Multilateralism is alive and well in the Indo-Pacific

05/17/202005/17/2020 Tridivesh Singh Maini Current Events Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans Pacific Partnership, coronavirus, CPTPP 11, free trade, gains from trade, Indo-Pacific, multilateralism, protectionism, Trans-Pacific Partnership, unilateralism

Introduction The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) trade agreement, also known as CPTPP 11, consists of 11 member states (Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam). The TPP agreement was a brain child of former US President Barack Obama. The main objective of the agreement … Continue reading Multilateralism is alive and well in the Indo-Pacific

China and the liberal vision of the Indo-Pacific

08/12/201808/12/2018 Tridivesh Singh Maini Current Events, Politics Belt and Road Initiative, China, connectivity, cooperation, geopolitics, Global Times, hegemony, India, Indo-Pacific, Mike Pompeo, multilateralism, Quad

Mike Pompeo’s recent speech (titled ‘America’s Indo-Pacific Economic Vision’) at the Indo-Pacific Business Forum hosted by the US Chamber of Commerce in Washington, DC, has been carefully observed across Asia. Beijing has understandably paid close special attention to it. Pompeo emphasized the need for greater connectivity within the Indo-Pacific, while also highlighting the role which … Continue reading China and the liberal vision of the Indo-Pacific

Finally, the US is getting serious about the Indo-Pacific

08/04/201808/04/2018 Tridivesh Singh Maini Current Events, Politics alliances, China, connectivity, geopolitics, hegemony, Indo-Pacific, multilateralism, Quad, soft power

China has not been particularly comfortable with the Trump Administration’s repeated use of the term ‘Indo-Pacific’ instead of ‘Asia-Pacific’ (of late, it has been quite scathing in it’s criticism). The term ‘Indo-Pacific’, which has been used for a few years, has now gained more attention after a few developments: First, during Trump’s Asia visit in … Continue reading Finally, the US is getting serious about the Indo-Pacific

The Indo-Pacific narrative, US insularity, and China’s increasing influence

05/05/2018 Tridivesh Singh Maini Current Events, Politics alliances, Asia-Pacific, Australia, China, connectivity, geopolitics, India, Indo-Pacific, international relations, Japan, One Belt One Road, Quad

Over the past year, there has been a growing interest with regard to the vision of a Free and Fair ‘Indo-Pacific’. While this term has been used in recent years by policy makers from the US and Australia and has been pushed forward by a number of strategic analysts, a number of developments since last … Continue reading The Indo-Pacific narrative, US insularity, and China’s increasing influence

Recent developments in the context of Indo-Pacific

04/08/201804/08/2018 Tridivesh Singh Maini Current Events, Politics alliances, Australia, China, connectivity, India, Indo-Pacific, international relations, Japan, One Belt One Road, Quad, transactionalism, Vietnam

At a time when a massive churn is taking place in the Donald Trump Administration (HR Mcmaster was replaced as head of the NSA by John Bolton, while Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was replaced with the more hawkish Mike Pompeo), Alex Wong, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, gave … Continue reading Recent developments in the context of Indo-Pacific

The View from New Delhi: Trump vs. Biden

07/05/202007/05/2020 Tridivesh Singh Maini Current Events alliances, American elections, China, Donald Trump, free trade, geopolitics, human rights, India, Joe Biden, multilateralism

Introduction In the run-up to the US elections, presumptive Democrat candidate Joe Biden’s lead over Donald Trump has been steadily rising, and is well over 10%, according to various polls. There are four months to the election, however, and it is too early predict the outcome. Many believe that the mercurial Trump is likely to … Continue reading The View from New Delhi: Trump vs. Biden

The Three T’s in a post-coronavirus world

06/15/202006/14/2020 Tridivesh Singh Maini Current Events China, coronavirus, CPTPP 11, D10, decentralization, geopolitics, Indo-Pacific, multilateralism, narrative, technology, trade, travel

As countries look to recover from the economic setback caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the three t’s – trade, travel, and technology – are likely to play an important role in getting the global economy back on the rails. Trade Even in the midst of the pandemic, countries have been in talks regarding Free Trade … Continue reading The Three T’s in a post-coronavirus world

Biden vs. Sanders: The view from New Delhi

03/09/202003/08/2020 Tridivesh Singh Maini Current Events Afghanistan, American politics, Bernie Sanders, China, free trade, geopolitics, international relations, Joe Biden, Trans-Pacific Partnership

