Articles By Kanwal Sibal
It's a new era in India's foreign policy as countries compete to woo Modi
By: Kanwal Sibal | Date: 10 Jun , 2014
In foreign policy, Prime Minister Modi has hit the ground running, taking unexpected initiatives. He reached out to our neighbours, taking the unprecedented step of inviting their leaders to his...
India has to take a long hard look at its foreign policy
By: Kanwal Sibal | Date: 02 Jun , 2014
Internally, much can improve with the spectacular electoral success of the Bharatiya Janata Party. India can now look forward to a strong and stable government at the Centre which the weak...
Foreign ties will blossom under the new Modi government
By: Kanwal Sibal | Issue: Courtesy: Mail Today | Date: 20 May , 2014
The BJP’s massive electoral victory brings us foreign policy gains. The prospect of a strong and stable government in India makes our external image more positive. Modi’s personality gives us...
A Modi government must project a more robust foreign policy
By: Kanwal Sibal | Date: 06 May , 2014
Now that it appears that the next government in New Delhi could well be Modi-led, questions about the possible changes in India’s foreign policy are being raised inside and outside the...
India must revamp its policy towards Pakistan
By: Kanwal Sibal | Issue: Courtesy: Mail Today | Date: 22 Apr , 2014
Several aspects of our Pakistan policy need a fresh look by the new government in May, though how much change can be brought about remains an open question as the issues involved and the options...
The future of Indo-US ties now lies squarely on America's shoulders
By: Kanwal Sibal | Issue: Courtesy: Mail Today | Date: 11 Apr , 2014
After entering a green light mode, India-US relations have slipped into an amber mode. How soon we can get back into smooth circulation will depend largely on the US, as the responsibility for the...
Modi's Foreign Policy
By: Kanwal Sibal | Issue: Courtesy: Economic Times | Date: 02 Apr , 2014
Modi has not yet expressed his thinking on India’s foreign relations. His focus and that of those opposing him or tracking his national rise has been on internal politics and development...
Modi's stance on foreign policy remains a mystery
By: Kanwal Sibal | Issue: Courtesy: Mail Today | Date: 25 Mar , 2014
Little interest has been shown domestically about possible new orientations in foreign policy under a Modi-led NDA government. Modi’s single-minded focus on the development agenda has dominated...
Strategic Miscalculations
By: Kanwal Sibal | Issue: Courtesy: The Telegraph | Date: 06 Mar , 2014
The United States of America is, once again, not managing its relations with India well. Gains made during George W. Bush’s presidency in building strategic trust between the two countries are...
China's maritime 'silk road' proposals are not as peaceful as they seem
By: Kanwal Sibal | Date: 26 Feb , 2014
China’s proposition of a maritime silk route connecting the Pacific and Indian oceans is part of its propaganda drive to convince the world about its peaceful rise. Its actions do not match its...
Turning Putin into a Demon
By: Kanwal Sibal | Issue: Courtesy: Mail Today | Date: 14 Feb , 2014
From our vantage point the vicious onslaught against president Putin in western political circles, especially the media, is difficult to appreciate. The media is of course reflecting prevailing...
Political insult administered to Modi shouldn’t be overlooked
By: Kanwal Sibal | Issue: Net Edition | Date: 13 Feb , 2014
US diplomacy is a cynical mixture of principle and expediency. The world’s foremost power needs to project internationally that its policies are based on certain high principles so that its...
The right way to look East
By: Kanwal Sibal | Issue: Courtesy: Mail Today | Date: 28 Jan , 2014
Much has been achieved during Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s current visit to India and much has not. In reiterating a clear intention to strengthen bilateral ties, the visit has been a...
It is cherry blossom time in India-Japan relations
By: Kanwal Sibal | Issue: Net Edition | Date: 24 Jan , 2014
Politically speaking, it is cherry blossom time in India-Japan relations. For the first time in history, the Emperor and Empress of Japan visited India December last. That visit had great symbolic...
Abe’s visit will bolster security ties
By: Kanwal Sibal | Issue: Courtesy: Mail Today | Date: 14 Jan , 2014
Japan’s Prime Minister Abe will be the chief guest at our next Republic Day, a decision that marks India’s reciprocal interest in deepening bilateral political and economic ties. Until now the...
Fixing the Fault Lines in 2014
By: Kanwal Sibal | Issue: Courtesy: Mail Today | Date: 30 Dec , 2013
Our major foreign policy challenges are enduring and no dramatic change in our security environment is likely in 2014. Relations with Pakistan could actually worsen. Nawaz Sharif is focusing on...
Managing the neighbours
By: Kanwal Sibal | Issue: Courtesy: The Telegraph | Date: 23 Dec , 2013
India’s search for a successful neighbourhood policy continues. Sections of our society are anxious about our failure to manage our relations with neighbours properly. We tend to blame ourselves...
US: Bullying Not Diplomacy
By: Kanwal Sibal | Issue: Net Edition | Date: 18 Dec , 2013
The arrest and hand-cuffing of India’s Deputy Consul General (DCG) Devyani Khobragade in New York as if she is a criminal with all the intrusive personal indignities heaped on a “felon” by...
Iran’s Nuclear Deal: Embracing change in West Asia
By: Kanwal Sibal | Issue: Courtesy: Mail Today | Date: 27 Nov , 2013
The interim nuclear deal between Iran and the P5+1 countries opens up real prospects of resolving an issue that has generated enormous tensions in the region for years with threats of military...
India’s expanding power gap with China
By: Kanwal Sibal | Issue: Courtesy: The Telegraph | Date: 13 Nov , 2013
We have a tendency to overstate the positives of our relations with China and downplay the negatives. This creates the impression that our ties are better than they actually are, and that the...