Articles | Vivekananda International Foundation

Commentary - Presidents First Foreign Trip to Djibouti: Why It Matters?

President R.N. Kovind chose Djibouti as first leg of his visit to Africa. This is the first time a top Indian leader visited Djibouti on an official visit. This is not surprising because Djibouti has a strategic location on the Horn of Africa, border....

October 31, 2017 International Relations and Diplomacy , Africa , Commentary , Indian President , Djibouti , R.N. Kovind , Africa Visit , Africa , Eritrea , Ethiopia and Somalia , Operation Rahat

India Needs Proactive Engagement with East African Countries on Maritime Security

Commodore Somen Banerjee

The Western Indian Ocean has been a fertile ground for almost all maritime threats and challenges; and East African nations have struggled to keep up with the rapidly evolving security scenarios. While there are some notable exceptions, most military....

October 30, 2017 International Relations and Diplomacy , Africa , Maritime Security , Djibouti , East Africa , West Indian Ocean

ईरान को ट्रंप की ‘नामंजूरी’: आगे क्या

Arvind Gupta, Director, VIF

शुक्रवार 13 सितंबर, 2017 को अमेरिकी राष्ट्रपति डॉनल्ड ट्रंप ने सख्ती भरे भाषण में ऐलान किया कि वह सं....

October 27, 2017 International Relations and Diplomacy , West Asia , US , Iran , ईरान परमाणु समझौता , अमेरिकी ऐलान , Trump ‘Decertifies’ Iran , JCPOA , Iran Nuclear Program , Nuclear

Referendum: Panacea or Disaster?

Amb D P Srivastava, Distinguished Fellow, VIF

The two referendums in Kurdistan and Catalonia have attracted world attention. They were held in different geographies, and the historical context is different. But there is a common element. Both test the limits of scope of self-determination in a d....

October 27, 2017 International Relations and Diplomacy , Referendum , Kurdistan , Catalonia , Panacea or Disaster

Xi Gets Second Term, Emerges Stronger, No Clear Successor

Arvind Gupta, Director, VIF

The 19^th Party Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) ended on 24 October 2017 with Xi Jinping nominated to lead the party and the country for a second five-year terms. Xi’s name was also inscribed in the party constitution for hi....

October 26, 2017 International Relations and Diplomacy , China , Xi Jinping , Chinese Party Congress , Politburo

Tillerson Visit: Need to Tone Down the Euphoria

Dr Harinder Sekhon

New Delhi was euphoric over United States (US) Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson’s recent remarks on “defining our relationship with India for the next century” made at a Washington DC think tank on the eve of his Asia visit, a five-stop tour t....

October 25, 2017 International Relations and Diplomacy , Indo-Pacific , Tillerson visit , Indo-US cooperation , US Pak policy

Politics and Implications of US Withdrawal from the UNESCO

Amb Bhaswati Mukherjee

On Thursday, 12^th October, 2017, the Trump Administration abruptly announced that United States would withdraw from its membership of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation or the UNESCO. Israel made a similar....

October 23, 2017 International Relations and Diplomacy , US , India , US , UNESCO , Trump , Bhaswati Mukherjee , US Withdrawal

14th EU-India Summit : The Need For A Fresh Perspective

Amb D P Srivastava, Distinguished Fellow, VIF

The Summit The 14th European Union (EU)-India Summit was held in New Delhi on 6th October, 2017. It showed the maturity of the process that began in 2000 with Lisbon Summit. Both the partners have gone through major changes since....

October 23, 2017 International Relations and Diplomacy , Europe , EU-India Summit , EU trade

The False Euphemism of ‘New Cold War’

Vivek Sugandh

Introduction Russia’s relationship with West has been on a downward trajectory for a very long period of time. It is under this pretext that an eminent discourse of ‘A New Cold War’ has emerged in the official and academic c....

October 17, 2017 International Relations and Diplomacy , US , Russia , US , Russia , Trump , New Cold War , Asia pivot , geo-politics in Asia , Edward Lucas , Putin

What to expect from the 19th Congress of the Communist Party of China?

Arvind Gupta, Director, VIF

At the forthcoming Chinese Communist Party Congress in Beijing on 18^th October, 2017, President Xi is set to enter the hall of fame of Chinese leaders alongside Mao and Deng. This was indicated in a party communique issued on October 14, 2....

October 16, 2017 International Relations and Diplomacy , China , China , Sino-Indian relations , Chinese Party Congress , Xi’s core leadership , 19th Congress of the Communist Party of China , Congress Party , CMC , President X