COMMENTARIES
-
India-ASEAN FTA: Implications for India
Mohit Anand · 27 Aug, 2008 · #2664 · Commentary
Trade negotiations on the India- ASEAN FTA were finally concluded on 7 August 2008. According to the Framework Agreement on Economic Cooperation signed between the two countries in October 2003, the negotiations were supposed to be completed by ...
-
Kaladan Multi-modal Project in Myanmar
Papori Phukan · 27 Aug, 2008 · #2663 · Commentary
In April 2008, India and Myanmar signed an agreement on the US$110 million Kaladan multi-modal transit-cum-transport project, which would connect India's land-locked Northeast with the southern coast of Myanmar. The project will be entirely ...
-
Afghanistan: Appraising the Future
Firdaus Ahmed · 27 Aug, 2008 · #2662 · Commentary
Following the attack on the Indian Embassy in Kabul, suggestions for deploying Indian troops in Afghanistan has been doing rounds among the strategic circle in New Delhi. Far fetched as it may appear at this juncture, it could acquire momentum i...
-
Will TAPI Remain a Pipedream?
Raghav Sharma · 27 Aug, 2008 · #2661 · Commentary
On 25 April 2008, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India (TAPI) signed a Gas Pipeline Framework Agreement, committing to the construction of an ambitious 1,680km-long pipeline to transport 30 billion cubic meters of natural gas every year...
-
Indo-Afghan Relations and Pakistan Factor
Bimla Kumari · 27 Aug, 2008 · #2660 · Commentary
The Afghan President, Hamid Karzai's visit to India on 4 August following the SAARC summit held in Colombo, was significant to India in many respects. Karzai, was the first to hold the Pakistani spy agency responsible for the 7 July suicide ...
-
Cyber Terrorism: Threat Exaggerated?
Sandeep Bhardwaj · 27 Aug, 2008 · #2659 · Commentary
Cyber terrorism, a term coined by the media rather than security agencies, is one of the apocalyptic scenarios portrayed by fiction writers and movie producers on a regular basis. The story of a teenager bringing an entire nation to its knees wi...
-
American Challenges in Biological Security Initiatives
Danielle Toth · 27 Aug, 2008 · #2658 · Commentary
US Senator and presidential hopeful Barack Obama recently delivered remarks concerning emerging threats in the 21st century, including nuclear, biological, and cyber threats. Senator Obama stressed that "in a new world of threats, we are no...
-
Unconditional Exemption by NSG: Is it Necessary?
Alok Kumar Gupta · 20 Aug, 2008 · #2657 · Commentary
The 45-member Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) is scheduled to meet in Vienna on 21-22 August 2008 to consider the case of India's exemption from its existing guidelines for export of nuclear materials. India is demanding a "clean and unco...
-
Indo-US Nuclear Deal and Japan's Policy Options
Satyajit Mohanty · 20 Aug, 2008 · #2656 · Commentary
Indian diplomats have been scurrying around the globe to lobby for the Indo-US nuclear deal. Japan's position is being keenly watched worldwide, since it is an important member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) which is meeting on 21-22 A...
-
NSG Waiver - A Diplomatic Gesture
Reshmi Kazi · 20 Aug, 2008 · #2655 · Commentary
On August 2008 the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) undertook a revolutionary measure in Vienna when it approved the India-Specific Safeguards Agreement (ISSA) to facilitate the import of nuclear reactors, fuel and technology. As a next...