Articles

China Raises its strategic profile in Horn of Africa and IOR

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi kept up the tradition of Chinese leaders visiting Africa at the beginning of the year. For 32 years, this tradition has been in vogue and the Chinese FM, between 4 and 7 January, visited Eritrea, Kenya and Comoros in ....

January 11, 2022 International Relations and Diplomacy , China , Africa , Article , China , BRI , Wang Yi , IUU , Special Envoy , Horn of Africa

Africa: Looking Back at 2021 and Likely Trends in 2022

Samir Bhattacharya, Research Associate, VIF Article

For the second year in a row, countries across the world battled to cope with the negative economic impacts of covid. Though African continent handled the initial impacts of Covid-19 relatively well, in 2021 it suffered immensely from Covid-19 outbre....

January 03, 2022 International Relations and Diplomacy , Africa , Article , democracy , Ethiopia , Terrorism , South Sudan , election , Corruption , Covid , Sudan , Civil war , coup , Gambia , Islamist terrorism , Mali

The Re-election of Gambian President Raises Hope for Justice

Samir Bhattacharya, Research Associate, VIF Article

On 4th December 2021, The Gambia, the smallest country in mainland Africa, held its presidential election. The present election can be viewed as a strong statement in support of successful transition towards a democratic society. To recall, in the la....

December 13, 2021 International Relations and Diplomacy , Africa , Article , democracy , Myanmar , election , Rohingya , India Africa Forum Summit , Human Rights , Gandhi , ECOWAS , coup , Coalition , Gambia , Adama Barrow , Jammeh , Marbles , African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights , Term limits , India Gambia Relations , Banjul Charter

Harnessing the Trade Winds: The Story of the Centuries-Old Indian Trade with East Africa, Using the Monsoon Winds by Blanche Rocha D’Souza, (First published in Kenya in 2008 by Zand Graphics Ltd, Reprinted in India 2021 by Pentagon Press LLP.) Pp. 204. IN

Samir Bhattacharya, Research Associate, VIF

Long before the Christian era, Indians had the knowledge of monsoon winds. And Indians started sailing, not only before the European explorers of 14th centuries and around, but Indians sailed even before Hippalus, the Greek mariner, famous for discov....

November 15, 2021 International Relations and Diplomacy , Africa , Indian Diaspora , Indian Ocean , Book Reviews , Gandhi , Eastern Africa , History , Indian Traders , Indian Marchants , Monsoon wind , Maritime trade , Scramble for Africa , Ugandan railway , Historiography

Africa’s Quest for National Identity and Obsession over Owning a “National Flag Carrier”

Samir Bhattacharya, Research Associate, VIF Article

On 17th October 2021, the government of Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) announced its plan to launch a newnational airline “Air Congo” ^[1] . The new airline will be d....

November 08, 2021 International Relations and Diplomacy , Africa , Article , Aircraft , Aviation , IATA , Ethiopian Airlines , Congo Airways , Air Congo , national airline , national carrier , Uganda Airlines , Air Tanzania , Kenya Airlines , Ghana International Airways , SAA , South African Airways , LAM , SATAM , Indian Airlines , Swissair , Airline nationalism , Sky Protectionism

अफगानिस्तान में तालिबान की जीत और अफ्रीका में इस्लामिक उग्रवाद के विरुद्ध भारत की आतंकवाद-निरोधक नीति

Samir Bhattacharya, Research Associate, VIF Article

15 अगस्त 2021 को एक नाटकीय घटनाक्रम में, तालिबान ने अफगानिस्तान की राजधानी काबुल पर कब्जा कर लिया। ह....

October 20, 2021 International Relations and Diplomacy , Africa , Article , भारत आतंकवाद निरोधक , अल-शहबाब , अफ्रीकी आतंकवाद , बोको हरम , जिहादी इस्लामी उग्रवाद

Sudan-South Sudan Rapprochement and Its Implications for the Region and Beyond

Samir Bhattacharya, Research Associate, VIF Article

After a decade-long impasse, the borders between Sudan and South Sudan reopened on 1st October, 2021. With this first step of rapprochement, two countries can now slowly advance towards stabilizing the ties between them. On 12th September Sudanese Pr....

October 06, 2021 International Relations and Diplomacy , Africa , Article , India , China , South Sudan , genocide , Oil , Sudan , India Africa Forum Summit , Civil war , Connectivity , Liberalism , Military Takeover , rapprochement , debt-trap

Future of Post-Islamist Morocco and India-Morocco Relations

Samir Bhattacharya, Research Associate, VIF Article

In the parliamentary elections of 8th September, Morocco’s long-ruling Islamists suffered a crushing defeat by the liberal parties. With just 12 seats, Islamist Justice and Development (PJD)Party finished much behind its main rivals, the National R....

September 22, 2021 International Relations and Diplomacy , Africa , Article , democracy , election , Arab Spring , North Africa , Pandemic , India Africa Forum Summit , Political Islam , Capacity Building , Morocco , Islamist Party , Monarchy , Coalition , ITEC , Western Sahara

Military Coup in Guinea and its Implications for Democratic Governance in Africa

Samir Bhattacharya, Research Associate, VIF Article

In the early morning of Sunday, heavy gunfire was heard near Guinea’s presidential palace, in capital Conakry, prompting fear of instability. This was followed by social media updates, where people of Guinea saw their President Mr. Condé being hel....

September 09, 2021 International Relations and Diplomacy , Africa , Article , democracy , governance , Power , coup , Military Takeover , military intervention , transition

Taliban Triumph in Afghanistan and India’s Counter-Terrorism Policy against Islamist Extremism in Africa

Samir Bhattacharya, Research Associate, VIF Article

On 15th August, 2021, in a dramatic turn of events, Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan, was taken over by the Taliban insurgent groups. While the collapse of Afghanistan government and its national army was somewhat predictable once the US announ....

September 06, 2021 International Relations and Diplomacy , Africa , Article , India , Counter-terrorism , Al-Shabaab , Africa , Terrorism , Boko Haram , jihadist , Islamist Extremism