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West Asia Roundup– February 2020
Amb Anil Trigunayat, Distinguished Fellow, VIF Article

Abstract:
US-Taliban
After a weeklong trial halt in violence by Taliban against US or Afghan targets the Peace Agreement was signed between US and Taliban in Doha that seeks to end the 19 years old war and presence of US for....

March 11, 2020 International Relations and Diplomacy , West Asia , Article , Israel , India , US , Saudi , Taliban , Organisation of Islamic Cooperation , Iranian elections , Qatar hosts peace agreement , Idlib conflict , Hosni Mubarak’s death
Review of Japan 2019 and Outlook for 2020
Prerna Gandhi, Associate Fellow, VIF Article

2019 was an eventful year for Japan in both national and international domains. From an imperial transition to being the G20 Chair, to major trade agreements and the deadly Typhoon Hagibis, the year was filled with its share of ups and downs for Japa....

February 03, 2020 International Relations and Diplomacy , Indo-Pacific , Article , India , South Korea , US , China , Iran , EU , Reiwa Era , G20 , Northeast India
Year Review: Pakistan in 2019
Dr Yatharth Kachiar Commentary

The year 2019 brought optimism as well as trials for Pakistan in equal measure. In 2019, Pakistan under Prime Minister Imran Khan was occupied in confronting numerable challenges at the domestic as well as international levels. At the domestic front,....

January 22, 2020 Neighbourhood Studies , Pakistan , Commentary , India , Pakistan , US , foreign policy , Army , economy , Afghanistan , Saudi
West Asia Roundup - December 2019
Hirak Jyoti Das, Senior Research Associate, VIF Article

Abstract:
Year 2019, in keeping with the ongoing trend of conflicts and hotspots in the region, ended in heightening tensions between US and Iran which does not portend well for 2020. Iraq has been facing series of demonstrations and co....

January 16, 2020 International Relations and Diplomacy , West Asia , Article , US , Iran , Qatar , Islamic Ummah , Developments in Algeria , Attack on Southern
Complicated 2019 for the International Oil Market and Trade
Aayush Mohanty Article

Introduction
The effects of the United States of America’s (U.S) pulling out of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) in early 2018 had an impact on the global oil trade, which continued in 2019. The renewed unilateral sanction....

January 13, 2020 International Relations and Diplomacy , West Asia , Article , US , Iran , energy , Oil
Developments in the Indo-Pacific in 2019
Amruta Karambelkar Article

The Indo-Pacific as a geo-political idea has been in the currency since the last couple of years. In the year 2019 the idea seems to have gained more acceptance. In some measures, the stakeholders are working towards giving shape to this idea. Some ....

January 07, 2020 International Relations and Diplomacy , Indo-Pacific , Article , US , South China Sea , Bay of Bengal , Geo-political
The Belt and Road Initiative: Is it Viable?
Dr Teshu Singh Commentary

Recently, the US diplomat Alice Wells speaking at the Wilson Center at Washington D.C., criticised the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and questioned the economic feasibility of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).1 She reiterated that ....

December 09, 2019 International Relations and Diplomacy , China , Commentary , US , China , Belt and Road Initiative , CPEC
The ‘Trumpeachment’ Clouds
Amb K P Fabian Commentary

The clouds are thickening, and we do not know whether there will be thunder and lightning that can cause peril to the occupant of the White House. But, we do know that it will get worse before it gets better, if it ever does, and we see a cloudless b....

November 14, 2019 International Relations and Diplomacy , US , Commentary , US , Impeaching US President , Trump’s Ukraine episode , American election
Think Tank Dialogue on the Quadrilateral Grouping: The ‘Quad-Plus Dialogue’- 2019, Sydney, Australia, February 19-21, 2019 (Report)

(A Track 1.5 dialogue hosted by think tanks from Australia, India, Japan, and the U.S., and Quad-Plus Partner France) Participants: Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), Japan Institute for International Affairs (JIIA), The Heritage Founda....

March 26, 2019 International Relations and Diplomacy , Seminars , India , US , Indo-Pacific , Quad Plus , Australia , Japan , Maritime Domain Awareness , Nuclear Forces Treaty
Revival of Peace Initiatives in Afghanistan: Implications for India

Introduction
Seventeen years have passed since the American forces entered Afghanistan in October 2001 and ousted the Taliban. The massive crackdown forced the Al-Qaeda and the Taliban leaders to melt into Pakistan, where they replenished....

January 31, 2019 Neighbourhood Studies , Afghanistan , US , Taliban , al-Qaeda , Peace Initiatives in Afghanistan , Afghan National Army
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