Harsh V. Pant

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh landed in Kabul last week amid renewed interest in India's trajectory in Afghanistan following the death of Osama bin Laden. In a rare honor, Singh addressed a joint session of the Afghan Parliament. Describing bin Laden's death as a "unique moment," Singh tried to use India's political capital to reinforce New Delhi's centrality in the region's evolving strategic realities. more

The joint statement produced by the one-day leaders summit of the BRICS grouping represents an attempt by the emerging powers to coordinate their efforts on the global stage, in order to fill the void left by Washington's increasing preoccupation with domestic troubles. But great-power politics is a murky business, and for all the bonhomie at the Hainan summit, there remain serious differences among the BRICS. more

After seven long years, the Indian government has decided that the time has come to once again make its presence felt in Iraq by naming an envoy to the country. The previous ambassador to Iraq was withdrawn in 2004 as the security situation in the country spiraled out of control. Since then, however, New Delhi has been slow in coming to terms with the rapidly changing realities on the ground.
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After a year of turmoil in Sino-Indian relations, India hosted Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao last week with a degree of fanfare. However, although both sides sought to downplay issues of concern, the visit came at a time of newfound assertiveness in India's China policy. So while there was no shortage of warm words during the trip, the substantive diplomatic outcomes were underwhelming. more

In backing India's claim to a permanent U.N. Security Council seat, President Barack Obama also made clear that Washington expects a newly empowered New Delhi to speak up on critical global issues. That, in turn, speaks to a fundamental question that India has yet to answer. For all the talk of its rise in recent years, India has yet to define clearly what it stands for as an aspiring global power. more

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's tour of Japan, Malaysia and Vietnam this week gave a boost to India's "Look East" policy, underscoring the need for greater integration and deeper engagement between India and East Asia in strategic sectors. Singh has made it clear that his government's foreign-policy priority will be East and Southeast Asia, which are poised for sustained growth in the 21st century. more

Despite the momentous changes in the international environment after the end of the Cold War, a convergence of interests has resulted in a stable relationship between India and Russia, especially in the defense sector. Some wrinkles remain in the two countries' defense partnership. Nevertheless, recent developments demonstrate that both sides are intent on maintaining strong ties. more

A sense of fatigue over the Kashmir issue has grown in India in recent years, prompting suggestions that the state should simply be allowed to secede. At the same time, India's democracy and secularism would suffer a significant blow if it accepted the idea that a Muslim majority in any state could secede. Instead, India should acknowledge the aspirations of the people of Kashmir in seeking a resolution to the conflict.
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After having long ignored each other, India and South Korea are now beginning to recognize the importance of tighter ties, and the China factor cannot be underestimated as a reason why. India's tensions with China have increased in the past few years, with Beijing aggressively asserting its territorial claims on their shared frontier. At the same time, South Korea, too, is re-evaluating its ties with China.
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