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| 1 |
ID:
107815
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| 2 |
ID:
179361
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| Summary/Abstract |
For much of the Cold War period, China was highly sceptical of the concept of United Nations (UN) peacekeeping, viewing it as a thinly veiled disguise for imperialist interventions by the great powers. Further, Deng Xiaoping’s 24 character strategy which stressed on keeping a low profile had guided China’s foreign policy for over two decades. All this has changed under Xi Jinping, wherein UN peacekeeping was identified as a relatively low-risk vehicle to gain global prominence. Consequently, from total opposition to the role of UN itself, China has now transformed as a champion of UN peacekeeping. Today, China provides the 10th largest troop contribution and Beijing is the UN peacekeeping programme’s second largest funder, providing 15 percent of the program’s overall budget. In fact, China provides more personnel to peacekeeping operations than any other permanent member of the Security Council, and has almost twice as many as the other four permanent members combined. This has provided China with global acceptability, significant clout in Africa, and helps to foster China’s image as the leader of the developing world. However, the Chinese intensions are anything but benign. A ‘Wolf Warrior’ diplomacy is on the increase, the Chinese peacekeeping efforts are intertwined with Chinese economic interests, and the overall aim seems to expand Chinese influence across the world.
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| 3 |
ID:
172633
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As India was inching towards freedom, the idea of a Crown Colony for the hills of North East (NE) India germinated in the minds of the departing colonial rulers. This article outlines the secret proposal of a British-administrated Crown Colony and the circumstances prevailing in the remote borderlands of India at that point. This Crown Colony would have included all tribal areas of NE India as well as the contagious tribal areas of Burma. As such, most of the tribal areas of the NE, mainly the hills of the province of Assam, were classified as ‘Excluded’ or ‘Partially Excluded Areas’ and the British administrators, having developed an admiration for the tribal people due to their long association, were reluctant to put them under far-away Delhi. Therefore, a Crown Colony, like Singapore, Hong Kong, Aden or Gibraltar, on the eastern periphery of India, consisting of tribal areas from Indian and Burma, ruled by benign and tribal-loving British administrators, was achievable. The idea gained considerable traction in the British bureaucracy, from Delhi to Whitehall, and some support among the tribal people. The plan finally did not succeed but was a near miss. It would have significantly changed the map of India and Burma, and challenged the very idea of a diverse India. The article is a narration of this Crown Colony that never was.
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| 4 |
ID:
168113
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The Karmapa heads the 900 years old Karma Kagyu sect, popularly called the Black Hat sect of the Tibetan Buddhism. He has significant following in India, particularly in Sikkim, as also in Bhutan, China and the West. He is the only high-ranking Tibetan Lama formally recognised both by Dalai Lama and the Chinese. The article outlines the importance of Karmapa in the current political and spiritual hierarchy of Tibetans, the recent controversies surrounding him, and the causes for his reluctance to return to India. This needs to be viewed in light of the recent changes in Chinese policy under Xi Jinping wherein China is making substantial efforts to become the new benefactor of Buddhism, manipulating affiliations and successions all along the Sino-Indian border. China now terms Buddhism an ‘ancient Chinese religion’. Beijing has spent billions to revive the birthplace of Buddha, besides holding World Buddhist Forums since 2006. The role of Karmapa in countering the ‘Sinification’ of Buddhism cannot be overstated. Karmapa is an essential figure in the smooth succession of Dalai Lama and a very strong contender for a political successor of Dalai Lama, with implications on the Tibetan movement. Under these circumstances, it is imperative to get Karmapa back to India from United States (US) and seek his assistance in promoting Tibetan unity and be the next leader of Tibetan movement until the next incarnation of Dalai Lama attains adulthood. The article concludes that a Karmapa seat in exile in US shall be India’s loss, besides exposing him to Chinese stratagems. India, with its soft-power credentials, cannot lose the spiritual plot over the Himalayas to China.
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| 5 |
ID:
117211
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| 6 |
ID:
137775
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| 7 |
ID:
122039
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