Kabul Notebook: When the two ‘crown princes’ met
This may have been the first visit to Afghanistan by an Indian Prime Minister for 29 years but the Indian electronic media seemed more interested in the presence in the … Continue reading
The road to Afghanistan runs through Pakistan
Kabul: If Pakistan grants India transit rights, cooperation with Afghanistan would increase manifold, says Manmohan Singh 30 August 2005The Hindu `Ties with Afghanistan will improve if Pakistan grants transit rights’ … Continue reading
Indian-built parliament to be ‘chinar tree of democracy’ in Afghanistan
Kabul: In a brief but moving ceremony which underscored India’s intimate involvement in the rebuilding of Afghanistan, the former King, Zahir Shah, on Monday laid the foundation stone for a … Continue reading
India, Afghanistan moot gas pipeline project
Kabul: India and Afghanistan have, for the first time ever, formally agreed to look at the proposal to run a gas pipeline from Turkmenistan to Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. Asked … Continue reading
The dodgy underbelly of India’s war on terror
In their search for quick results, the police have allowed the real conspirators behind the terrorist attack on Parliament to get away. 26 August 2005The Hindu The dodgy underbelly of … Continue reading
Employment Guarantee: Minimum wage must be treated as sacrosanct
The guarantee of employment at a wage rate less than the statutory minimum — as the draft EGA stipulates — will undermine the broad purpose of the law and set … Continue reading
Government drags its feet on choosing IDSA director
NEW DELHI: The Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) might be India’s premier strategic affairs think-tank but the Manmohan Singh Government does not seem particularly perturbed that it has … Continue reading
What’s wrong with an Indo-U.S. alliance?…. Transcript of an interview to ABC TV
Broadcast date: 17 August 2005ABC TV (Australia) ABC TV Asia-Pacific interviewed a colleague from the Hindustan Times and I on the emerging India-U.S. relationship for an episode of one of … Continue reading
Interview with Amartya Sen: Arguments for a better world
14 August 2005The Hindu Arguments for a better world SIDDHARTH VARADARAJAN Amartya Sen’s new book, The Argumentative Indian, is an original journey into the history of ideas. He says India’s … Continue reading
Moral indifference as the definitive form of modern evil
12 August 2005 The Hindu Moral indifference as the form of modern evil Siddharth Varadarajan India is the only democracy in the world where politicians and policemen responsible for mass … Continue reading
African Union pours cold water on India’s campaign for U.N. seat
6 August 2005The Hindu African Union pours cold water on India’s campaign for U.N. seat Siddharth Varadarajan Addis Ababa meet insists that any new permanent UNSC member must have veto … Continue reading
I’m sorry, but the world’s still round
2 August 2005 Review of Thomas Friedman’s The World is Flat – A Brief History of the Globalized World in the 21st Century (Allen Lane, 2005).(A shorter version of this … Continue reading
The truth behind the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal
29 July 2005The Hindu The truth behind the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal In opening the door to nuclear commerce with India, Washington has confirmed how much an alliance with New Delhi … Continue reading
UN reform: G-4 remains focussed on the African Union
29 July 2005The Hindu G-4 remains focussed on the African Union Siddharth Varadarajan NEW DELHI: With the 60th anniversary summit of the United Nations fast approaching, the G-4 group of … Continue reading
Siddharth Varadarajan 