After Joe Biden’s remarkable performance on Tuesday, March 3, 2020, where he won 10 states, Wall Street surged on Wednesday. Many argue that the former Vice President, with his centrist economic views as compared to Senator Bernie Sanders, would be more acceptable not just to centrist supporters of the Democrats, as well as US corporates, … Continue reading Biden vs. Sanders: The view from New Delhi

Despite pressure from Trump, Iran’s world role will continue to be important

12/13/201903/09/2020 Tridivesh Singh Maini Current Events Afghanistan, Belt and Road Initiative, China, connectivity, diplomacy, geopolitics, India, Iran, Pakistan

Introduction Ever since taking over as President, Donald Trump’s approach towards Iran has been excessively rash and lacking in nuance. The US withdrawal from JCPOA (Joint Comprehension for Plan of Action), the imposition of sanctions, and brash statements by Trump have heightened tensions between both countries. Allies of the US, including EU member states (especially … Continue reading Despite pressure from Trump, Iran’s world role will continue to be important

Iran-US tensions: Why Tokyo and New Delhi should arbitrate (But will they?)

09/26/201909/26/2019 Tridivesh Singh Maini Current Events, Politics Donald Trump, drone strikes, G7, geopolitics, hegemony, India, international relations, Iran, Japan, multilateralism, Saudi Arabia

After the drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities Iran’s ties with the rest of the world, especially Washington, have witnessed some interesting developments in recent weeks. While there was a possibility of a thaw between Washington and Tehran after the G7 Summit (held in August 2019 at Biarritz, France) with both sides making the right … Continue reading Iran-US tensions: Why Tokyo and New Delhi should arbitrate (But will they?)

More tariffs on Vietnam would be great news for China

08/07/201908/06/2019 Tridivesh Singh Maini Current Events, Politics China, Donald Trump, economic development, geopolitics, Indo-Pacific, southeast Asia, tariffs, trade war, Vietnam

There is a clear consensus with regard to the fact that Vietnam has been one of the economic success stories of recent years. The country has witnessed robust economic growth (GDP growth rate for 2018 was estimated at 7.15%, while the growth rate for 2019 is estimated at 6.6%) and has been successful in poverty … Continue reading More tariffs on Vietnam would be great news for China

Italy and the Belt and Road Initiative

03/11/201903/11/2019 Tridivesh Singh Maini Current Events, Politics Belt and Road Initiative, China, connectivity, cooperation, economic development, geopolitics, international relations, Italy, Michele Geraci, populism

There has been a growing scepticism with regard to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) project in many quarters, due to the lack of transparency with regards to terms and conditions as well as the economic implications for countries which are part of the project. A report published in April 2018 by the Center for … Continue reading Italy and the Belt and Road Initiative

The nature of the China-US-Vietnam economic triangle

03/03/201903/03/2019 Tridivesh Singh Maini Current Events, Politics ASEAN, China, diplomacy, economic development, economic growth, geopolitics, Indo-Pacific, strategy, transactionalism, United States, Vietnam

While addressing a joint press conference in Hanoi, after his summit with North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un, US President Donald Trump spoke not just about the Summit, but also the current state of US-China relations. Trump criticised his predecessors for not doing enough to address the trade imbalance with China, while also making the … Continue reading The nature of the China-US-Vietnam economic triangle

Southeast Asia, China, and Trumpian foreign policy in 2019

01/16/201901/16/2019 Tridivesh Singh Maini Current Events, Politics ASEAN, ASEAN Studies Centre, Belt and Road Initiative, China, diplomacy, hegemony, isolationism, Mahathir Mohammad, multilateralism, southeast Asia

A survey titled, ‘State of Southeast Asia: 2019’ conducted by the ASEAN Studies Centre (between November 18 and December 5, 2018 and released on January 7, 2019) at the think-tank Iseas-Yusof Ishak Institute came up with some interesting findings. The sample size of the survey was over 1,000 and consisted of policy makers, academics, business persons, and members of … Continue reading Southeast Asia, China, and Trumpian foreign policy in 2019

How the United States can woo Africa away from China

12/23/201812/23/2018 Tridivesh Singh Maini Current Events, Politics Africa, Belt and Road Initiative, China, debt, Indo-Pacific, John Bolton, multilateralism, United States

On December 13, 2018, US National Security Advisor John Bolton, while speaking at the Heritage Foundation, highlighted the key aims and objectives of ‘Prosper Africa,’ which shall probably be announced at a later date. The emphasis of this policy, according to Bolton, would be on countering China’s exploitative economics unleashed by the Belt and Road Initiative, … Continue reading How the United States can woo Africa away from China

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Spontaneous thoughts on a humble creed

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