Praful Bidwai

NEW DELHI – India’s traditionally friendly relations with Iran have come under unprecedented strain because of the launching of an Israeli spy satellite by an Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) rocket a fortnight ago. This comes on top of recent tensions caused by India’s refusal to attend talks to complete a commercial deal on a … Continue reading “India to Pay a Price For Launching Israeli Spy Satellite”

NEW DELHI – As India’s coalition government tries to complete the controversial nuclear cooperation deal with the United States, it finds itself caught between domestic opposition to the agreement from its left-wing allies and pressure from Washington to seal the deal. For the agreement to be completed, it needs to be approved by the International … Continue reading “Nuke Deal May Trigger Midterm Polls in India”

NEW DELHI – India’s hosting of large-scale military exercises involving four countries led by the United States has triggered spirited protests by left-wing parties that prop up the country’s ruling coalition. The naval exercises, underway since Tuesday, are the largest and the most complex that India has ever participated in and feature as many as … Continue reading “Five-Nation Naval Drill Presages ‘Asian NATO’?”

NEW DELHI – After tortuous negotiations spread over four days in Washington, the United States and India have reported “substantial progress” on a bilateral agreement on civilian nuclear cooperation, but said they would now “refer the issue to our governments for final review.” However, the deal, also known as the “123 agreement” because it will … Continue reading “Nuke Deal: Breakthrough or Bad Bargain?”

NEW DELHI – High official-level talks between the United States and India to clinch the nuclear cooperation deal initialed in July 2005 have failed to narrow mutual differences and produce an agreement. The negotiations, held last week between the US team led by undersecretary of state R. Nicholas Burns, and the Indian side led by … Continue reading “India: Impasse Over Nuclear Fuel Reprocessing Rights”

TEHRAN, Iran As economic sanctions are applied to this country for its nuclear activities, hardliners in the government are getting strengthened and successfully demanding even harsher curbs on individual liberties. The sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council, at the behest of the United States and its allies, have done nothing to dampen Tehran’s … Continue reading “Sanctions Aggravate Iranian Rights Situation”

NEW DELHI – Horrific as it was, the fire-bombing of a speeding India-Pakistan train, killing 68 civilians from the two countries, is being seen as an opportunity for their governments to cooperate on anti-terrorism operations and reconceptualize security issues. "The incident only adds to the urgency for us [India and Pakistan] to cooperate," Pakistan Foreign … Continue reading “From Horror, an Opportunity for Peace”

NEW DELHI – As tension builds up in the Persian Gulf amidst the ongoing deployment of two United States aircraft carrier groups, India remains marginal to efforts for a diplomatic solution to the crisis over Iran’s nuclear activities, despite New Delhi’s long-standing friendly relations with Tehran. That is the principal message that emerged from Indian … Continue reading “India-Iran Ties Jeopardized by US Threats”

The Chicago-based Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (BAS) has moved the minute hand of the legendary Doomsday Clock forward by two minutes to show that the world is now only five minutes away from the ultimate catastrophe, or the end of civilization, symbolically represented by the midnight hour. The decision to change the Clock’s setting … Continue reading “Doomsday Clock Ticking Faster”

NEW DELHI – The stunning story by the London Sunday Times alleging that Israel has drawn up plans to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities with nuclear weapons has focused attention on the growing global nuclear danger and on the worsening situation in the Middle East. It also raises many questions of critical importance. Is the Israeli … Continue reading “Ratcheting up the Nuclear Ante”