Chinese PM Wen Jiabao and Japanese PM Kan Naoto; Photo credit should read ADRIAN BRADSHAW/AFP/Getty Images) Since the September Senkaku (Diaoyu) Islands incident involving the Japanese coast guard and a Chinese fishing trawler in Japanese waters, the world’s 2nd and 3rd largest economies continue to experience strained relations On Monday October 25, Japan made […]
President Obama’s state visit to India succeeded in closing the sentiment-substance gap that had come to define bilateral affairs during his administration. But as the trip’s warm afterglow begins to fade in the months ahead, Americans are bound to question whether India is living up to its side of the grand bargain that first George W. Bush and now Mr. Obama have laid out.
As expected, Obama’s maiden visit to India this weekend has been a success. President Obama struck all the right notes, and the First Lady charmed India as she danced with children. The highlight of the visit was Obama’s address to the joint session of the Indian Parliament on Monday where he endorsed India’s permanent membership […]
The IMF delegation led by Mr. Adnan Mazerei met Pakistani authorities to discuss IMF’s Stand-by-Arrangement to patch together economic aid and assistance to Pakistan as it builds out of the recent summer floods. A press release was put out by the mission. It reads, in part: “Progress has been made regarding the measures to be […]
Update: Hat tip to Michael Turton… “The Japanese coastguard video of the encounter with the Chinese fishing boat and the two minor collisions has now been leaked to Youtube. It’s 46 minutes in all – not the 7 minute edited version shown to the 30 members of the Diet. The Government (or someone) had the […]
This is a fine thing: Rushanara Ali, the Labour MP from Bethnal Green and Bow (and the Shadow Minister for international development) met the two opposing leaders of the two major parties in Bangladesh. She declared that the ruling Conservative government would not cut its financial assistance to Bangladesh. Ms. Ali and the Prime Minister […]
The latest World Bank economic data are now available and they indicate a strong, growing economy for a stronger, more prosperous Bangladesh. The politics seem to be catching up, though some dark clouds yet remain on the horizon. At 5.8% annual growth, the Bangladeshi economy outpaced the U.S economy’s growth, itself at a startlingly weak […]
Yesterday’s results in the U.S. midterm elections have several implications relevant to India and bilateral relations.
This may be news; some report worthy of attention. Or not. But let’s take note, anyway. The news at hand: Hansen Hashem CLarke, the son of a Sylheti man and African American woman has been elected from the 13th Congressional District in Michigan. An accomplished politico, he served as Chief of Staff to noted Michigan […]
India is getting ready for U.S. President Barak Obama’s visit to the country beginning on November 4th. Apart from the political and diplomatic dimensions of the visit, the most interesting aspect is the Indian media’s pre-visit coverage. Editorials in leading news dailies and comments by strategic observers in the run up to President Obama’s visit […]
Pakistani community in America is watching the mid-term elections in the United States with fascination as for some of them, it is a great exercise in human freedom. For this community, this election is also the source of anxiety because of its impact on Washington’s relationship with Islamabad. Some argue that it will further complicate a very […]
As President Obama prepares to go to India for a three-day state visit, U.S. policy pundits are busy proffering ideas for the bilateral agenda.
The Future This dispute could be settled with a classic “land swap”, such as China’s Western claim for India’s eastern one; which is already the international accepted status quo. In fact China has already proposed this twice, once in the the 1950s and again in the early 1980s. Russia struck a similar deal with China […]
It has been eight years since the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCPs) first peaceful transfer of power, an act which heralded Hu Jintao’s ascension to China’s highest positions of power. Xi Jinping Once again China embarks on a change of helmsmen. On October 18th of this year, Mr. Xi Jingping (习近平)was selected for the position of […]
There we go again. Earlier today, law enforcement authorities arrested yet another terrorist in the making – a naturalized American of Pakistani origin, Farooque Ahmed for trying to help coordinate bombing at Washington’s Metro System, also known as the subway system. Once again, fortunately, this nut’s plot was never a serious threat, but for his […]
