India - The Trawler.org
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CHAULIA: “Hope Springs in the Valley” (Asian Age, IN)
379 days ago by Urvashi Aneja
Sreeram Chaulia notes in this article that normalcy appears to be around the corner in Kashmir as militancy has reached a low point after nearly two decades. Chaulia argues that India’s market power is a major factor in the turnaround in the Valley, fuelling Kashmir’s economic lifelines. Today, most Kashmiri Muslims are tired of the war against the Indian state. They are refocusing energies on the misdeeds of their own elected Kashmiri politicians, though grievances do get channelised against the Indian Army by the separatist Hurriyat Conference. Chaulia cautions however that while peace in the valley portends well for Indian control over Kashmir, the state needs to address unemployment and security in the state; moreover, any further ascent of Islamic fundamentalists in Pakistan’s body politic could infuse fresh vigour into the jihad enterprise.
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PANT: “The Great End Game” (Outlook Magazine, IN)
387 days ago by Urvashi Aneja
Harsh Pant argues in this article that as Washington and Kabul turn a new page in the Afghanistan saga, New Delhi should be keen to take this opportunity to become a more credible actor in its neighbourhood. There is an overarching lack of coherence in Indian response as New Delhi seems to be perpetually on the defensive, first making Washington the sole pivot of its outreach to Kabul and then petulantly complaining about American unreliability. On the one hand, India has been signalling to the US that it views long-term American presence in Afghanistan as integral to regional security. On the other, it’s been reaching out to make common cause with the Iranians, who want to see complete US withdrawal from the region. The Washington-Kabul strategic partnership agreement now provides India with some crucial space for diplomatic manoeuvring so as to regain the lost ground and expand its footprint in a neighbouring state where it remains hugely popular despite its inconsistent policy approach.
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GUPTA: “Crude Politics” (Indian Express, IN)
387 days ago by Urvashi Aneja
The government’s announcement of a 10% increase in petrol prices has come under sharp criticism. In this article, Shekhar Gupta points out that oil marketing companies are supposedly free to reset the petrol price on a fortnightly basis anyway. They have not been doing so however, making this price hike an ‘event’. Before this, the last increase was carried out in November 2011, but the process stopped because the UPA was getting ready for the Uttar Pradesh elections. The UPA suspended that fortnightly rhythm in search of cynical electoral gains which never came. The UPA’s actions are emblematic of a larger problem within the UPA – its slow decision making; the UPA dithers and meanders into making everything out to be a story, a controversy, an event.
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KARNAD: “Mission Taliban” (The Asian Age, IN)
391 days ago by Urvashi Aneja
Bharat Karnad argues in this article that that NATO plan to handover operations to the the newly raised 325,000 soldier-strong Afghan National Army (ANA) and police, and to decamp by 2014, is absurd. The US has spent some $20 billion all told on ISAF operations over a decade, and no military technology has been spared; yet, nothing has quite worked. Now the nascent ANA is supposed to finish the job ISAF started with nothing like the battlefield tech-support and infrastructure the foreign armies benefited from; moreover, this is to be accomplished on an annual Nato dole of $4.2 billion for a country with a diminished GDP of $17 billion. Karnad thus argues that India should begin to seriously consider a military role in Afghanistan. Deploying a static Indian military presence, say, in the Hajigak region where Indian companies have mining concessions and will need protection, seems a reasonable first step; the more kinetic element could be Indian Special Forces deployed to fight in support of ANA and alongside the American Rangers and SEALs.Moreover, with their vast counter-insurgency experience, Indian Army contingents can leverage the high comfort levels the Afghan people will naturally have in dealing with them.
