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News Articles

Graveyard of EmpiricismDecember 13, 2011

The current round of the Afghanistan debate is riddled with mischaracterizations. While the Cold War produced a cohort of Soviet specialists, the war in Afghanistan has failed to produce sufficient regional expertise in the United States.

Wishful Mud-SlingingDecember 02, 2011

Unlike other setbacks, the November 26 NATO assault on Pakistani soldiers that left 26 dead may have larger and irreversable consequences for the U.S. and NATO Allies....

A Strong Case to Drop India Uranium BanDecember 02, 2011

It should be no surprise that New Delhi would welcome an Australian decision to export uranium to India. Isolating India on nuclear matters proved a major — and some might say unnecessary — hurdle for US-India relations....

Rocky Road to DamascusNovember 17, 2011

No country is ever immune to charges of double standards in its foreign policy, and the Arab Awakening has exposed many contradictions in rhetoric and and behaviour....

Pulling U.S.-Pakistan Policy Out of the ShadowsOctober 03, 2011A Fighting ChanceSeptember 29, 2011U.S.-India Relations: Can India Step Up to the Plate?August 03, 2011It might seem natural to despair about the current state of US-India relations. New Delhi has eliminated two US suppliers from a landmark competition for 126 front-line fighter aircraft, a contract worth over $10 billion.Mixed signalsMay 30, 2011The weeks since the killing of Osama bin Laden by US Special Forces have witnessed intensified recriminations and engagement between the US and Pakistan. Last week, President Barack Obama said that Pakistan’s obsession with India as an existential threat was misplaced, reiterating a theme he and his top advisers have embraced since assuming office.Killing of Osama bin Laden has rehabilitated reputation of U.S. Government, officialsMay 05, 2011The dust has already started to settle after President Barack Obama's dramatic announcement on Sunday evening that U.S. special forces had killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in a late-night raid on a compound outside Abbottabad.U.S.-India Relations: From Vision to ProcessNovember 18, 2010Barack Obama’s first visit to India as U.S. president was a welcome tonic for ties between the world’s two largest democratic powers, correcting early missteps by his administration.What’s the Big Idea?October 01, 2010There are expectations that Barack Obama's maiden trip to India as US president in November will be underwhelming. A month is a long time in international politics, and there is still a small, albeit narrowing, opportunity to create a mutually-acceptable and -beneficial organisational framework that would not only make this visit a personal success for Mr Obama, but also create a political mechanism that serves the interests both of the United States and India. This will involve considerable creativity and hard work by officials in both countries.Net assessment in defence policyJune 20, 2010

Net assessment involves simulations, opposition analysis, historical and cultural studies, critical reviews and low-probability, high-impact contingency planning. Read

State of DenialMarch 29, 2010The last few weeks have been marked by perceived divergences between India and the United States over l'affaire Headley and Pakistan's request for a civilian nuclear agreement. Of course, very little information on the Headley case is clear-cut. And, as was to be expected, the US signalled an assured ‘no' to the nuclear deal, although only at the end of their two-day strategic dialogue. But the damage appears to have been done. Indian commentators, already frustrated by the direction of U.S.-India relations under President Barack Obama, have used the two incidents to question the potential for a long-term strategic partnership between New Delhi and Washington.Cracking ChimericaFebruary 04, 2010American foreign policy concepts can be as fickle as fashion trends. The most recent catchphrase is “G-2”, popularised by Zbigniew Brzezinski, and meant to reflect a necessary and desirable duopoly between the US and China. The Obama administration was seen as buying into this concept when it institutionalised a strategic and economic dialogue between the two countries last year.Taking the HeatDecember 15, 2009

Nobody said climate change negotiations would be easy. From the outset, they combined the most divisive aspects of nuclear disarmament negotiations and world trade talks, splitting the world between “haves” and “have nots” and developed and developing states. On both the WTO’s Doha Round and the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, India found itself at the vanguard of opposition to the West, with damaging but fortunately not disastrous political consequences. It appeared that a similar outcome was inevitable on climate negotiations.

A Cold WindNovember 12, 2009Barack Obama may be the first post-Boomer president, but he appears to retain a similar orientation to Clinton in matters pertaining to India, although for his generation India is more closely associated with Satyam than satyagraha.

Publications

Why Principles – and not Players – Should Determine the Nature of the Emerging International OrderMarch 01, 2011This Brussels Forum Brief says that the arrival of new global powers presents the West with a dilemma: whether to prioritize players or principles in creating a new international architecture that contributes to the continuity and efficacy of international norms.Obama’s Dilemma: Reassurance or Accommodation?January 04, 2009After eight years of the Bush presidency, when the United States was perceived as disdainful of allies and excessively aggressive toward challengers, U.S. President Barack Obama promised a change in course. This appears to involve closer consultation with partners and greater engagement with adversaries.