The Vice-President of India will represent India at the 19th Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) summit in Baku, Azerbaijan on October 25 and 26, marking the second time in a row that PM Modi will give the summit a miss. Context: Modi’s absence indicates a decisive move away from past practice at the 60-year-old organization that India was a founding member o... .Read more
Updated on 24 October, 2019 GS2 International Relations
President Xi Jinping’s recent visit to Kathmandu has helped focus on the changing dynamic between India, China, and Nepal. What is the recent discourse on India- Nepal ties? One of the central themes in the new discourse is the alleged loss of Indian “hegemony” over Nepal. However, the proposition is based on questionable assumptions. Wh... .Read more
Updated on 23 October, 2019 GS2 International Relations
At the second informal summit between India and China at Mamallapuram, off Chennai (October 11-12, 2019), China’s President Xi Jinping had told Prime Minister Narendra Modi: “In accordance with the agreement on political guiding principles, we will seek a fair and reasonable solution to the border issue that is acceptable to both sides.” Background t... .Read more
Updated on 23 October, 2019 GS2 International Relations
The size of the American force in the country had dropped by 2,000 over the last year, down to roughly 12,000. Background of the issue The U.S. is already reducing the size of its troop force in Afghanistan despite the lack of a peace deal with the Taliban. The US President Donald Trump has expressed reluctance to remain engaged in costly w... .Read more
Updated on 22 October, 2019 GS2 International Relations
With Pakistan refusing to budge on charging Sikh pilgrims $20 to visit the Kartarpur corridor, India gave in and agreed to sign the Kartarpur Corridor agreement on October 23. Kartarpur timeline Feb 1999: PM Vajpayee raises the Kartarpur issue with PM Sharif 2000: Pakistan agrees to allow Sikh from India visa-free access by constructing a bridge ... .Read more
Updated on 22 October, 2019 GS2 International Relations
With the recent improvement in relations, India and the Maldives will take forward several pending measures to promote defence cooperation in the next few months. Recent Developments in India-Maldives Relation: In light of improving defence cooperation, lease of a Dornier aircraft is underway. Broad-Based humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (... .Read more
Updated on 21 October, 2019 GS2 International Relations
