Int’l Affairs

The shifting alliances and the overlapping of multiple ethnic, religious, geopolitical and social conflicts that characterize the civil war in Syria seem to defy the basic premise of any war— the distinction between “friend or foe”. On the one side is the regime of Bashar al-Assad, supported by Russia, Iran, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Shiite militias in Iraq while on …

“The world in its present state of moral advancement compared with its technical development would be eventually at the mercy of such a [nuclear] weapon. In other words, modern civilization might be completely destroyed … Also our leadership in the war and in the development of this weapon has placed a certain moral responsibility upon us which we cannot shirk …

The incumbent US president Donald Trump delivered the first speech of his first foreign trip in Riyadh, in which he called on Middle Eastern leaders to combat a “crisis of Islamic extremism”. Mr Trump’s 36-minute address was the centerpiece of  a two-day visit to Saudi Arabia, his first stop overseas as president. During a meeting of more than 50 Arab …

Even in the absence of official confirmation from New Delhi, the speculation that India is considering a move from its no-first-use policy for nuclear weapons is most worrying. Such a potential move poses a serious threat to the entire region. The suggestion from some hawkish quarters in India that a change in posture will deter countries supporting violent non-state actors …

Since its inauguration, Afghanistan’s National Unity Government (NUG) has been facing a daunting challenge of terrorism that every now and then hits the country. Every time an attack takes place, calls for holding peace talks with Taliban are made by Afghan civil society and the parliamentarians. Although Afghanistan’s neighbouring countries and international community had promised to broker the talks and …

The referendum held in Turkey on April 16, 2017, to approve amendments to the constitution – in essence, transition from a parliamentary mode of government to a presidential system, with a limited set of checks and balances between the governing authorities – was staunchly promoted by Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. As such, many saw the referendum as a vote …

Assessing the Impacts of “Executive Order on Energy Independence” The tumultuous first months of Trump administration have brought a flurry of changes to US environmental policy. The latest episode came on March 28 when President Trump signed the “Executive Order on Promoting Energy Independence and Economic Growth,” which reconsiders many environmental regulations established during Obama’s time in office, unwinding his …

“Famine is already a reality in parts of South Sudan. Unless we act now, it is only a matter of time until it affects other areas and other countries. We are already facing a tragedy; we must avoid it becoming a catastrophe.”   — António Guterres (Secretary-General of the United Nations ) The UN humanitarian chief Stephen O’Brien recently told …

“The world is on the verge of radical change. We see how the European Union is gradually collapsing, as is the US economy — it is all over for the new world order. So, it will never again be as it was before … in 10 years we will have a new world order in which the key will be …

“You may have to sell [intervention or other military action] in such a way as to create the misimpression that it is the Soviet Union that you are fighting. That is what the United States has done ever since the Truman Doctrine.” — Samuel P. Huntington On 6th April, 59 US Tomahawk missiles slammed into Syria’s Shayrat air base in …