the emergence of a new balance of forces will mean for a US whose ability to shape global events has definitely declined but still exists, says Claude Smadja.
It has been a half-century since Neil Armstrong stepped out of a lunar module and onto the surface of the moon on July 20, 1969 and declared, "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind." The moment heralded a golden age of space exploration that was set in motion just eight years earlier in 1961, when United States President John F Kennedy promised before Congress to put a man on the moon before the decade was out. Here are some lesser-known facts about the historic first mission:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's phone call to Trump will help restore a degree of sanity to Indian statecraft and diplomacy, notes Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Trump said military action against a defiant North Korea is certainly an option, but hoped that he does not have to use it.
The New York Film Festival served an amazing plate of films. Aseem Chhabra picks the best ones.
We round off the week with some good, bad and ugly looks.
He underwent a renal transplant on May 14 and on the same day, his ministerial charges were given to Piyush Goyal on an interim basis.
A coconut octopus, a burning forest, a rare rhino's last moments and a pair of sleeping squirrels all feature in the shortlist for the Natural History Museum's Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2020 People's Choice Award. This year's competition attracted more than 50,000 entries from professionals and amateurs across the world. Voting for the The People's Choice Award is open until 2 pm February 2.
We present our alphabet of 2020, pulling in everything you'll remember about this year we'd rather forget.
'One must remember that a dragon has a forked tongue,' warns Vivek Gumaste.
Locked in a neck-and-neck battle, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have made a last minute dash to key swing states to woo undecided voters as major polls on the final weekend before the election day showed the race for the White House was too close to call.
Meet the Indian-American comedian behind Homecoming King, which has become the toast of Netlix.
With a decelerating economy that weakens India's hands on geopolitical issues, it will be interesting to know which way this trip will go.
'The Modi government's greatest blunder is to exploit sensitive external relations in its domestic politics,' says Shekhar Gupta.
The Emergency greatly influenced the RSS' makeover from a fringe force in the Indian political imagination to one that could have its own man sworn in as prime minister in two decades' time. A riveting excerpt from Christophe Jaffrelot and Pratinav Anil's India's First Dictatorship: The Emergency, 1975-1977.
Trump also reiterated his stand and said he does not regret having criticised the parents of a slain American Muslim soldier Humayun Khan.
S Bhaskaran is the first bodybuilder to be presented the Arjuna Award in 20 years.
'Politicians have always dealt in lies and propaganda.'
'But the scale of the propaganda and the impunity with which it is being unleashed now is stunning,'
Ester Ledecka became the first person in Winter Olympics history to capture gold medals in unrelated events after the Czech won the snowboard parallel giant slalom on Saturday to go with her stunning Alpine skiing super-G gold.
'The facts have become unimportant and useless.' 'What is important is the constantly shouting of patriotism even as one undermines the interests of the people.' 'And the abusing of rivals as being traitors,' says Aakar Patel.
Like Mr Trump, says Kanika Datta, politics tempts many businessmen.
'Wearable' outfits for the 'fashion-conscious' modern man.
Aseem Chhabra lists 10 of his favourite films that played in various sections at the 74th Cannes Film Festival.
'It is a tense border and there are numerous elements that keep these tensions alive.' 'India is willing to militarily respond if provoked.'
'I'm a big fan of Hindu and a big fan of India -- big, big fan.'
'In the process, I hope that our Earth will be able to heal some more.'
Dil Chahta Hai revolutionised the language of Hindi films. Sukanya Verma shows us how.
'After many rudderless years, India and Japan have prime ministers with a sense of purpose and direction,' says Brahma Chellaney.
Images of the events that shaped the world in March.
'At a time when the entire India-US relationship needs to be defined by President Trump and Prime Minister Modi, a fresh look at the liability issue has become urgent,' says Ambassador T P Sreenivasan, former Governor for India at the IAEA.
'The American envoy has not quit over any tension in ties or over any issue related to meeting BJP PM hopeful Narendra Modi.'
20 occasions she captured our attention.
Indian American Raj Shah tells Aziz Haniffa about his plans as the GOP's research director.
For a rising country like China with its sights set on global and regional power, any coming together of the US and India is the worst case scenario. Hence, China is concerned with the emerging equations between New Delhi and Washington, says Srikanth Kondapalli.
As we near the end of another eventful year, 15 top moments from the world of arts and culture.
'... their love was jinxed.' 'His celluloid path to his partner's heart was seldom smooth; it had to contend with greedy relatives and indecisive sweethearts, who were more ready to sacrifice than woo and wed.'
Four top lawyers secretly worked on resolving sensitive legal issues including sending forces on Pakistani soil without its consent.
The Congress president inaugurated a photo exhibition commemorating the birth centenary of Indira Gandhi, with more than 200 pictures depicting various events from her life at the historic Swaraj Bhavan where the former prime minister was born.
'The surge of Saudi nationalism is the last thing Washington wants,' says Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
