Articles by Atul Bhardwaj

The right of “self-determination of the people” is a double-edged sword. It has been used by postcolonial nations to reclaim their territories and economy. The idea has also been exploited by the powerful countries to divide the world on ethnic and religious lines to advance their hegemony through humanitarian interventions.

Strategic projection of democratic credentials appears to be driven by the urge to reassert US hegemonic interests.

India’s overzealousness to launch its vaccine diplomacy programme was preposterous. The crisis manager in the ministry of external affairs may run from pillar to post to procure vaccines but that cannot repair the damage their policies have had on the country. India despite being called the pharmacy of the world has failed to deliver the much-needed doses to its own population. It is time that we paused and introspected as the excessive securitisation of our foreign policy and its obsession with China will only lead to spending more on defence when we actually need to focus on economic and health sectors.

As the ongoing negotiations bet­ween India and China fail to end the impasse in Ladakh, the de­ma­nd for New Delhi to play the “Tibet card” to force Beijing to disengage is gaining salience.

In the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, the Sino–American relations have hit a new low. Both the countries are engaged in a propaganda war against each other, which the United States seems to be winning. The US suffers from Sinophobia and has cultivated hate against Asian Americans, which is reminiscent of the anti-China sentiment that was prevalent in American cities in the late 19th century. The pandemic experience is likely to make the US more insular and reluctant to embrace foreigners