Limit to tolerance, but options are limited too
Despite the Musharraf regime’s equivocation on terrorism, India will gain nothing by allowing the authors of the Mumbai blasts to disrupt the peace process with Pakistan. 17 July 2006The Hindu … Continue reading
The nuclear deal and ‘minimum deterrence’
The Indo-U.S. nuclear agreement will raise the financial and political costs of the Indian nuclear weapons programme but it does not impose a legal bar on the production of fissile … Continue reading
Assessing the nuclear balance sheet
The U.S. wants a decisive say in the scripting of India’s safeguards and additional protocol agreements with the IAEA but is withholding “full” civil nuclear cooperation. 7 July 2006The Hindu … Continue reading
Will an Indian be the next U.N. chief?
In nominating Shashi Tharoor as its candidate for the top U.N. job, India is taking a gamble. The payoff in terms of international visibility is potentially high while the cost … Continue reading
Verify, but trust, is the best formula for Siachen pullout
In the absence of trust, authenticating existing ground positions offers India no greater diplomatic or military protection than a well-demarcated zone of mutual disengagement. 20 May 2006The Hindu Verify, but … Continue reading
Less than allies, more than partners
Review: C. Raja Mohan’s Impossible Allies is an establishmentarian account of the India-U.S. nuclear deal that overstates the extent to which the two countries share strategic interests. 16 May 2006The … Continue reading
For Nepal, and India, the road ahead is difficult
Among the hurdles: the parties’ lack of confidence, as well as New Delhi’s anxiety over U.N. involvement in the disarmament of the Maoists and elections to a constituent assembly. 2 … Continue reading
The countdown in Kathmandu has begun
The anti-monarchy protests planned for April 6-9 will be the first test of strength for the new partnership between Nepal’s Maoists and parliamentary parties. The King says the joint action … Continue reading
Looking beyond the nuclear deal
The inaugural issue of TERI’s new energy newsletter, Energy Security Insights has just come out. With articles by TERI Director R.K. Pachauri, the Department of Atomic Energy’s Anil Kakodkar and … Continue reading
From India now, ‘out of the box’ ideas on Kashmir
Manmohan Singh speaks of two internal and two bilateral tracks for peace. He says the governments of India and Pakistan should each conduct an “internal dialogue”with the people in areas … Continue reading
And now on to the NSG
As the United States and India move forward to implement their agreement on civil nuclear cooperation, one hurdle which must be crossed is the Nuclear Suppliers Group to which all … Continue reading
Why not CBMs for India and Bangladesh?
Begum Khaleda Zia comes to India today on her first visit as Prime Minister of Bangladesh but Delhi and Dhaka remain firmly stuck in a diplomatic groove. The two countries … Continue reading
Crucial deal in Nepal hits roadblock
Leaders of the seven-party alliance are wary of the hostility of the United States and the Palace to any further agreement with the Maoists. And India’s official indifference is not … Continue reading
Key role envisaged for India in new U.S. national security strategy
Democracy promotion, pre-emption and non-proliferation are the main themes in the Bush administration’s latest national security strategy document. The renewed and even messianic emphasis on the ‘freedem agenda’ has a … Continue reading
Siddharth Varadarajan 