By Rasika Gynedi India’s foreign policy priorities under the new Modi government with respect to the usual partners, neighbors, and competitors are still emerging. However, little attention has been paid to India’s relations with Iran. India faces continued challenges in…
Who is he? Mallikarjun Kharge was recently chosen to be the leader of the India’s Congress party in the Lok Sabha. He represents a constituency in Karnataka as a member of parliament. He previously headed the Railways and Labour and…
By Nigel Cory The revived proposal to introduce hudud, or Islamic penal code, in Malaysia’s northeastern state of Kelantan by opposition party, Pan Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), has touched off another round of heated debate about the role of religion…
Who is he? Jonathan Stivers is a senior adviser to U.S. House of Representatives Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), a position he assumed in 2011. Stivers has long been considered a key staff member in Pelosi’s office and a champion…
Who is he? Mark William Lippert is currently the special assistant to the Secretary of Defense Charles Hagel. Immediately prior to his current position, Mr. Lippert served as the assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs (2012-2013).…
By Jonathan London & Vu Quang Viet The chaos and violence that erupted in Vietnam in early May diverted the world’s attention from the fundamental causes of tensions between China and Vietnam and, indeed, China and the region. These stem…
Myanmar’s government launched sweeping political and economic reforms in 2011. Together with domestic changes, Naypyidaw has raised its international profile, having hosted the 27th Southeast Asian Games and acting as the current ASEAN chair. With President Thein Sein’s current term…
By Michael Montesano In Part I of this blog published on June 13, 2014, the author argued that it is not for the United States to intervene in Thai affairs to determine the future of Thailand. He writes that the…
Who is he? Ajit Doval is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s newly appointed national security advisor. A long-time intelligence operative and highly-decorated police officer, he formerly served as director of the Intelligence Bureau, India’s primary internal intelligence agency. Mr. Doval takes…
By Michael Montesano The operations of the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) junta since its seizure of power in Thailand on May 22 have taken both foreign observers and many Thais aback, in both their tone and their…
Who is he? Mr. Ravi Shankar Prasad is India’s new minister of Communications & Information Technology (IT). As such, he oversees the sector that has been a driver of U.S.-India business ties, IT Services. He also inherits policies on local…
By Vineeth Murthy While campaigning ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) then-candidate for prime minister, Narendra Modi, visited northeastern India and made strong promises to develop this area. The BJP went on to win the…
