Leaving aside the overblown rhetoric and repetitious structure of the document, the recently published UK strategic defence, security, and foreign policy review (SDSFR), Global Britain in a Competitive Age,1 is likely to encounter criticism from various quarters. This is perhaps not surprising as, having divorced itself from the EU via Brexit, the UK, now only...Read More

At the heart of Beijing’s Imperial City lies the sprawling palace complex of the Forbidden City.  Home to China’s celestial emperors, its heavenly grounds were off-limits to ordinary mortals. In modern-day Beijing, China’s leaders talk of the capital city’s future role in much more outward-oriented and earthly terms. They look not only to embrace other...Read More

The multi-award-winning British film, “Slumdog Millionaire”, fired up interest among British movie goers, about a decade ago, to explore the parallels between British and Indian societies in the twenty-first century. The film’s reality-based grittiness mixed in with the fairy-tale saga of a poor Mumbai orphan seeking fortune on an Indian TV gameshow – purposely reminiscent...Read More

The Biden administration has created a completely unnecessary confrontation with Russia at a time when reasonable working relations with Moscow are extremely important for achieving two immediate and key administration goals: rejoining the nuclear agreement with Iran, and a peace settlement in Afghanistan facilitating U.S. military withdrawal from that country and an end to America’s...Read More

Western analysts often contend that China’s rise threatens Russia’s status as a leading power, both within its traditional sphere of influence and on the wider world stage. These predictions cast doubt on the durability of any political alignment between Moscow and Beijing, reflecting the fraught nature of relations between the two countries throughout much of...Read More

The European Union (EU) and India held their first high-level dialogue (HLD) on February 5. The HLD arose out of the agenda set out during the 15th EU-India Leaders’ summit held in July 2020, which meets annually. While the HLD’s principal aim is to develop bilateral trade and investment ties, to be captained by top ministerial levels on...Read More

The British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, and Piyush Goyal, India’s Minister for Commerce and Industry released a joint statement today laying the groundwork for an ‘Enhanced Trade Partnership’ (ETP) following meetings held this past weekend in Delhi. READ THE FULL ARTICLE ON DEZAN SHIRA & ASSOCIATES.Read More

Relations between great powers have worsened in recent years, prompting High Representative Josep Borrell to assert that the European Union must learn to “use the language of power”. When it comes to the EU’s relations with Russia in particular, the need for such a language has become evident. Borrell’s trip this week to visit his counterpart Sergey...Read More

In recent years, the core foundations underpinning Canada’s foreign policy have shifted from being coherent to contradictory. As Joe Biden enters the Oval Office, Ottawa’s principal task will be to bring its foreign policy in line with a new international context shaped by great power competition. However, the imperative for Canada over the coming years...Read More

Although “business as usual” has not resumed between Brussels and Moscow since the conflict over Ukraine erupted into war in 2014, some have suggested that EU-Russia relations have gradually settled into a new normal. While EU unity continues to be maintained with respect to sanctions, Brussels appears at the same time to have adopted a...Read More