From the Editor-in-Chief,

Welcome to the April Edition. The SAARC Summit in Thimphu (Bhutan) is deemed as a milestone for this regional organization as it celebrates the Silver Jubilee; our supplement for the occasion looks at the event from many perspectives. The theme of the summit is Climate Change and our lead article on the topic is written by a leading climate expert in India.

The demise of Polish President Lech Kaczynski in the air-crash was great tragedy. In his obituary note Polish Ambassador to India H.E Mr. Piotr Klodkowski pays a glowing tribute to the departed leader and one more article looks at the Polish polity from an academic point of view.

India participated in two high-profile multilateral forums – BRIC and IBSA – held in Brasilia. The common thread of the outcome was the clamour for more representation to the developing world in BrettonWood Institutions. You can read our analyses.

In the cover story, Nuclear Security Summit (NSS), we have analysed the issue both from the security and diplomatic point of view. The US-Russia START treaty is a signal that the US will rally the support of all powers to stop Iran’s nuclear programme. The NSS did drill in a sense of urgency to the nuclear countries to buckle up security of nuclear installations and avoid the danger of nuclear weapons falling into the hands of terrorists.

Our new series under the heading of ‘NOSTALGIA’ starts with this edition. It is a reflection of past events under the sub-heading ‘On this Day in History.’ Mr. William Hawke has written the first piece. The contributors may write interesting pieces on any incident/anecdote that still linger in their memories and will stimulate the readers’ interest. A separate appeal from the Managing Editor in this regard can be read on the Contents Page.

We have an array of guest articles on topics such as Greek Economic Crisis; MF Hussain’s Art; India-ASEAN Relations: India-Myanmar Relations; Mandela Decade and on SAARC Culture. I hope this content mix is rich enough to keep our readers updated on the happenings at the foreign and current affairs front. So, read on….

G Kalyan Kumar
 kalyan@lbassociates.com