India and the World | India Writes

Why Merkel’s visit matters: Playing Berlin Sonata in New Delhi

October 4, 2015October 4, 2015 - by Manish Chand

Barely days after meeting the leader of Europe’s most powerful economy in New York at a summit meeting to push the UNSC reforms, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be engaging German Chancellor Angela Merkel for full-spectrum talks in New Delhi and seek Berlin’s renewed support for his pet missions of national renewal, including Make in India, Skill India and Smart Cities.
The fact that Ms Merkel is bringing with her six senior ministers and top corporate honchos for the October 4-6 trip to New Delhi and Bangalore underlines that the two countries are looking to push the envelope for what Europe’s top economy and Asia’s third largest economy can do together in a host of areas, including manufacturing, skill building, defence, vocational education and high-end R&D, core thrust areas of the burgeoning India-Germany partnership.
In seminal ways, India and Germany are made for each other, as Prime Minister Modi has said evocatively, conjuring up a match between resources and demographic dividend of Asia’s rising economy and Germany’s cutting-edge technology, research and innovations. Whichever way one looks at, Germany is pivotal to India’s project of national resurgence and will play a key role in India’s ambition to become a manufacturing hub, driven by innovation and enterprise.

Deconstructing rise of Islamic State

October 3, 2015October 4, 2015 - by India Writes Network

How should India approach the IS? There have been a small number of young Indians who have gone and joined IS or have tried to do so. A few suspected IS sympathisers have been repatriated to India from UAE. India should do its utmost to prevent online radicalization and tighten controls at airports to prevent people from going abroad to join the IS.
Should India join the US-led war against IS? It is unlikely that a request will be made as it is well known that India does not wish to be militarily involved abroad unless it is a UN-led operation for peace keeping. India should avoid any such involvement for two reasons. One, such statements do not have any practical adverse impact on the IS. Secondly, India has over 7 million of its nationals in the area and the IS can retaliate by way of kidnapping one or two. Moreover, it is wise not to provoke the IS into taking serious interest in Kashmir.

Finally, India announces peak emission year ahead of Paris COP21

October 2, 2015October 2, 2015 - by India Writes Network

Promising to cut the intensity of its carbon emissions by 33 to 35 percent by 2030 from 2005 levels and make its economy more energy efficient, India finally announced its peak emission year in a climate change policy statement, released ahead of the Conference of Parties (COP-21) summit in Paris in December. India, the third largest emitter of greenhouse gases, had earlier resisted setting specific targets to cut emissions.

India to Pakistan: There’s only one point, give up terror for talks

October 2, 2015October 2, 2015 - by India Writes Network

Hitting back at Pakistan in the United Nations, India sent home a strong message to Pakistan to give up terror if it wants to resume talks with India. In a hard-hitting speech at the UN on October 1, India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj lashed out at Pakistan saying it must give up terror if the two countries must sit down and talk.

India hits back at Pakistan in UNGA, says Pakistan ‘breeding, sponsoring terror’

October 1, 2015October 1, 2015 - by India Writes Network

In a strong rebuttal of Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s anti-India speech raking up LoC violations and Kashmir issue, at the UN General Assembly (UNGA), India asserted that Islamabad is a victim of its own policies of breeding and sponsoring terrorism.

US-India-Japan trilateral dialogue: Enhancing maritime security

September 30, 2015September 30, 2015 - by India Writes Network

In the backdrop of China’s growing assertiveness in the region, US, India and Japan held the inaugural trilateral ministerial dialogue to discuss enhancing maritime security in the region.

India links effective UN peacekeeping with UNSC reforms

September 29, 2015September 29, 2015 - by Manish Chand

Raising the bar, India has unveiled plans to scale up its contribution to UN peacekeeping operations and linked it up with the urgent necessity of fast-tracking reform and expansion of the UN Security Council to make it more effective.

Modi-Obama meet: Climate change, terror, UNSC reforms top agenda

September 28, 2015September 28, 2015 - by Manish Chand

The climate has changed in the India-US relations, and it was palpable in sunny smiles and warmth seen between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Barack Obama as they met for the third time in a year

Modi jams for Indian Century in California

September 28, 2015October 3, 2015 - by Manish Chand

The Modi frenzy swamped the sprawling SAP Center in California on Sunday evening as nearly 19,000 Indians watched the masterly performer weave a spell with his trademark oratory and his radiant vision of India’s Century. It was a captivating show in the heart of Silicon Valley, with music, dance and frenzied chants of ‘Modi, Modi’ filling the huge auditorium

Mapping next big steps in India-US Defence Partnership

September 28, 2015September 28, 2015 - by India Writes Network

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United States, the Cabinet Committee on Security approved the purchase of Boeing’s Apache and Chinook helicopters for the Indian Air Force. In a major impetus to defence ties, this deal worth $2.5 billion is the biggest defence contract signed by the NDA government after coming to power in May 2014.