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RAJAMOHAN: “Snubbing Zardari” (Indian Express,IN)
391 days ago by Urvashi Aneja
US President Obama extended a last minute invitation to Pakistan President Zadari to the NATO summit in Chicago, but then refused to engage with him. C. Rajamohan argues in this article that President Obama was highlighting the US frustration at Pakistan’s reluctance to open up over land access to the international forces in Afghanistan. Rajamohan argues that snubbing Zardari does not solve America’s current problem with Pakistan. It only deepens the popular Pakistani resentment against the United States and weakens Zardari vis-a-vis the army.The US also knows that Zardari is not in charge of Pakistan’s policy towards the US or Afghanistan. Finally, if the current negotiations have halted due to a difference of opinion over the price of access for NATO trucks and containers, US-Pak mutual accommodation should not be impossible to accomplish in the coming days.
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BHAGWATI: “Selection of Jim Yong Kim as World Bank president is impossible to condone but easy to explain” (Economic Times, IN)
415 days ago by Urvashi Aneja
Renowned economist Jagdish Bhagwati argues in this article that the selection of the American nominee Jim Yong Kim as president of the World Bank, over Nigeria’s finance minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who was overwhelmingly regarded as a vastly superior candidate, points to serious dangers for the unfinished task of development. His tirade in 2000 against the liberal reforms that have transformed countries like India and China into global growth engines, reduced poverty and benefited marginalised groups shows that he lacked good judgment on fundamental issues. Bhagwati also argues that Kim’s appointment could spell disaster for healthcare issues despite his previous work on AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.
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GHAREKHAN:”Not a zero-sum game in Kabul” (The Hindu,IN)
416 days ago by Urvashi Aneja
There has been a perceptible improvement in India-Pakistan relations in the past few weeks; especially noteworthy was General Kayani’s remarks that ‘peaceful co-existence’ should be the principle guiding relations between the two countries. Former Indian Ambassador to the UN, Chinmaya R. Gharekhan argues in this article that this is an opportune time for India and Pakistan to cooperate on Afghanistan. The bilateral relationships which Pakistan and India have with Afghanistan are not, and should not be, a zero-sum equation. Each must recognise that the other has legitimate interests and concerns in Afghanistan. Equally, both ought to, and do believe that a stable Afghanistan is in the interests of both countries.
CHAULIA: “Hope Springs in the Valley” (Asian Age, IN)
379 days ago by Urvashi AnejaSreeram Chaulia notes in this article that normalcy appears to be around the corner in Kashmir as militancy has reached a low point after nearly two decades. Chaulia argues that India’s market power is a major factor in the turnaround in the Valley, fuelling Kashmir’s economic lifelines. Today, most Kashmiri Muslims are tired of the war against the Indian state. They are refocusing energies on the misdeeds of their own elected Kashmiri politicians, though grievances do get channelised against the Indian Army by the separatist Hurriyat Conference. Chaulia cautions however that while peace in the valley portends well for Indian control over Kashmir, the state needs to address unemployment and security in the state; moreover, any further ascent of Islamic fundamentalists in Pakistan’s body politic could infuse fresh vigour into the jihad enterprise.
PANT: “The Great End Game” (Outlook Magazine, IN)
387 days ago by Urvashi AnejaHarsh Pant argues in this article that as Washington and Kabul turn a new page in the Afghanistan saga, New Delhi should be keen to take this opportunity to become a more credible actor in its neighbourhood. There is an overarching lack of coherence in Indian response as New Delhi seems to be perpetually on the defensive, first making Washington the sole pivot of its outreach to Kabul and then petulantly complaining about American unreliability. On the one hand, India has been signalling to the US that it views long-term American presence in Afghanistan as integral to regional security. On the other, it’s been reaching out to make common cause with the Iranians, who want to see complete US withdrawal from the region. The Washington-Kabul strategic partnership agreement now provides India with some crucial space for diplomatic manoeuvring so as to regain the lost ground and expand its footprint in a neighbouring state where it remains hugely popular despite its inconsistent policy approach.
