Barack Obama began his administration with the idea that the US would ‘pivot’ the epicentre of its hegemonic power to Asia. Forgetting the fact that the word ‘pivot’ is in this context, borrowed from the imperialist geo-political writings of Halford MacKinder, the plan which was arrogant in the first place, failed spectacularly by the end of…
China and India are locked yet again in a stand-off of Himalayan proportions. Almost five weeks after Indian troops trespassed and forcibly halted the activities of a Chinese road construction crew on a narrow plateau at the China-Bhutan-India tri-junction area in the Sikkim Himalayas, the two sides appear no closer to resolving their quarrel. The…
So, once again it’s down to a face-off in the Himalayas. Beijing builds a road in the disputed territory of Doklam (if you’re Indian) or Donglang (if you’re Chinese), in the tri-junction of Sikkim, Tibet and Bhutan, and all hell beaks loose. Or does it? The Global Times blames it on an upsurge of Hindu nationalist…
From the Indo-Pacific to the Mediterranean, a diplomatic transformation is underway. The winds of change are blowing not from Beijing, but from Delhi. President Donald Trump has an opportunity to harness some of that power to help fill the sails of America’s global leadership. Times are Changing The White House is expected to unveil its…
China is becoming increasingly emboldened in its expressions of anger towards any country which violates its sovereignty. On the 2nd of July, shortly before this year’s G20 conference in Hamburg, China scrambled vessels and fighter jets when the USS Stethem breached maritime waters claimed by Bejing in the South China Sea. This came shortly after…
In India today, nationalism has a religion. Hinduism. We may pussyfoot around it and refer to it as Hindutva, saffronisation or, what the ruling rightwing Bhartiya Janata Party calls “fringe elements”, but the discourse is clearly embedded in the faith of the majority community. Slurs against Muslims have become commonplace. A country that wants to…
