Articles | Vivekananda International Foundation

Lt General S A Hasnain, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, SM (Bar), VSM (Bar) (Retd.), Distinguished Fellow, VIF

It is rare to see the international community coming together on any issue which threatens the collective security of the world at large. When Daesh emerged as the freshest scourge everyone knew that it was flush with funds looted from the Mosul trea....

December 22, 2015 International Relations and Diplomacy , Islamic State , Daesh , ISIS , Syria , UN Resulation

Taking India-US partnership to the next level

Nitin A Gokhale

For years, the India-US defence partnership has been more about symbolism than substance. While the two countries conduct a spate of joint exercises across the three services, the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government and especially i....

December 21, 2015 Defence , India-US , Defence Partnership

Making It Happen: The Impediments In the way of Indo Pak peace process

Lt General S A Hasnain, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, SM (Bar), VSM (Bar) (Retd.), Distinguished Fellow, VIF

For a change it’s good that there isn’t too much euphoria over the announcement of the Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue between India and Pakistan during the recent visit of Mrs Sushma Swaraj, India’s External Affairs Minister, to Islamabad.

December 18, 2015 International Relations and Diplomacy , India , Pakistan , Indo Pak

Chennai Flood Disaster Catastrophe of December 2015-Are you listening?

R. K. Bhandari

The worst is over and the city of Chennai is getting back to normalcy after the unprecedented flood catastrophe of December 2015. The whole country applauds the exceptional grit and grace with which the citizens of Chennai fought the fury of the floo....

December 17, 2015 Governance and Political Studies , Chennai Flood , Disaster

Myanmar: Post Elections Scenario and Task before Aung San Suu Kyi

Brig Vinod Anand, Senior Fellow, VIF

Even though the Aung San Suu Kyi led National League for Democracy (NLD) won the November parliamentary elections with a thumping majority questions regarding smooth transition of power are being asked. Will the military dominated government of Presi....

December 10, 2015 Neighbourhood Studies , Myanmar

Modi-Obama Meet in Paris: Taking stock of India-US Relations

Dr Harinder Sekhon

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Barack Obama met in Paris on the sidelines of the crucial climate change conference, it was their sixth bilateral meeting in a little over one year, a very impressive tally by any reckoning. On Clima....

December 09, 2015 International Relations and Diplomacy , US , USA , Modi-Obama , US-India Relation

From Buddhism to Bollywood - The Investment in Soft Power

Uma Sudhindra

As a gross generalisation, three factors shape the foreign policy of most countries: history, geography and capability. And each of these has decisively influenced Indian foreign policy, in different ways at different times. India’s power of attrac....

December 08, 2015 International Relations and Diplomacy , Buddhism , Soft Power , Bollywood

What to expect from Heart of Asia Conference

Lt General S A Hasnain, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, SM (Bar), VSM (Bar) (Retd.), Distinguished Fellow, VIF

Few people are aware why Foreign Minister (FM) Sushma Swaraj is likely to be going to Islamabad on 9 Dec 2015. Indeed it’s a follow up to the Prime Minister’sbrief chat with Nawaz Sharif, the Pakistan Prime Minister during the Climate Conference ....

December 08, 2015 International Relations and Diplomacy , Pakistan , Asia Conference , Indo Pakistan

Military modernisation in China: its implications

Jayadeva Ranade

Chinese President Xi Jinping’s public announcement downsizing the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) at the grand military parade on September 3, 2015, was a major event. It signalled that the final stages of reform and reorganization of the PLA woul....

December 07, 2015 National Security and Strategic Studies , Defence , Military Affairs , China , military modernisation , PLA

Smart Cities- Meeting the Managerial and Policy Challenge of Urbanization in India

Devyani Bhushan

Fulfilling the commitment made in the election manifesto of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to build- “100 new cities; enabled with the latest in technology and infrastructure - adhering to concepts like sustainability…”, Prime Minister Narend....

December 07, 2015 Governance and Political Studies , India , Smart Cities , Urbanization , AMRUT