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Showing posts with the label Indian Foreign Policy

Enhancing Energy Security in Rural Tanzania: Examples of Decentralized Rural Energy Approaches from India ( Source- IDSA, Author- Ian Shanghvi)

Indian Prime Minister Sri Narendra Modi with Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete ( Image credits- Wikimedia Commons / Narendra Modi Official) Source- IDSA Author- Ian Shanghvi The Government of Tanzania is making creditable strides to scale up its renewable energy sectors. One of the initiatives includes preparation of the Scaling-up Renewable Energy Programme (SREP) Project document in 2013. The aim is to promote clean energy for domestic end-uses like cooking and lighting. A spectacular feature of the SREP Project is its particular consideration to scale up rural electrification. However, related efforts and strategies condone the contribution of rural communities to achieving this goal. Most of the attention and support is focused on the private sector as the core driver of rural electrification. Examples from rural India reveal that rural communities are actually the lynchpin of rural electrification. Drawing from these examples, this paper argues that decentralized el

Narendra Modi Ushers in a Much-Needed 'Reset' in Relations with the United Kingdom ( Source- The Diplomat / Author- Harsh V. Pant)

Image credits- MEA Official images, Govt of India Source- The Diplomat Author- Harsh V. Pant Away from the glare of television cameras and his domestic critics, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United Kingdom last week has managed to radically reshape the contours of the India-UK partnership. Where the media was keen to highlight the controversies surrounding Modi, he has managed to redefine the India-UK relationship for the new century. Though the two countries sealed £9 billion worth of commercial deals in the retail, logistics, energy, finance, IT, education, and health sectors, it was the perceptual change in this bilateral relationship that will have a lasting impact on its future trajectory, which was seemingly headed nowhere before this visit. Modi’s visit came at a time when there were widespread doubts in the UK regarding New Delhi’s seriousness about the bilateral at all, despite British Prime Minister David Cameron’s impressive outreach to

The UAE: India’s Key to West Asia? ( Source- The Diplomat / Author- Shahwat Tiwari)

Image source- Flickr / Credits- MEA Official image, Government of India Source- The Diplomat Author- Shahwat Tiwari Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was his maiden attempt at engaging the Arab world; even the joint statement issued during the visit captured that sentiment. However, since the prime minister’s visit, enhanced bilateral exchanges and recent security cooperation with respect to the deportation of suspected ISIS sympathizers demonstrate the shift in India’s approach towards the region as well as the region’s willingness to engage with India. The West Asia Approach This initiative comes after Modi’s “neighborhood first” policy, engagement with big powers, Central Asian nations, and “Act East” policy. His visit to the UAE, a key Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) country, was a test India’s diplomatic skills in the region. Modi has picked up the gauntlet, as far as balancing India’s interests are concerned. India’s relat

Modi, Abe, Merkel, Rousseff Together: G4 to Meet on UN Sidelines ( Source- The Diplomat / Author- Ankit Panda)

G-4 Summit ( Image source- Flickr / Credits- MEA Official gallery) Source- The Diplomat Author- Ankit Panda What do Brazil, Germany, India, and Japan have in common? Though geographically disparate, each of these states seeks permanent membership on the United Nations Security Council and has the economic and political heft to make its bid not entirely unrealistic. Additionally, each member of this so-called G4 group of states supports each other’s bid for a permanent seat on the Security Council. This week, on the sidelines of the 70th United Nations General Assembly, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will convene the group for the first time in more than ten years at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff will be in attendance. Security Council reform has been a tricky topic for the United Nations. Though most member states agree that the UNSC is anachr

India and the emerging geopolitics of Asia- Pacific

Credits- Flickr / MEA Official image, Government of India " In International relations, there are no permanent friends nor permanent enemies, but only permanent national interests":- So they say in international relations. Nothing exemplifies this more than the emerging geopolitics of Asia-Pacific. There is indeed a tectonic  shift in relations and serious realignment taking place as we speak.  History of Indian Foreign relations After gaining independence, India chose the path of non alignment with a tilt to the socialistic policies emphasizing left leaning politics. This ensured that India cultivated closer relations with the USSR which for the time payed rich dividends for India. Russia was the chief source from which India procured vital and high tech weapon systems and also the USSR had been instrumental in protecting Indian national interests in international forums like the United Nations. They also helped India at the time of national crisis like the

India, Thailand Pledge to Deepen Defense Ties ( Source- The Diplomat / Author- Prashanth Parameswaran)

