COMMENTARIES
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The LTTE: 'Determined to Fight, but Ready for Peace'
N Manoharan · 04 Dec, 2008 · #2746 · Commentary
Amidst intense hostilities, the much awaited Hero's Day speech delivered by the LTTE chief Prabhakaran on 27 November is significant. The yearly pronouncement details the LTTE's current thinking and future strategy on various issues. In ...
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Zardari's Riddle: No Use or More Ruse?
Sripathi Naryanan · 27 Nov, 2008 · #2745 · Commentary
Addressing the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit 2008 via video on 22 November 2008, President Asif Ali Zardari offered no-first-use (NFU) policy of nuclear weapons to India. Should he be taken seriously or not? Much has happened in Indo-Pak rel...
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J&K Elections I: A Short Electoral History
Raghav Sharma · 27 Nov, 2008 · #2744 · Commentary
The coalition patched up between the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and the Congress (I) in J&K following the 2002 elections, collapsed following protests over the Amarnath land transfer. Apart from the communal polarization and wave of...
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Trade or Trap?
Ram Chander Sharma · 27 Nov, 2008 · #2743 · Commentary
Cross-LOC trade was opened between the two parts of J&K on 21 October 2008. When Indian-administered Kashmir feeds on a 90 per cent financial aid per annum from New Delhi and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK) is very poorly developed and has n...
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Democracy and Development
Kazi Anwarul Masud · 27 Nov, 2008 · #2742 · Commentary
US President James Madison in The Federalist Papers laid great importance on guarding society against the oppression of the rulers and also to guard one part of society against the injustices of the other. Madison had also advised that great car...
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Indian Investment in the Indochina: Emerging Trends
Vibhanshu Shekhar · 24 Nov, 2008 · #2741 · Commentary
Indochina in 2007 has emerged as India's the most favoured investment destination in ASEAN, driven by large-scale investment from both the public and private sectors. With the three large-scale investments from Oil & Natural Gas Corporat...
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Need for an Indian Response in Somali Waters
Siddharth Ramana · 24 Nov, 2008 · #2740 · Commentary
After months of negotiations, the hijacked Ship, MV Stolt Valor, carrying 18 Indian nationals on board was released. The Japanese firm which owned the ship reportedly paid a US$2.5 million ransom to the Somalia based pirates. It was another pira...
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Obama and the North Korean Nuclear Programme
Hayoun Ryou · 24 Nov, 2008 · #2739 · Commentary
Barack Obama's victory may bring new dimensions to handling the North Korean nuclear crisis. Though the goal, 'denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula' is the same for both Republicans and Democrats, Obama's North Korea policy would ...
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Child Soldiers of the Naxal Movement
Rajat Kumar Kujur · 24 Nov, 2008 · #2738 · Commentary
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child categorically prohibits involving children in war operations. Despite international conventions, however, minors continue to be used as soldiers in military conflicts around the world. The Naxal movem...
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Why India Should Look Forward to the 'Change' in America
Avinash Godbole · 24 Nov, 2008 · #2737 · Commentary
There has been much discussion on the telephone call US President-elect, Barack Obama, did not make to Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh. After his election, Obama had called many heads of state including Pakistan's President, Asif Ali Z...
