India and the World

Taking on the ISIS monster: Building a credible coalition

- by India Writes Network

Representatives of over twenty countries, which are included in the anti-ISIS coalition, came together on Paris on June 2 to discuss their strategy of countering the terror outfit. They renewed commitments to remain “united, determined and focussed” in what was reemphasised to be a long fight against the Daesh (an acronym used for the ISIS by the Western media and detested by the group).
West Asian politics is multi-pronged, with several games being played simultaneously. A political and diplomatic solution needs to precede and follow up on a military one, as is the need to resolve political situations in Syria, and a multitude of unstable states, which provide safe haven for terror outfits. Thus, military, diplomacy and politics all need to come together for a humanitarian solution to counter the crisis sparked by the rise of The Islamic State.

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Sweden backs India for UN permanent seat & MTCR

- by India Writes Network

STOCKHOLM: Sweden, a key Scandinavian country and a member of the NSG, has come out in support of India’s global aspirations by backing New Delhi for a permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). In a recognition of India’s non-proliferation credentials, Sweden also backed India’s bid for membership of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), one of the four crucial multilateral nuclear export regimes that New Delhi is looking to be a part of.

Sweden’s Prime Minister Stefen Lofven conveyed his support for India’s UNSC aspiration to India’s President Pranab Mukherjee, who is on a state visit to the Nordic country, and underlined that India has requisite credentials for the UN high seat.

During the meeting, the two leaders decided to restart the bilateral strategic dialogue stalled since 2011. Mr Lofven also appreciated Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led “Make in India” campaign, and vowed to invest in India’s growing defence sector.

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Israel upbeat about Modi visit

- by India Writes Network

With India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj announcing the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Israel, Tel Aviv has voiced confidence that the first-ever trip by an Indian leader will take India-Israel relations to new heights.

On May 31, Mrs Swaraj had stunned many when she said at her annual media interaction that the Indian prime minister will visit Israel, bringing one of India’s key relationships out the closet. Mr Modi’s visit will be preceded by Sushma Swaraj’s trip to Israel as well as Palestine and Jordon. Mrs Swaraj stressed that India’s policy towards Palestine hasn’t changed at all.

Israel is upbeat about an upswing in ties with India under the Modi government. Israel’s Ambassador to India Daniel Carmon welcomed his proposed visit, and said that the high level visits between the two countries were natural ingredients of further enhancing relationship between India and Israel.

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Ashton Carter visit: India, US to sign 2015-25 Defence Framework pact

- by India Writes Network

Ahead of his upcoming visit to India next week, US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said America was looking for ways to complement India’s Act East policy and cooperate in important areas of the Asia Pacific region.

Dr Carter will sign the 2015 US-India Defence Framework, which will further enhance the two countries’ defence cooperation across various areas- from maritime security to aircraft carrier and jet engine technology. He will also visit the Eastern Naval Command at Vizag in Andhra Pradesh.

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Honouring UN peacekeeping heroes: India launches a virtual memorial wall

- by India Writes Network

In a pioneering initiative towards building a permanent monument at the U.N. headquarters in New York, India has launched a virtual memorial wall as a tribute to the U.N. peacekeeping heroes who died during their services since 1952.
India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Asoke Kumar Mukerji, unveiled the digital memorial wall at a formal reception hosted in New York on May 29. At the ceremony, 126 recipients of the Dag Hammarskjold Medal were awarded posthumously to the UN peacekeepers.
The reception was attended by defence officers from around the world. Mr Mukerji invited them to put forward the name of their heroes to the virtual wall, which is hosted on the website – www.pminewyork.org – the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations. The wall includes names of 161 Indians who died in several peacekeeping operations.
So far, India has contributed more than 180,000 troops to 44 UN operations so far. Currently, 8,112 Indian personnel are serving from the Indian military, police and civilians in seven U.N. operations

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India’s economic growth outpaces China’s in 2nd quarter

- by India Writes Network

he Indian economy grew at 7.3 percent in 2014-15 compared to 6.9 per cent in 2013-14, making it the second straight quarter during which it grew at a faster rate than that of China.
According to reports released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) on May 29, the economy surged primarily due to the improvements in the performance of service as well as the manufacturing sector. Although the GDP growth saw a marginal surge during 2014-15, it was lower than the earlier estimated figure of 7.4 percent. The fourth quarter (January-March 2015) recorded the highest percentage growth at 7.5 percent, better than 6.6 percent recorded in the previous quarter.
The manufacturing sector showed better improvement in 2014-15, as it grew at 7.1 percent against 5.3 percent recorded in the year 2013-14. The output of electricity, gas, water supply and other utilities increased by 7.9 percent against 4.8 percent in the previous year.

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Marrying India’s IT prowess with German technology

- by India Writes Network

Barely six weeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Germany, Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen’s ongoing visit to New Delhi has set in motion a series of steps aimed at boosting defence and cyber security cooperation between the two countries.

The German minister met India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 28 and pitched for a win-win alliance of India’s IT prowess and German technology.

The minister noted that India has excellent human resource which is highly skilled in information technology, while Germany has the technology and knowhow. Working together would create a win-win situation for both of them, she stressed.

Focus on cyber security

According to recent reports, about one billion computers in Germany are infected with Botnet viruses, which makes the country vulnerable to cyber-attacks, making cybercrime a prime concern for the German defense industry. India too, suffered a loss of nearly four billion dollars due to cyber-attacks in 2014.

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Holocaust course in Hungary: Remembrance and national identity

- by India Writes Network

A news item likely to go unnoticed by most is that of a university in Hungary making a course on the Holocaust compulsory for all undergraduate students. It is not the content of the course (which is no doubt very important for a discussion on its possible impacts) but a larger context of remembrance- how it shapes national consciousness and its international ramifications- that this article deals with.

Recently, the Peter Pazmany Catholic University, one of the oldest and most prestigious universities in Hungary, made a course on the holocaust, titled ‘The Holocaust and its Remembrance’, compulsory for all students in its undergraduate program. It’s the kind of news report that is likely to go unnoticed by most, but such an initiative deserves closer reflection and need to be placed in the larger context of remembrance – how it shapes national consciousness and its international ramifications.

Hungarian Jews, too, suffered terribly during the Second World War, with several thousand being sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps, into forced labour camps and summarily executed on the banks of the Danube.

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India, South Korea upgrade ties, sign 7 pacts

- by India Writes Network

SEOUL: India and South Korea have infused a new energy into their multi-faceted partnership by upgrading ties to “special strategic partnership” and signing seven bilateral agreements in diverse areas.

“Our relationship started with a strong economic emphasis. But, it has also now become strategic in content,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday.

“The decision to upgrade bilateral ties reflect how seriously we take the new framework of our relationship. Republic of Korea is the second country with which India will have a diplomatic and security dialogue in 2+2 format,” PM Modi said while addressing a joint press conference with South Korean President Park Geun-hye in Seoul.

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