International Relations/Diplomacy
Indo-Pacific
A Significant Visit from the Land of the ‘Princess of Ayodhya’

South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in paid a highly significant visit to India on 8-11 July 2018 to cement his ‘New Southern Policy’ of increased focus on India and ASEAN countries. President Moon repeatedly said that his administration’s objec

Deterrence Failure or Lasting Peace, the Korean Game’s Up for Grabs

James Clapper, former director of national intelligence of the Barack Obama administration – otherwise a severe critic of the US President Donald J Trump’s various policies 1- recalled in a 19 May 2018 article for the New York Time

Is ‘Democratic Quad’ a Viable Construct?

The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QSD) members - Australia, India, Japan and the United States (US) - met in June 2018 in Singapore on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) senior officials’ meeting, and later issue

Beginning of a New End in the Korean Peninsula

After almost three and a half months of high-powered diplomacy leading up to the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in North Korea, the first meeting between a sitting United States and a North Korean leader took place on 12 June 2018 in Singapore. The mee

Nuances of a Skewed Agreement- An Analysis

As the dust has settled down on the much hyped meeting between President of the United States (POTUS) Mr. Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un, the supreme leader of North Korea (DPRK), and after the experts have had their say on denouncing the outcome of t

The Trump-Kim Summit: A Mixed Bag

The fact that the much talked about Summit meeting between President Trump and Chairman Kim happened on June 12 in Singapore is an achievement by itself. The world would have been on edge without it. The short document signed, even though shorn of c

Paraktan Harapan Wins in Malaysia after Six Decades: The View from India

The victory of the centre of left wing Paraktan Harapan alliance in Malaysia has been of great interest in Southeast Asia and even beyond, into the Indo-Pacific. Not only because the 57 years reign of the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO)-le

Korean Rapprochement - Hope for Resolution of Maritime Disputes?

On April 26 Kim Jong-un became the first North Korean Leader to step foot on South Korean soil since the Korean War in the 1950’s. The leaders agreed to actively pursue talks for declaring an official end to the Korean War. This declaration could d

Demilitarising the South China Sea: Concerted Efforts Needed

Two of the most important topics during last year’s Shangri La Dialogue were ‘Upholding the rules-based regional order’ and demilitarisation of the South China Sea in the shape of a discussion on practical ‘measures to avoid conflict at sea�

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