India and South Asia: July 2017 Dossier

Policy Study

The July 2017 Dossier highlights a range of domestic and foreign policy developments in India as well as in the wider region. These include an analysis of the current dramatic political turn-around in Bihar, the difficulties the opposition will be facing in the 2019 elections, a possible change in the role of Rahul Gandhi and the terrorist attack on the Amarnath Yatra. The dossier also focuses on the strategic partnership, that was signed between India and Israel during Modi’s first ever visit to Tel Aviv, and the upcoming visit of external affairs minister Swaraj to Nepal for a BIMSTEC meeting.

Part I  India – Domestic developments

•        Bihar: A dramatic shift of political power
•        Difficult Times ahead for the Opposition

·Speculations about the role of Rahul Gandhi

•        LeT – attack on the Amarnath Yatra

Part II  India – Foreign Policy DevelopmentS

·     Modi’s first Tel Aviv moment

Part III South Asia                      

·     Swaraj to attend BIMSTEC meeting

Part IV Press Articles on major domestic and foreign policy issues

As always, a number of complementary articles provide the reader with a much wider and deeper understanding of the politics in India, South Asia and across the wider region, through an Indian-centred perspective.

The Bhutan Stand-Off Is an Opportunity, Not a Threat

Prem Shankar Jha

The Wire, July 10, 2017

• G-20 and crumbling world order

Shyam Saran

Business Standard, July 11, 2017

• What next in the India-China standoff?

Srikanth Kondapalli

Rediff.com, July 14, 2017

• Next Door Nepal: Non-alignment in Kathmandu

Yubaraj Ghimire

The Indian Express, July 17, 2017

• Malabar 2017: Was China the elephant in the ocean?

C. Uday Bhaskar

South Asia Monitor, July 18, 2017

• Doklam, Gipmochi, Gyemochen: It’s Hard Making Cartographic Sense of a Geopolitical Quagmire

Manoj Joshi

The Wire, July 20, 2017

• Modi Has Squandered Goodwill He Won In Nepal

Mani Shankar Aiyar

NDTV, July 20, 2017

• Is a China-Centric World Inevitable?

Shyam Saran

The Wire, July 22, 2017

• Can India stare down the dragon?

K. C. Singh

Deccan Chronicle, July 24, 2017

• Why India must stand firm against ‘China’s psychological warfare’ on the Doklam plateau stand-off

Kanwal Sibal

Daily Mail, July 24, 2017