GUPTA: “Crude Politics” (Indian Express, IN)
387 days ago by Urvashi AnejaThe government’s announcement of a 10% increase in petrol prices has come under sharp criticism. In this article, Shekhar Gupta points out that oil marketing companies are supposedly free to reset the petrol price on a fortnightly basis anyway. They have not been doing so however, making this price hike an ‘event’. Before this, the last increase was carried out in November 2011, but the process stopped because the UPA was getting ready for the Uttar Pradesh elections. The UPA suspended that fortnightly rhythm in search of cynical electoral gains which never came. The UPA’s actions are emblematic of a larger problem within the UPA – its slow decision making; the UPA dithers and meanders into making everything out to be a story, a controversy, an event.
KARNAD: “Mission Taliban” (The Asian Age, IN)
391 days ago by Urvashi AnejaBharat Karnad argues in this article that that NATO plan to handover operations to the the newly raised 325,000 soldier-strong Afghan National Army (ANA) and police, and to decamp by 2014, is absurd. The US has spent some $20 billion all told on ISAF operations over a decade, and no military technology has been spared; yet, nothing has quite worked. Now the nascent ANA is supposed to finish the job ISAF started with nothing like the battlefield tech-support and infrastructure the foreign armies benefited from; moreover, this is to be accomplished on an annual Nato dole of $4.2 billion for a country with a diminished GDP of $17 billion. Karnad thus argues that India should begin to seriously consider a military role in Afghanistan. Deploying a static Indian military presence, say, in the Hajigak region where Indian companies have mining concessions and will need protection, seems a reasonable first step; the more kinetic element could be Indian Special Forces deployed to fight in support of ANA and alongside the American Rangers and SEALs.Moreover, with their vast counter-insurgency experience, Indian Army contingents can leverage the high comfort levels the Afghan people will naturally have in dealing with them.
RAJAMOHAN: “Snubbing Zardari” (Indian Express,IN)
391 days ago by Urvashi AnejaUS President Obama extended a last minute invitation to Pakistan President Zadari to the NATO summit in Chicago, but then refused to engage with him. C. Rajamohan argues in this article that President Obama was highlighting the US frustration at Pakistan’s reluctance to open up over land access to the international forces in Afghanistan. Rajamohan argues that snubbing Zardari does not solve America’s current problem with Pakistan. It only deepens the popular Pakistani resentment against the United States and weakens Zardari vis-a-vis the army.The US also knows that Zardari is not in charge of Pakistan’s policy towards the US or Afghanistan. Finally, if the current negotiations have halted due to a difference of opinion over the price of access for NATO trucks and containers, US-Pak mutual accommodation should not be impossible to accomplish in the coming days.
BHAGWATI: “Selection of Jim Yong Kim as World Bank president is impossible to condone but easy to explain” (Economic Times, IN)
415 days ago by Urvashi AnejaRenowned economist Jagdish Bhagwati argues in this article that the selection of the American nominee Jim Yong Kim as president of the World Bank, over Nigeria’s finance minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who was overwhelmingly regarded as a vastly superior candidate, points to serious dangers for the unfinished task of development. His tirade in 2000 against the liberal reforms that have transformed countries like India and China into global growth engines, reduced poverty and benefited marginalised groups shows that he lacked good judgment on fundamental issues. Bhagwati also argues that Kim’s appointment could spell disaster for healthcare issues despite his previous work on AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.
GHAREKHAN:”Not a zero-sum game in Kabul” (The Hindu,IN)
416 days ago by Urvashi AnejaThere has been a perceptible improvement in India-Pakistan relations in the past few weeks; especially noteworthy was General Kayani’s remarks that ‘peaceful co-existence’ should be the principle guiding relations between the two countries. Former Indian Ambassador to the UN, Chinmaya R. Gharekhan argues in this article that this is an opportune time for India and Pakistan to cooperate on Afghanistan. The bilateral relationships which Pakistan and India have with Afghanistan are not, and should not be, a zero-sum equation. Each must recognise that the other has legitimate interests and concerns in Afghanistan. Equally, both ought to, and do believe that a stable Afghanistan is in the interests of both countries.
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