C. Raja Mohan
C. Raja Mohan is Director, Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore, and contributing editor on foreign affairs for ‘The Indian Express’.
Articles By C. Raja Mohan
Raja Mandala: A more equal friendship
India must recast relations with Nepal on basis of geographic and cultural interdependence, sovereign equality and mutual benefit.
India needs to pay close attention to deepening of Nepal-China cooperation
Nepal’s northern border with China is entirely with Tibet, and Beijing sees security cooperation with Kathmandu as critical in controlling the movement of people across this frontier.
Xi arrives in Kathmandu to forge a bold new chapter, pitch trans-Himalayan corridor
The question of Beijing’s support for Islamabad on Kashmir may have dominated India’s recent discourse on China.
With China, India must recognise power imbalance, liberate itself from prolonged illusions, false hopes
Delhi’s overestimation of its leverage with Beijing in the triangular relationship with Washington has unfortunately meant India often chose to voluntarily limit its partnership with the US and its allies.
Techno-Politics: Focus on China’s facial recognition technologies
Over the last couple of years, technology issues have emerged at the front and centre of the deepening Sino-US trade tensions.
Delhi might want to add another geography for its diplomatic lexicon — the Vanilla Islands
Vice-President Naidu’s visit to the Indian Ocean islands should be a moment for Delhi to launch economic, defence cooperation with the littoral.
India must reflect frankly upon China’s extraordinary transformation
China is not the first country to move from underdeveloped to developed status. It is the first country to compress that journey into just four decades.
Raja Mandala: India and the US need to address the vexed issues in trade
India and the US need to address the vexed issues in trade. This will prepare New Delhi for profound changes in global economic order
The Howdy moment: Modi government ought to recognise that diaspora diplomacy is double-edged
Modi must also underline that the main purpose of India’s diaspora engagement in America is about elevating the strategic partnership with the US to a higher level.
Raja Mandala: Myth of religious solidarity
Reactions of several Muslim countries to India’s decision on Kashmir shows that political and economic interest bind nations — not ideologies.
Raja Mandala: Can General Bajwa do what General Musharraf could not? Establish relations with Israel
Realists in Islamabad are arguing for diplomatic relations with Israel. This is part of a new urgency to revamp the country’s foreign policy.
Raja Mandala: New Delhi’s diplomacy indicates its willingness for more productive engagement with Brussels
That no prime minister has visited Hungary since Rajiv Gandhi in 1988 and Poland since Morarji Desai in 1979, underlines India’s strategic neglect of Central Europe all these decades. As the region’s weight grows within Europe, Eurasia and the world, Jaishankar’s visit has hopefully created the basis for a more productive engagement with the region.
Raja Mandala: Kashmir is not making world leaders lose sleep
Barring China, few major powers want to take advantage of India’s problems in Kashmir. Pakistan might whip itself into a frenzy about every word on Kashmir, but there is little reason for Delhi to be too excited
Old new friends
Why in a more uncertain world order, India and France are natural partners in building the new coalitions.
Raja Mandala: What India has to offer in the Gulf
Delhi should support the region’s reform agenda, deepen economic and security cooperation.
By reorganising Kashmir’s political status, Modi govt is addressing a colonial mess
India’s recent decision to revoke the special status of Kashmir is about the unfinished task of extending effective territorial sovereignty over lands it has claimed.
J&K and the world: India’s strategies for internal security, territorial defence and diplomacy will have to act in unison
India’s diplomatic response must be at multiple levels. One is the legal dimension. Realists might scoff at legal niceties. But legal arguments are important and Delhi must present a solid legal brief about its actions, since there is little international understanding of the complex historical evolution of Kashmir.
Possibilities in the Northwest
After altering J&K’s status, Delhi needs strategy to manage external environment
Raja Mandala: Great game in Africa
Rajnath Singh’s visit to Mozambique offers an opportunity for Delhi to review the progress made in implementing the Indian Ocean strategy.
Raja Mandala: The moon and the law
There is valuable real estate for space-faring nations on the lunar surface. But international law is still unclear on ownership in space.