Iran’s Regional Diplomatic Push: Is a Breakthrough with Riyadh Possible? Iran’s readiness for restoring diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia after six years since Riyadh cut ties in January 2016 is part of broader revival of diplomacy in the region after a decade of intense geopolitical competition and proxy wars involving Saudi Arabia and its Arab allies and Turkey & Iran. Deepika Saraswat | January 10, 2022 | IDSA Comments
Defending Japan: National Security Agenda 2022 Japan is manifesting refreshing confidence drawing from its resolve to push the envelope of positive pacifism while determining the strategic balance in the Indo-Pacific. Titli Basu | January 06, 2022 | IDSA Comments
Looming Spectre of Conflict in Eastern Europe? Kremlin’s increasingly assertive stance on the troop build-up along the Russia–Ukraine border can be viewed as not just prompted by Ukraine’s potential NATO membership but also as Russia underscoring its place as a stakeholder in shaping European security architecture. Rajorshi Roy | January 03, 2022 | IDSA Comments
Lebanon: A Country Stuck in Multiple Crises Prolonged political crisis, social unrest, pre-existing economic misery, and outbreak of a diplomatic crisis between Lebanon and the Gulf countries have left Lebanon in a debilitated state. Systemic reforms to tackle the economic, political, diplomatic and humanitarian challenges, are the need of the hour. Jatin Kumar | January 01, 2022 | IDSA Comments
Digital Yuan (e-CNY): China’s Official Digital Currency The Chinese Electronic Yuan, or the e-CNY, is a central bank digital currency (CBDC) sponsored by the People’s Bank of China (PBOC). The e-CNY is identical to the currency of China, the Renminbi (unit being yuan) and is a legal tender in the country. The PBOC has been actively testing the electronic yuan (e-CNY)—with a population of around 21 million participating in the tests as of June 2021. Moreover, China aims to extend the use of digital yuan worldwide and facilitate cross-border payments and tourism. Debopama Bhattacharya | January 2022 | Strategic Analysis
Indo-Bangladesh Talks on Sharing of the Ganga Waters A major irritant in Indo-Bangladesh relations has been the question of sharing Ganga waters between the two countries. Though negotiations for the settlement of the problem have been going on for the last five-and-a-half years, a final agreement is still elusive. At times, it appeared that the two countries would not reach any agreement and the issue would affect their relations. Fortunately, the deadlock, which persisted for some time, was broken in April last. Now it appears that India and Bangladesh have been negotiating satisfactorily and a final agreement would be signed soon. O.N. Mehrotra | January 2022 | Strategic Analysis
What Can EAEU-India FTA Bring to Indian Industrial Development? At the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in 2017, the Minister for Trade of the Eurasian Economic Commission, Veronika Nikishina and India’s Minister of State of Commerce and Industry, Nirmala Sitharaman met to sign a joint statement on the start of negotiations on a free trade agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and India. Ekaterina Arapova | January 2022 | Strategic Analysis
Bangla Desh and Our Policy Options It is necessary to have a detached and realistic assessment of the military situation in Bangla Desh. During the last one week, our press reports were over-optimistic and these reports need careful reassessment now. K. Subrahmanyam | January 2022 | Strategic Analysis
State-Level Concept and Scope of Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement for Verification of Undeclared Nuclear Material and Activities The safeguards verification measures of comprehensive safeguards agreement (CSA) of non-nuclear-weapon states (NNWS) with the international atomic energy agency (IAEA) for verifying presence or absence of undeclared nuclear material and undeclared facilities and activities using the provisions of Additional Protocol (AP) is well recognized. Recently, the IAEA has proposed State-Level Concept (SLC) for verifying the presence or absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in the state within the provisions of the CSA. K. L. Ramakumar | January 2022 | Strategic Analysis
India Versus China: Why They Are Not Friends ‘We have no eternal allies and we have no perpetual enemies. Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and those interests it is our duty to follow’, thus spoke Lord Palmerston in 1848, then still the foreign minister of the United Kingdom.1 ‘Nations neither have enemies nor friends but only interests, the national interest’ is an aphorism which has been subsequently attributed from Winston Churchill to Henry Kissinger. Masih Ullah Khan | January 2022 | Strategic Analysis
