It is difficult to say whether President Mitterrand has been courageous or reckless in providing five Super Etendard warplanes to Iraq. The answer to this question will depend on what President Saddam Hussein finally does with them. If he uses these planes to attack Iran’s oil facilities on the Kharg … Read More
It is open to question whether, despite their best efforts, opposition parties will succeed in putting Centre-state relations among the top items on the country’s political agenda. For one thing, the issue appears to be too abstract to arouse popular passions. For another, it is not easy to offer a … Read More
It is easy to welcome the Union government’s decision to impose President’s rule in Punjab. Several arguments can readily be cited in its support. The state cabinet, headed by Mr. Darbara Singh, was as badly split as the Congress(I) legislature party; neither had shown the slightest inclination to close ranks … Read More
Mrs. Gandhi has made a valiant effort to project the non-aligned movement as a major force in international relations. No other third world leader could have done as well. For one thing, no other developing country is as well placed as India or enjoys as much prestige in the comity … Read More
In her address to the United Nations in her capacity as India’s Prime Minister and chairperson of the non-aligned movement, Mrs. Gandhi has raised a number of pertinent issues. The world is in dire straits. The second cold war between the two superpowers has become dangerously intense. The nuclear arms … Read More
It is truly extraordinary that Mrs. Gandhi should have sent a letter to Mr. Andropov through a CPI leader, Mr. Yogendra Sharma. Indeed, if Mr. Sharma had not personally confirmed that he had carried such a letter, we would have found a report to that effect incredible. It can be … Read More
The central leadership of the Congress (I) has at long last given its Maharashtra unit an executive committee. In the process it has provided an explanation for the delay. It was an extraordinary, almost herculean effort. The size of the committee – eight vice-presidents, seven general secretaries, seven joint secretaries, … Read More
There can now be no doubt that Pakistan faces a major crisis. We may indeed be witnessing the beginning of its disintegration for the second time. Any number of Pakistani leaders have predicted this dire consequence for the “land of the pure” in case the people in Punjab do not … Read More
It is not particularly surprising that Syed Mir Qasim has finally quit the Congress (I). He had been ill-at-ease in the party for quite a long time. Indeed, he had made no secret of his feeling that Mrs. Gandhi did not seek his advice even in respect of developments in … Read More
The debate in the country on the propriety or otherwise of Mrs. Gandhi’s statement on the current struggle for restoration of democracy in Pakistan shows that widespread confusion prevails on what India’s foreign policy is and should be. This is understandable on three counts. First, we are relatively new to … Read More
