Praful Bidwai

Five years after U.S. President George W. Bush launched his “global war on terrorism” (GWOT), the world has become more unsafe, more divided, more strife-prone, more paranoid, and ironically, more vulnerable to terrorism. The Middle East, the globe’s most volatile region, now seethes with enormous anger, and more violence and conflict than it did before … Continue reading “War on Terror Leaves
World in Turmoil”

NEW DELHI – The "oil-for-food" program approved by the United Nations for Iraq before its invasion by the United States-led "Coalition of the Willing" in 2003 has had an improbable and belated impact thousands of miles away. Through a convoluted process of inquiry and recrimination in the U.S. and in India, it has resulted in … Continue reading “Indian Foreign Policy Slips on Oil-for-Food Slick”

NEW DELHI – The controversial United States-India nuclear cooperation agreement has overcome a major domestic obstacle in the form of a threat by India’s major opposition parties to press for a Parliamentary resolution which would have tied the Manmohan Singh government’s hands in final-stage bargaining with Washington. However, the deal, which legitimizes and normalizes India’s … Continue reading “Indian Nuclear Deal With US Clears Domestic Opposition”

NEW DELHI – As tens of thousands of policemen in India fan out to guard "sensitive" sites and installations in preparation for Tuesday’s Independence Day celebrations, a climate of anxiety and fear has descended over the country. Central to this climate is the speculation that the fanatical al-Qaeda global network may carry out strikes in … Continue reading “Has al-Qaeda Landed?”

NEW DELHI – A major rift has opened up between the Indian government and domestic public opinion over Israel’s recent military actions in the Gaza Strip and its invasion of Lebanon, which have led to hundreds of civilian deaths over three weeks. The Manmohan Singh government is hesitant to join the international community in unambiguously … Continue reading “India Hamstrung on Israel by Nuclear Deal With US”

NEW DELHI – Just as the nuclear cooperation agreement between the United States and India receives a major boost in Washington with the House of Representatives strongly voting for it, the deal continues to face flak in India’s own Parliament. On Thursday, the House approved 359-68 a bill that facilitates resumption of civilian nuclear commerce … Continue reading “Indo-US Nuclear Deal Sows Resentment, Rivalry”

NEW DELHI – After securing sympathy and support for fighting terrorism from the G-8 grouping of the world’s wealthiest countries in St. Petersburg, the Indian government is coming under pressure to harden its response to the recent Mumbai serial bombings, which killed 200 people. On Monday, the G-8 summit, to which India was invited as … Continue reading “India Mulls Tough Responses to Mumbai Bombings”

NEW DELHI – As the death toll continues to mount in Mumbai’s ghastly serial bomb attacks, it is becoming clear that India is witnessing a human tragedy of the same dimensions as the Madrid train bombings of March 2004, in which 192 people lost their lives. The bombings were Europe’s worst-ever case of sub-state terrorism. … Continue reading “Gathering the Pieces After the Mumbai Blasts”

NEW DELHI – The failure in rapid succession, this week, of a satellite launcher and a new ballistic missile have shown up the technological and budgetary difficulties faced by India’s space establishment – civilian and military. Hours after the $50 million Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) with a communications satellite on board was ordered to … Continue reading “India Exposed by Dud Missile, Space Vehicle Crash”

NEW DELHI – After the successful passage last week of two resolutions favoring the India-United States nuclear deal through the foreign relations committees of both chambers of Congress, it appears highly likely that it will clear the full Senate and House of Representatives. The nuclear agreement is strongly backed by U.S. business groups, the powerful … Continue reading “North Korean Missiles May Ease Indo-US Nuke Deal”