Towards the endgame in Nepal
The sooner a U.N. mission is in place to monitor the arms of the Nepal Army and Maoist PLA, the smoother will be the transition towards an interim government and … 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
UNSG race: Who gets to vote?
If India drops its proposal of having the General Assembly consider a slate of two or more candidates, then the next Secretary-General will be chosen by the 15 countries who … Continue reading
The election procedure for chosing the UN Secretary General
UNDER THE Wisnumurti Guidelines — which built upon a transparent procedure first put in place in 1991 by Chinmaya R. Gharekhan who, as India’s Permanent Representative to the U.N. and … Continue reading
At Shangri-La, Rumsfeld fears lost horizon in Asia
I have been arguing for some time now that as Asia emerges into its own in the 21st century, what the United States fears most is being excluded from the … Continue reading
In deposing live on TV, a new trend emerges
Fugitives seek to tell their side of the story on television before police lay their hands on them. 4 June 2006The Hindu In deposing live on TV, a new trend … Continue reading
Caste matters in the Indian media
If television and newspaper coverage of the anti-reservation agitation was indulgent and one-sided, the lack of diversity in the newsroom is surely a major culprit. 3 June 2006The Hindu Caste … Continue reading
Arms control in a unipolar world
The new U.S. push on a fissile material cut-off treaty is an attempt to sidestep more urgent issues like weaponisation of space and the development of ‘usable’ nuclear weapons. 31 … 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
Bush unveils a Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty
At the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva on May 18, the U.S. Acting Assistant Secretary for International Security and Nonproliferation, Stephen Rademaker, sprung a surprise on the delegates. After blasting … 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
An Iranian offer that America must heed
The Ahmadinejad letter is as much an invitation to dialogue as a reminder to the world of the dangers posed by the Bush administration’s policies. (The montage of the two … Continue reading
Baburam Bhattarai: The King is down but not out
In an interview conducted over the telephone, Baburam Bhattarai, senior member of the Standing Committee of the Politburo of the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), says implementation of the peace … Continue reading
The making of a democracy
A road map exists, and the people of Nepal are anxious to get moving. But there are also seven roadblocks to be overcome. May 6-19 2006, Vol. 23 No. 9Frontline … Continue reading
Siddharth Varadarajan 