Trump’s humor is not very funny to the world’s liberal democracies

03/07/2018 Tridivesh Singh Maini Current Events, Politics China, Donald Trump, human rights, liberal world order, transactionalism, United States, Xi Jinping

The Chinese Communist Party, on February 25, 2018, made a significant announcement — that the two-term limit for Presidency will be abolished through an amendment to the constitution. This means that current President Xi Jinping will be President for life. This amendment was tabled on March 6, 2018 by the Communist Party during the two week National People’s Congress … Continue reading Trump’s humor is not very funny to the world’s liberal democracies

Vaccine Apartheid and Intellectual Property

05/06/202105/05/2021 Tridivesh Singh Maini Current Events Apartheid, COVID-19, factions, India, intellectual property, rent, rent capture, vaccines, World Trade Organization

Introduction In recent weeks there has been a growing clamor with regard to addressing the issue of vaccine ‘apartheid’, or the inequity in access to vaccines (as of April 2021, the more affluent countries, which account for less than 20% of the global population, had bought 60% of confirmed orders – well over 4.6 billion doses). African … Continue reading Vaccine Apartheid and Intellectual Property

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

Can Elizabeth Warren help turn the populist tide?

04/03/201804/03/2018 Tridivesh Singh Maini Current Events, Politics alliances, China, Donald Trump, Elizabeth Warren, geopolitics, human rights, India, international relations, North Korea, populism

During her recent visit to China, a Democratic Senator from Massachusetts, Elizabeth Warren (perceived by many as a potential Presidential Candidate of the Democratic Party in 2020), came down heavily on US President Donald Trump’s approach towards foreign policy, arguing that it lacks substance, is unpredictable, and does not pay much attention to liberal values and human … Continue reading Can Elizabeth Warren help turn the populist tide?

Is Trump turning the US into the Biggest Loser?

01/27/2018 Tridivesh Singh Maini Current Events Davos Summit, Donald Trump, geopolitics, globalization, isolationism, strategy, TPP, Trans-Pacific Partnership

US President Donald Trump has been quick to change his stance on complex issues like US relations with other countries, including China. Trump has also been unpredictable in his approach towards important multilateral organizations like the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and US ties with important allies in the Indo-Pacific, especially Japan and South Korea. The most recent … Continue reading Is Trump turning the US into the Biggest Loser?

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

Quad: The way ahead and the key challenges

03/05/201803/05/2018 Tridivesh Singh Maini Current Events, Politics Australia, geopolitics, globalization, India, Indo-Pacific, insularity, international relations, isolationism, Japan, Quad, Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, United States

The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (QSD) consisting of India, Australia, Japan, and the US has been pitching in favor of a ‘Free and Fair Indo-Pacific’ ever since the first meeting between representatives of member states in November 2017. Shinzo Abe, the current Prime Minister of Japan, actually proposed this arrangement about a decade ago. Diplomatic engagement … Continue reading Quad: The way ahead and the key challenges