Archive for the ‘India’ Category

|Guest Column| Emulate the Dragon: A Single-Party Government in India?

Posted: July 4, 2012 in China, East Asia, Guest Opinions, India, South Asia
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By Varun Bindra

India and China share similar histories; both were liberated from imperialist rule in the mid-1940s and both have experienced a period of economic prosperity since the late 20th Century. However, one core difference between the two nations will allow China to continue to prosper while causing India’s economic performance to stagnate: their governments. On paper, India’s democracy seems much more enlightened than China’s one-party Communist state. In fact, many would agree that it is. However, while India’s model has allowed for better civil and human rights, its democracy is holding the nation back from the economic prosperity attained by China. And while democracy has allowed the West to undergo rapid economic development in the 19th and 20th Centuries, the democratic model cannot be effectively emulated in India for a few reasons.

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Israel’s Periphery: Relic of the Past or an evolved Foreign Policy?

Posted: April 12, 2012 in Egypt, India, Iranian Nuclear Issue, Israel, Middle East, Turkey
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Most observers have stressed on Israel’s Western support, particularly the United States, as an integral part to its survival in the region. Since its inception in 1948, Israel has had to come to terms with the hostilities of its Arab neighbours, many of whom were against the establishment of the Jewish state on the former British mandate of Palestine and took part in an effort to undo its creation. However, Israeli leaders like David Ben-Gurion, Israel’s first Prime Minister, saw that it a necessity to establish ties with other regional, non-Arab states like Iran, Turkey and Ethiopia, through a policy often referred to as the Periphery Doctrine. With the Islamic Revolution of 1979, this secret and unofficial alliance was called into question; many refer to it as an antique of Israeli foreign policy. As relations with Turkey have soured in the past few years, can we relegate Israel’s Periphery Doctrine to the history books? Or has it simply evolved into something else?

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India v. China: Two giants in the Asian pond?

Posted: March 26, 2012 in China, East Asia, India, South Asia, Sri Lanka
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by Shanthal Perera

When murmurs about the fall of the United States began a decade ago, there was a consensus that China and India would be two states capable of filling the void. Today, both states have fortified their “regional superpower” status and are slowly growing their influence outside Asia. Still, their close proximity, competing national interests and history of disputes (from borders to Asian politics) continue to cause these colossi to bump heads.

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