COLUMN
Trump’s melodrama vis-à-vis Pakistan meets ground realities
The Trump administration's renewed push to seek Pakistan's help in bringing the Afghan Taliban to the negotiating table comes as a striking contrast to what the US president had only very recently said in one of his interviews about Pakistan not doing anything in Afghanistan to help the US win the war, or even get out of it. Coming from a president who is famous for his unpredictable habit of... More
Imran Khan needs better advisers
One of the central problems of Imran Khan’s government is the quality and commitment of his range of advisers, not only for day-to-day politics but for short and long-term decision-making processes. The PM has been more than once given the perception of taking off-the-cuff decisions through speeches and interviews. Even good advisers do not matter until there is a due process for diligence and analysis to not only sort... More
In Bangladesh, a poor politician is of no use to anyone
In Dhaka’s swirling political speculations and gossip, the latest is about who among the electoral candidates is wealthy and who is not. On paper, many have declared their wealth and almost none have been found credibility among the public. They know that to survive in politics you need to make and spend a lot of money which, going by wealth levels, would be impossible. Politics is not just about power... More
Hunt with the hound, swim with the crocodile
On the sidelines of the G20 conference in Argentina, there were two very important summits. One involved US President Donald Trump, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This was the first trilateral that brought Modi and Trump together. “The relationships between our three countries is extremely good, extremely strong. I think, with India, maybe stronger than ever. And with Japan, I think, stronger than ever,” Trump said, as... More
India’s dead-end Afghan policy
While India has been investing in Afghanistan for several years, the changing dynamics of the Afghan war indicate that this economic, political and diplomatic investment may not yield the desired results after all. First and foremost, India’s Afghan-policy has been driven by the imperative of having a strong presence on Pakistan’s western border, which India has been able to pursue—and aims to continue—with the help of Kabul. But the... More
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