Probable Implications of the US Debt Default
Biden and the Republican House Speaker need to look beyond US borders as they negotiate the debt ceiling.
Samriddhi
Beijing’s Afghanistan Misadventure
The Taliban has promised not to allow terrorist attacks on others from Afghan soil, but it is unable to keep its word. Last month’s attack on Chinese nationals at a hotel in Kabul has rattled Beijing. For it had hoped to overcome the “graveyard of empires” and reap the benefits of its resources as well as fill the geopolitical vacuum in Afghanistan.
Indo-West Asia Relationship: Energy and Beyond
West Asia is India’s extended neighborhood with deep civilizational connect and historic and P2P roots. Over time, these have been categorized in the 3E matrix, which includes, though not exclusively, Energy Security; Economic Engagement; and Expatriates of Indian origin and their welfare. India’s nearly 9 million diaspora in West Asia, mostly in the six Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, has been instrumental in developing their host countries while remitting over $50 billion to India, which has been significant and nearly accounts for 1/10th of India’s current foreign exchange reserves.
Europe Saga: In the Backdrop of the War
This week, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg once again underlined that Ukraine could expect more deliveries of heavy weapons from western nations. The Ukraine war continues to drag on with Russia now resorting to indiscriminate bombardment of Ukrainian cities and infrastructure in an attempt to seize the initiative before the winter ends.
Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra- Beyond the Political?
It is now widely agreed that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has shed his earlier image of ‘Pappu’ that included being a reluctant politician, being indifferent and also perhaps a tad incompetent. All that has changed for good but it’s not yet clear what his new image is. What is the new space that he can carve out to earn trust and credibility? The Bharat Jodo Yatra is pitched to be only partially political in the sense of not aiming exclusively at electoral outcomes. The yatra and Gandhi’s speeches have expanded the meaning and purpose of ‘politics’ beyond electoralism.
The Gulf-Pakistan Camaraderie Amid the Economic Woes
Islamabad was on the verge of defaulting on its repayments of debts and servicing charges let alone being able to pay for the basics for its people. In recent times, Pakistan has gone through an unenviable predicament of natural and man or politician-made disasters. It has gone through a regime change or a transfer of power depending on the way one looks at it. The army being the real arbiter cast the dice against a yelling Imran Khan and his coterie as they felt being challenged by a political minion of their own creation.