Articles

Pakistan: the IMF Bailout Agreed, the Hard Part Begins Now

May 20, 2019 Arvind Gupta, Director, VIF Commentary View: 110

The IMF and the government of Pakistan have agreed on a structural adjustment program of USD 6 billion for three years to stabilise Pakistan’s crisis ridden economy. This will be the 13th such IMF package since 1988. The agreement was reached after....

Keywords : Pakistan , Neighbourhood Studies , Commentary , Pakistan economic mess , IMF bailout to Pakistan

Chinese Companies Marching to Lead in Digital Economy

May 19, 2019 Dr Kamlesh Bajaj Commentary View: 150

Freedom of Expression Invoked by a Chinese Company Tik-Tok – Strange but True! Byte-Dance, a Chinese company, is one of the most valued start-ups at $75 billion with investors that include Soft-Bank. It is reported to have been funded in its la....

Keywords : China’s digital Global reach , Madras HC order , Tik-Tok ban , Commentary , Media Studies

Sabotage Acts outside the Port of Fujairah – Implications for India

May 17, 2019 Rajesh Soami Commentary View: 249

On the morning of the 12th of May 2019, commercial ships were attacked outside the port of Fujairah in United Arab Emirates (UAE). Reports of the incident first emerged in pro-Iranian media outlets in the region. They initially claimed that there wer....

Keywords : Blasts in the Fujairah port , Targeting maritime traffic , India’s oil import , Commentary , National Security and Strategic Studies , Energy Security

Why Russia remains important for India?

May 13, 2019 Arvind Gupta, Director, VIF Commentary View: 426

India pursues an independent foreign policy. But given the pulls and pressures of geopolitical realities, it is not an easy task. There is often a tendency in India to focus on US and Japan while ignoring Russia. This will be counter-productive. Indi....

Keywords : International Relations and Diplomacy , Commentary , Russia and China , Indo-Russian relations , balancing US

The Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation: An Assessment

May 13, 2019 Dr Teshu Singh, Associate Fellow, VIF Commentary View: 364

The Second Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF), titled as ‘Working together to deliver a Brighter Future for Belt and Road Cooperation”, held in Beijing, China on 25-27th April 2019 attracted wide international attention. It ....

Keywords : International Relations and Diplomacy , Commentary , Xi Jinping’s speech , Second Belt and Road Forum , BRI reforms

US Sanctions, Iran’s Response and worsening Oil Situation

May 10, 2019 Amb D P Srivastava, Distinguished Fellow, VIF Commentary View: 437

President Rouhani in a nationally televised speech on 8th May announced that Iran would not be temporarily performing some of its obligations under the nuclear deal or Joint Comprehensive Action Plan (JCPOA). This is not withdrawal from the agreement....

Keywords : International Relations and Diplomacy , Commentary , JCPOA , Iranian oil exports , India’s import bill , West Asia

European Biometric Identity Repository Project – National Security Trumps Privacy?

May 10, 2019 Dr Kamlesh Bajaj Article View: 348

European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into effect on 28 May 2018, after years of deliberations inside and outside the EU parliament, and in all major economies of the world. That global data flows contribute to global GDP, and data ....

Keywords : European Data Protection Regulation , privacy rights , justification of Aadhaar , European Biometric , Article , Governance and Political Studies

उत्तर कोरिया मामले में ट्रंप की “अधिकतम दबाव” की रणनीति की सीमाएं

May 10, 2019 Kapil Patil, Associate Fellow, VIF Article View: 312

जापानी एजेंसियों ने 30 नवंबर को उत्तर कोरिया के जहाजों को लगातार कई दिनों तक तट से दूर विदेशी जहा�....

Keywords : उत्तर कोरिया के अवैध गतिवधि , उत्तर कोरिया परमाणु एवं मिसाइल कार्यक्रम , ट्रंप की “अधिकतम दबाव” रणनीति , Hindi , Article , International Relations and Diplomacy

West Asia Round-up - April 2019

May 09, 2019 Hirak Jyoti Das, Research Associate, VIF Article View: 221

Libya Civil War After eight years of Arab Spring the plight of the Libyans continues unabated. General Khalifa Haftar, debunking the proposed conference (power sharing agreement) that could have ushered in some stability through a dialogue among ....

Keywords : West Asia , International Relations and Diplomacy , Article

Re-emergence of Islamic State’s Caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi

May 09, 2019 Anurag Sharma, Research Associate, VIF Article View: 867

On Saturday, April 27, 2019, Islamic State’s (IS) central media outlet, Al-Furqan, released an 18-minute propaganda video featuring its ‘underground’ leader and self-proclaimed ‘Caliph Ibrahim’, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.1 It was the first time....

Keywords : international terrorism , Al-Baghdadi’s video , Islamic State Caliphate , Article , National Security and Strategic Studies , Terrorism