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PUBLISHER’S NOTE/EDITORIAL |
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“The ballot is
stronger than the bullet”, said Abraham
Lincoln on May 19, 1856. Today, over 150
years after these prescient words were
spoken;Focus travels first to Pakistan
and Nepal to understand the dilemmas of
democracy as both these South Asian
nations face transitions in the domestic
political milieu, followed by an
analysis of another facet of the Afghan
conundrum.
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News |
International News
Bilateral Notes
Corporate News |
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Focus |
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Pakistan Prepares
for Polls Dilemmas of its Democracy
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However unlikely it might have seemed
from time to time, Pakistan’s forward
movement along the path of democracy now
appears to be inexorable. |
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Political
Transition in Nepal Implications for
India
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Nepal is yet another
country in the South Asian region
passing through a critical stage of
political transition for a considerable
time period, to the extent that the
whole process of democratisation and
constitutionalism is at stake. |
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Was the War in
Afghanistan Lost in Pakistan?
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The book
Restructuring Pakistan* came out in
January 2002. Had 9/11 not intervened,
it was originally scheduled for launch
around November 2001. |
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India’s
Strategic Strengths |
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Defence Budget
& Strategic Priorities |
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As India marches
towards its ambition of becoming a great
power, two important, interrelated
aspects are often discussed –the state
of its economy and the state of its
armed forces. It is because of this
interrelation that there is great deal
of discussion about the budget and the
money being spent for the armed forces. |
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Spotlight |
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BRICS at Durban
At the Cusp of International Relations
and Trade
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The summit of the
BRICS countries of Brazil, Russia,
India, China and South Africa, which
took place in Durban on March 26-27,
promised to be an exceptionally
significant event in several ways. |
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Indian Ocean
Security |
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‘‘We Explicitly
Welcome China’s Rise’’ |
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From Australia’s
perspective, we explicitly welcome
China’s rise - not just for economic and
social benefits that it’s brought to the
Chinese people and the region, including
Australia, but also because it deepens
and strengthens the entire international
system. |
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National
Security Spectrum |
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Maldives: Vital
Node of Influence in the Indian Ocean |
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Blessed with gorgeous
green waters and enviable white beaches,
and often termed as the Indian Ocean
paradise with a tag line ‘sunny side of
the life’, the microstate of the
Maldives has had its share of political
upheavals, natural disasters, attempted
coups, riots, increasing radicalisation
and other concerns that pose a threat to
the national security of the island
nation. |
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Cover Story |
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Morsi Looks
East |
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Egyptian President
Mohamed Morsi’s choice of Pakistan as
the first South Asian country for a
bilateral visit has left strategy
experts speculating about the impact on
future geo politics. |
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India’s
Challenge in West Asia |
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The Iranian nuclear
programme is once again hitting the
headlines and the spectre of military
conflict in West Asia looms large over
the horizon. Citing ‘credible’
intelligence in its latest report to the
United Nations, the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) has expressed
‘serious concerns’ that Iran is working
towards building a nuclear weapon. |
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A New Security
Architecture for the Gulf Region |
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The Gulf region
consists of the six countries of the
Gulf Cooperation Council – Bahrain,
Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and
the United Arab Emirates, as well as
Iran and Iraq. |
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Global Centre
Stage |
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The Koreas New Directions for the
21st Century |
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Nothing attracts
global attention more than a nuclear
test. And the country that has made a
fine art of this is North Korea which
manages to hold the world’s attention
quite spectacularly. |
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Quest for
Democracy in East Africa’s Island of
Peace |
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On March 4, Kenya,
the East African powerhouse, went into
the polls in the first elections under
the new constitution dispensation, to
decide the leadership of the devolved
system of government and the national
leadership. |
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Tango Time for
African Renaissance
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Africa, as we see it
today, is experiencing its longest
income boom in 30 years, with gross
domestic product growth rates averaging
about five percent annually over the
past decade. |
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Obama in
Israel: An Innocent Abroad? |
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One of the first
foreign policy objectives of Barak Obama
after his election in January 2009 was
to heel America’s relations with the
Muslim world. |
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Lithuania
Challenges to Democratic Politics |
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Re-elections for the
parliamentary seats, invalidated due to
electoral violations in October 2012 in
Lithuania, were scheduled to be held on
March 2. |
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Saudi Arabia’s
Historic Tryst with Gender Equality |
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The political evolution of the Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia is intricately woven
into the fabric of the country’s
socio-economic conditions and the
position of women in Saudi society. |
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Perspective |
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Cyber
Terrorism: Is the Threat Real? |
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Today’s world presents democratic
nations with two largely unprecedented
sets of threats: terrorism and
cyber-attacks. Democracies make
particularly attractive targets. |
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an Article |
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Cultural
Diplomacy |
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When the
Blossoming Kashmir Tulip Festival
Beckons
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The world over,
spring time is associated with fabulous
weather, lush green trees and a
landscape teeming with blooming flowers.
In India, the onset of spring is
celebrated with several festivals,
including flower festivals in different
parts of the country. |
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an Article |
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Indian States
on a Platter |
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How the
Gandhian Model of Economics Worked For
Gujarat |
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At the heart of the
economic model of Gujarat is the growth
and self-sufficiency of the people
through resources found in local
ecosystems. |
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an Article |
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Public Policy |
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Regulators at
Crossroads FDI policy in Multi-Brand
Retail
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Recent scholarship
has been abuzz debating the implications
of the Government of India’s policy to
enhance the percentage allocation for
foreign direct investment (FDI) in
retail. |
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an Article |
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Legal Forum |
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Jurisdiction of
Indian Courts on International
Commercial Arbitration |
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Globalisation expands the exchange of
ideas and commodities over vast
distances, and therefore, both dispute
and development is akin to it. |
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an Article |
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Happenings |
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Rajapaksa
International Airport To Expand
Connectivity With The Globe |
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President Mahinda Rajapaksa inaugurated
the Mattala Rajapaksa International
Airport (MRIA) on 18 March. |
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an Article |
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