In The News

Asia Sentinel: India-China Rivalry Deepens Over Border Clash

Salman Rafi Sheikh August 21, 2017
Rivalry between India and China over the Doklam region of Bhutan continued through the summer despite otherwise strong bilateral trade relations among neighbors. Bhutan is in the middle as India is determined to counter China’s hegemony. China insists in documents that the issue concerns only itself and Bhutan, describing India as a third-party intruder. “While Bhutan has maintained a critical ‘...

The Telegraph: Indian Independence Day

Barney Henderson August 16, 2017
This August marks 70 years since the Great Partition divided British India into two independent nations: India and Pakistan. The Indian independence movement engaged in non-violent struggle under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi and diplomacy efforts in international forums in the wake of the Second World War, just as the old British and French empires were on the verge of collapse. As Barney...

The Indian Express: Where Things Stand on the Dolam Plateau

Sushant Singh July 24, 2017
In June, China increased roadbuilding activity in a disputed territory of the Dolam plateau in the Doklam area, and India soon intervened with troops. “The standoff began after the Chinese started work on extending an unmetalled track in Bhutanese territory, and were prevented by Indian troops," reports Sushant Singh for the Indian Express. "Bhutan and India believe the Chinese have an...

The Times of India: Warm Words for Modi in Washington

Nayan Chanda July 5, 2017
Foreign leaders are discovering that they avoid criticism from the US president by praising Donald Trump and avoiding serious debate on topics of disagreement like climate change. A meeting with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the latest US “transactional approach to foreign policy,” explains Nayan Chanda, founding editor of YaleGlobal Online in his column for the Times of India. “Trump...

The Diplomat: Asia and the Fall of Coal

Nithin Coca June 26, 2017
Asia, accounting for about 60 percent of the world’s population, is abruptly shifting away from coal toward renewable energies, especially solar. The most populated nations could lead the continent. “From 2002 to 2012, the global coal trade doubled, with the four largest Asian economies – Japan, South Korea, China, and India – accounting for the majority of imports,” reports Nithin Coca for the...

New Mandala: Kingdom of Fear – and Favor

Pavin Chachavalpongpun April 25, 2017
Maha Vajiralongkorn is struggling to attract the respect directed toward his father, Bhumibol Adulyadej – with analysts expecting the new king of Thailand to be weak, “precisely because of his lack of moral authority, divinity and popularity once enjoyed by Bhumibol,” explains Pavin Chachavalpongpun for New Mandala, a publication based in Australia. “Vajiralongkorn reigns as a monarch whose...

Los Angeles Times: Movie Banned in India Because It Was “Lady-Oriented” Plays in US

Shashank Bengali April 3, 2017
Censorship of art in one country can put a global spotlight on the banned material. “’Lipstick Under My Burkha,’ which follows two Hindus and two Muslims searching for personal and sexual freedom, was blocked from Indian theaters this year by the national censor board even as it collected awards at international film festivals,” reports Shashank Bengali for the Los Angeles Times. The women have...