Comments & Briefs

India has very little leverages in shaping a peaceful, stable and friendly Pakistan but its own progress can make Pakistani society, fearful of being left behind, force a change in the state’s policy orientation.

If the growth of Islamic extremism and terrorism in Bangladesh is a threat to Indian security, then the presence of China with which India’s interests have the potential to clash is also of security concern.

The basic principles of the Bill are as per international norms and seem adequate and it should be enacted at the earliest.

The sate and the people should be prepared for a few more Dantewada-like ‘shocks’ before the tables are eventually turned on the Maoists.

The Nord Stream Project will further strengthen Prime Minister Putin’s vision of positioning Russia as a major power in the world.

The central question is whether democracy or semi-democracy should be subordinated to the personal ambitions of a few leaders like Thaksin or should the rule of law prevail.

India and the United Kingdom, as nuclear weapons states, have much to gain from, and much to contribute to, a strengthened regime for nuclear and radiological security.

If naxal activities have to be stopped, the government must act firmly even if they have to be neutralized by the selective use of the armed forces including the Indian Air Force.

With the possibility of ‘smart’ sanctions in the near future and muscular US military moves in the Persian Gulf, the grids for the end game on Iran’s nuclear intransigence are getting strengthened.

The Maldives is well on the road towards a genuine democracy and the years to come will show how it manages modernisation, liberal democracy and Islam all together.