Articles | Vivekananda International Foundation

The United States, under President Trump, has been at loggerheads with a long list of countries on trade related issues. This includes China, Canada, Mexico and India. The European Union has also suffered. In fact, the Trump administration has used t....

June 28, 2019 Economic Studies , Commentary , US trade sanctions , US-India trade relations , American unilateralism on trade

Presidential Elections in Kazakhstan: A Wave of Change or Continuation of Nazarbayev’s Era?

Dr Pravesh Kumar Gupta, Associate Fellow, VIF Commentary

Kazakhstan’s deteriorating socio-economic situation and an increasing gap in living standards have led to the protests and demonstrations. As some reports have suggested, the Soviet era founder President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev has resig....

June 27, 2019 International Relations and Diplomacy , Commentary , Kazakhstan’s new President , Challenges of Kazakh government , Indo-Kazakh relations

Xi’s visit to North Korea: what did it achieve?

Dr Gunjan Singh Commentary

The visit by Xi Jinping to North Korea on June 20-21, 2019 is significant because a Chinese President reached Pyongyang after 14 years. This year also marks the 70^th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the neighbours. Xi made the t....

June 27, 2019 International Relations and Diplomacy , Indo-Pacific , Commentary , Xi Jinping’s North Korea visit , Peace and development on Korea , Korea’s missile and nuclear agenda

Changing Paradigm in India-Bhutan Relations

Alakh Ranjan Commentary

Bhutan is an important neighbour and recently appointed India’s External Minister S. Jaishankar chose to visit Bhutan for two days (7th-8th June) as his maiden bilateral visit. This visit facilitated the tradition of regular visits and exchange of ....

June 27, 2019 Neighbourhood Studies , Bhutan , Commentary , Indo-Bhutan relations , Bhutan economics , China-Bhutan engagement

What does recent sentencing of its officials tell about the Pakistan Army redefining the contours of ‘nationalism’?

Dr Kapil Patil Commentary

Two former senior army officials and a civilian working for what the army termed as "sensitive organization" were awarded rigorous sentences under the Pakistan Army Act and Official Secrets Act on charges of espionage. While Lt. Gen (Retd) Javed Iqba....

June 25, 2019 Neighbourhood Studies , Pakistan , Commentary , Pakistan’s nuclear proliferation , nuclear leaks from Pakistan , Pakistan Army’s accountability crackdown

After INF, the Future of New-START Hangs in Balance

Dr Kapil Patil Commentary

After the U.S. decision to withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Force (INF) Treaty early this year, the uncertainty surrounding the extension of New-START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty) is growing with each passing day. President Trump and....

June 25, 2019 International Relations and Diplomacy , US , Commentary , US-Russia arms treaty , The New-START , Treaty of global stability

India and SCO Summit at Bishkek and Beyond

Brig Vinod Anand, Senior Fellow, VIF Commentary

India has completed two years as a full member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), and therefore it would be useful to assess the worth and utility of being a member of such an organization. There is no gainsaying in the fact that it is ....

June 24, 2019 International Relations and Diplomacy , Central Asia , Commentary , SCO Summit 2019 , SCO leaders’ meeting , Indo-CARs relations

Notes from the Sub-Continent

Mayuri Mukherjee Commentary

Bangladesh: Optimistic but Unrealistic Budget?

On June 13, Bangladesh’s Awami League-government presented the country’s biggest-ever national budget, amounting to Tk 5,23,190 crore. However, most analysts and commentators seemed to agre....

June 20, 2019 Neighbourhood Studies , Commentary , Bangladesh , Pakistan budgets , Sri Lanka-US agreement , Nepal’s regulating Hindu Guthis

The Universalism of Yoga

Dr Arpita Mitra Commentary

When 21 June was first declared as International Day of Yoga (IDY), it was accepted warmly by most countries of the world. However, in India, a small section of the intelligentsia was opposed to the idea. Their understanding was that this was an atte....

June 20, 2019 Historical and Civilisational Studies , Commentary , International Yoga Day , tradition of Yoga , multi-religion Yoga

What Explains the Appointment of Pakistan’s New ISI Chief?

Prateek Joshi Commentary

In a recent reshuffle of the Army top brass, Lt. Gen Asim Munir was replaced by Lt. Gen Faiz Hameed as the new chief the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The change comes barely eight months after Munir was appointed as the spy chief. The fact that....

June 20, 2019 Neighbourhood Studies , Pakistan , Commentary , Pakistan domestic politics , Pakistan’s new spy chief , the ISI reshuffle