Image credits- Narendra Modi Official Source- The Diplomat Author- Prashanth Parameswaran India and Thailand vowed to deepen their bilateral defense relationship Monday, local media sources reported. The two sides agreed to boost defense cooperation as Indian Air Chief Marshal Arup Raha paid an official visit to Bangkok Sunday. Raha, who is Chief of the Air Staff as well as Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee, is on a four-day trip to Thailand and Vietnam. As I have noted before, since Narendra Modi took office last year, India has been attempting to further boost cooperation with Southeast Asian states as part of its “Act East Policy,” a variation on the “Look East Policy” first formulated under Narasimha Rao in 1991. The Modi government’s use of the “Act East Policy” is designed to signal a more action-oriented policy toward Southeast Asia (See: “Modi Unveils India’s ‘Act East Policy’ to ASEAN in Myanmar”). This applies to defense relations as well, and Raha’

Narendra Modi's UAE Trip Highlights India's Shifting Middle East Approach ( Source- The Diplomat / Author- Harsh V. Pant)

Image source- Flickr / MEA India Source- The Diplomat Author- Harsh V. Pant Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) later this week has once again brought to focus India’s changing role in the Middle East. This will be the first visit by an Indian prime minister to the UAE in 34 years. Then-prime minister Indira Gandhi visited the Emirates in 1981. Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was to travel to the UAE in March 2013, but the visit was cancelled at the last minute. India’s policy toward the Middle East has often been viewed through the prism of Indian–Iranian relations. The international community, and the West in particular, has been obsessed with New Delhi’s ties to Tehran, while missing India’s much more substantive simultaneous engagement with Arab Gulf states and Israel. India’s engagements with Arab states in the Middle East have gained momentum in the last few years, even as Iran continued to hog the limelight. India

India Reacts as Military Strategies Collide in the Asia-Pacific ( Source- The Diplomat / Author- Karan Pradhan)

Image credits- Flickr / MEA Official, Government of India Source- The Diplomat Author- Karan Pradhan On July 2, the U.S. Department of Defense released the ‘National Military Strategy of the United States of America 2015,’ and a few weeks earlier, on May 26, China too unveiled its defence white paper, titled China’s Military Strategy. Both reports are an annual exercise, and this year’s documents reflect adjustments in military strategy necessitated by geopolitical changes, such as China’s growing global power status, the proliferation of Islamist terrorist organisations, and a resurgence of Cold War rivalries. Soon, Japan too will release its annual defence paper, and the Japanese media has already carried reports about an outline of the paper; Russia is also adjusting its existing defence strategy. All these white papers provide an insight into how each country now perceives a changing world, geopolitically and technologically, and how its policies will adapt to

Why Middle Powers Matter to India ( Source- The Diplomat / Author- Karan Pradhan)

Source- Flickr / MEA Official gallery, Government of India Source- The Diplomat Author- Karan Pradhan By the time Prime Minister Narendra Modi completed his first year in power on May 26, he had spent an unprecedented 53 days outside India—or almost twice as many as Manmohan Singh’s 30 days overseas in his first year as prime minister in 2004-05. Modi’s international engagements were a continuation of India’s foreign policy under the preceding Congress government. But he injected a new energy into the relationships with neighbors like Bhutan and Nepal, and major powers like China and the U.S.—which has been widely commented on. He also visited Japan and Australia, and is scheduled to visit Israel and Saudi Arabia later this year. However, his equally noteworthy engagement with these and other middle powers has been relatively unnoticed. Political compatibility Deeper ties with middle powers like Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Israel, Japan, and South Kore

A 'New Chapter' for India and Central Asia? ( Source- The Diplomat / Author- Catherine Putz)

Credits- Flickr / PMO India Source- The Diplomat Author- Catherine Putz In Tashkent Monday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the relationship between Central Asia and India has “ancient roots” and “now occupies a significant place in India’s future.” In Astana Tuesday, Modi declared his intention to “write a new chapter in an ancient relationship.” Modi’s mission in Central Asia points to significant interests in energy, economics, and counterterrorism. Still, engagement between Central Asia and India leans heavily on history. The Uzbek government called upon the shared historical figure Babur, a descendant of the Mongals and Timur and the eventual founder of the Mughal Empire. Babur was born in Andijan, ruling over the Fergana (and then losing it and seeking his fortunes elsewhere) long before there was an Uzbekistan: Much of the history, literature, music, art and architecture of the Uzbek and Indian people, their mutual enrichment is associated with the

Europe and India: Testing New Delhi’s New Diplomacy ( Source- The Diplomat / Author- Kabir Taneja)

Credits- Getty Images Source- The Diplomat Author- Kabir Taneja At a recent business event in a major European city, a senior executive was heard to explain why his company did not do business in China. His main argument was economic: The Chinese market was crowded with competitors to midsize companies such as his. But the executive also said that he felt more comfortable doing business in democratic economies such as India, even if it takes more effort and time for projects to come to fruition. While that view may be in the minority among corporate investors, it offers one more reason why India, the world’s largest democracy and a market economy set to be the world’s fastest growing by next year, should become a global economic hub without any further delay. In fact, the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi is now moving to realize this ambition, and the world is showing renewed interest in the India story following the change in government last year. Yet the E