Manoj Ambat's Blog dealing with Defence, Foreign Affairs, Strategic Affairs and Politics

Prime Minister Modi in China  ( Image source- Flickr ? Credits- MEA Official gallery) Source- The Diplomat Author- Harsh V.Pant For all the pomp and circumstance, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to China will likely only be remembered for his plain-speaking. And it is by no means a small achievement. For years, Indian political leaders have gone to China and said what the Chinese wanted to hear. Modi changed all that when he openly “stressed the need for China to reconsider its approach on some of the issues that hold us back from realizing full potential of our partnership” and “suggested that China should take a strategic and long-term view of our relations.” In his speech at Tsinghua University too, Modi went beyond the rhetorical flourishes of Sino-Indian cooperation and pointed out the need to resolve the border dispute and in the interim, clarify the Line of Actual Control to “ensure that our relationships with other countries do not become a source of c

Image credits- Flickr / PMO, Government of India Source- The Diplomat Author- Kadira Pethiyogoda John Kerry’s visit to Sri Lanka, the first by a U.S. Secretary of State in 11 years, recognizes country’s geopolitical importance. It also highlights the outcome of the recent tussle over the island state by two emerging global powers. This is a contest in which India has now gained the upper hand over China, offering important lessons for rising powers as they begin a “Great Game” in Asia. Sri Lanka sits at the heart of the Indian Ocean, adjacent to major shipping routes, within the world’s most strategically and economically dynamic region – the Indo-Pacific. Long described as the “pearl of the Indian Ocean,” Sri Lanka was, until the January election defeat of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, drifting out of India’s orbit and increasingly seen as part of China’s “string of pearls.” But while increasingly solid economic links correlating with China’s rise will change little r

Image credits- Narendra Modi  Source- Eurasia Review Author- Institute of South Asian Studies India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to France, Germany and Canada marked the continuation of a pattern of external engagement that is now becoming increasingly identifiable by its economic drivers. In less than a year since assuming office, Mr Modi has travelled to more than a dozen countries. Most of these travels have been state visits, occasionally interspersed with multilateral missions (e.g. Brazil and Australia in July and November 2014).2 In what has been a vigorous and robust engagement spanning across continents and regions, Mr Modi’s travels have generated considerable enthusiasm among the host-country administrations, local media and the resident Indian communities. Unlike the more sedate and relatively low-profile foreign tours by India’s former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Mr Modi’s foreign visits have been well- orchestrated and meticulousl

Karakoram Highway ( Image credits- Internet Image) Source- Eurasia Review Author- D.S Rajan China’s leader Xi Jinping seems to have shifted the focus of his regime’s foreign policy including that towards South Asia from core interests to economic interests. Xi’s statement that China is prepared to sign friendship treaties with the country’s neighbors and the PRC’s willingness to adopt a ‘trilateral’ ( i.e China, India and the concerned South Asian country) approach towards tackling issues in South Asia , signal Beijing’s new conciliatory thinking. Nonetheless, in terms of strategy, China under Xi Jinping shows no sign of any change – balancing India by supporting Pakistan appears to be the corner stone of Xi’s regional policy; suggesting it, is the China- Pakistan agreement on the need to have a ‘strategic balance’ in South Asia. In a broader sense, through his regional initiatives, Xi seems to be conveying a firm message to Asian nations- China will use its increasing

Image credits- Flickr/ MEA Official photo gallery, Government of India Source- Eurasia Review Author- Dr . Rajaram Panda North Korea’s Foreign Minister Ri Su Yong made a surprise two-day visit to India on 12-14 April 2015, the first by a foreign minister of that country in 25 years and thus a rare high-level engagement between India and North Korea. India and North Korea established diplomatic relations in December 1973. The timing and significance of the visit cannot be missed as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to make a maiden three-nation visit to China, Mongolia and South Korea in May 2015. For India, this gave a good opportunity to reassess its stand on the on-going conflict between the South and North Koreas. As scheduled, Yong met with Sushma Swaraj and Vice-President Hamid Ansari. One cannot also miss the timing of the visit as India’s defence minister Manohar Parikkar left on a four-day visit to South Korea on 14 April even when Yong was still i

Image Source- Wikimedia Commons / Author- United States Department of State Source- The Diplomat Author- Alyssa Ayres This post is the first of a series looking at how India and South Asia will feature in the American presidential election of 2016. Hillary Clinton’s April 12, 2015 presidential campaign launch kicked the U.S. presidential race for 2016 into higher gear. It’s also the first American campaign announcement to garner significant media attention in India. Due to her long history with India—as first lady, a senator, and secretary of state—Clinton is a known quantity in the region and has a clearly articulated policy record on South Asia, unlike other presidential candidates. One Indian paper covered her campaign launch with the headline, “Hillary hearts India.” That background makes it easier to assess how a possible Clinton administration might approach ties with India. First and foremost, she sees India as a crucial part of U.S. strategy in a world inc