BRIC
BRIC
Fair Observer provides analysis of important issues, events and trends in the emerging economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China.
-
360° Analysis / Asia-Pacific / Beijing / BRICS / Brinksmanship / DPRK / Fair Observer / North Korea / obama / Pyongyang / Seoul / South Korea / Wilson Chew / BRIC / Global Security / AsiaBy Wilson ChewChina’s cooperation in dealing with North Korea will likely be temporary and prudential. If North Korea is the hysterical child that Western news media — aided by the north’s own apocalyptic rhetoric — portrays it to be, then China is often cast as the doting grandparent, indulgent to a fault. In 2013, however, this indulgence appears to have come to an abrupt end. After North Korea proceeded with a nuclear test in February, despite China's pleas for restraint, the Chinese approved the UN-imposed sanctions passed in March, even helping to draft the resolution. Where this remarkable change in tack has been noted, it has been with optimism; though the basis for...
-
360° Analysis / Beijing / China / Depsang / India / India-China Border Dispute / Ladakh / Manmohan Singh / Mumbai / New Delhi / Nitin A. Gokhale / Politics / BRIC / Global Security / AsiaThe recent incursion by Chinese troops in Ladakh's Depsang area should serve as a timely reminder to India that timelines for infrastructure development along the Chinese frontier and plans to boost military capability, do not have the luxury of slippages. Almost exactly four years ago, the outgoing UPA-I government's Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) was meeting for the last time before the results of the 2009 general elections were to be announced. The sole item on the agenda: enhancing India's military preparedness against China. According to insiders present at that meeting, some of the members of the CCS wanted to leave the decision to the next government. But...
-
360° Analysis / Beijing / China / Chinese / Communist Party of China / Egypt / Eric Lowe / Fair Observer / Politics / Taiwan / United States / Xi Jingping / BRIC / AsiaBy Eric LoweReforms in judiciary and governance to stamp out corruption and abuse of power are long overdue in China. The question, however, is how far and how fast they would be achieved under the new Chinese leadership. Historically speaking, China has problems with the law. The older generation does not see laws as rights but rather as rules that are thrust upon them, to be obeyed without question. Chinese proverbs such as “the one who creates the law dies by the law” or “turbulent times demand harsh laws” make laws sound negative but necessary without any notion of justice. It was the wise judges who interpreted the laws that were praised in literature and folklore instead...
-
Afghanistan / India / Islamabad / Manmohan Singh / Mumbai / New Delhi / Pakistan / Politics / Prakhar Shama / South Asia / The Economist / Focus Article / BRIC / AsiaIndia needs to make structural, ideological and strategic transformations to assume a greater role in the world. Any astute observer of India’s strategy in South Asia would infer that the country is not only passive in its approach, but it also continues to punch below its weight. The sight of a regional power resigning to the unfortunate turn of events rather than taking charge in its own backyard is somewhat baffling. This dichotomy – between increased economic profile and global stature, and a disconcerting reluctance to understand and exert its power – is apparent most notably in Afghanistan. Despite having invested 2 billion dollars and being the sixth largest...
-
360° Analysis / China Press Freedom / Hu Jintao / Karl Marx / Politics / Professor Zhan Jiang / BRIC / Arts & Culture / AsiaBy Zhan JiangChina’s idea of the free press differs from the Western idea of an independent fourth column. Professor Zhan Jiang looks at how a Marxist model of press freedom can be developed under the existing system. During and after the 18th Party Congress, party and state leaders restated that China should be ruled by law and governed according to the Constitution. They also said that the supervision of power should be tightened, including oversight through public opinion by news media. “Four Rights” The 17th Party Congress report of 2007, mentioned citizens’ “Four Rights” — the rights to stay informed about, participate in, express views on, and oversee...
-
1950 / 360° Analysis / Atal Bihari Vajpayee / Chinese incursions / Chinese military / Chinese troop / Communist China / Indian Army / Indo-China / Ladakh / Manmohan Singh / Nehru / Northern India / People’s Liberation Army / Politics / Salman Khurshid’s / war in 1962 / BRIC / Global Security / AsiaBy Mayank SinghWith the recent incursion of PLA soldiers inside Indian territory, Mayank Singh argues that the bilateral trade agreement with China needs to be made an instrument to resist Chinese aggression. “Not a blade of grass grows there,” proclaimed Jawaharlal Nehru in 1959, while referring to the Chinese incursion in Aksai Chin in the Ladakh region of Northern India. Nehru was then at the peak of his popularity. Therefore, the few dissenting voices who contested Nehru’s myopic view of Indo-China relations and sought to know the truth behind the Chinese incursions, received this self deceptive reply. Emboldened by the craven policies of a leader warped in the...
-
1962 war / 360° Analysis / Beijing / Chinese military / economy / India-China War / Indian Army / Manmohan Singh Chinese troops / Mulayam Singh Yadav / Nisar Ahmed / Nitin A. Gokhale / Politics / Salman Khurshid / BRIC / Global Security / AsiaThe longer the India-China border face-off persists, the worse it will for the Indian government since the perception that New Delhi is unable to deal with Beijing’s bullying tactics will only get reinforced with time. For Nisar Ahmed, the sudden arrival of television crews into Leh, Ladakh’s capital, last week was disconcerting. As a top hotelier, he was sprucing up his two properties to get ready for domestic tourists who start flocking in droves to this high altitude desert. But last week he also had a small worry. A border incident in which Chinese troops had entered 19 km deep in the Indian Territory and stayed put, created quite an international stir. For Ahmed,...
-
360° Analysis / cyber attacks / Lenta.ru / Politics / Russia Internet / Svetlana Bocharova / Europe / BRIC / Arts & CultureBy Lenta.ru -By Svetlana Bocharova As the Russian Internet is actively moving from the periphery to the avant-garde of socio-political life, the government brands it “the main threat to the wellbeing and stability” of Russia. Analysts from the human rights group Agora have released a new report about Internet freedom in Russia. The full text of the document can be found on the site eLiberator. According to the head of Agora, Pavel Chichikov (who also curates the topic of internet freedom in the Presidential Council on Human Rights), the project was designed to monitor violations by the government and consult Internet users and sources. The number of Internet freedom violations is growing...
-
360° Analysis / austerity / Cyprus / Cyprus bail out / ECB / JOHN SYDNEY HOPKINS / Mario Draghi / Michalis Sarris / Europe / Finance & Economics / BRICWith the great amount of debate, chatter, and serious analysis about the EU’s financial rescue of Cyprus from insolvency and potential departure from the euro zone, many wonder if the EU policy emerging from the Cypriot “bail out” will have a lasting impact on the political and economic integration of Europe. In my view, the European Union’s (EU) rescue of Cyprus will be seen as a milestone event, and will have a lasting impact on the EU’s ability to manage the process of European integration and the future integrity of the euro zone for key reasons. Loss of Credibility The EU leadership has suffered another loss of credibility. The fragility of the Cypriot...