Russia Ukraine War Trump Floats Sanctions After Russia's Largest Attack On Ukraine
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Hindustan Times
17 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
How the young in India perceive global politics
The return of the Donald Trump administration to the White House at the beginning of this year earmarked the inception of a more uncertain and unstable world order. In addition to this, certain unceasing challenges, such as the war in Europe, the crisis in West Asia, the rising spectre of terrorism in South Asia and most importantly, the growing assertiveness of China, raise further concerns about the state of international affairs. As India's role grows in the world, the aspirations of Indians to shape the global order have also been rising. Now in its fourth year, the Observer Research Foundation's Foreign Policy Survey 2024: Young India and the China Challenge attempts to bridge the gap between foreign policy and how policy decisions and challenges are perceived by the country's youth. An annual initiative, the survey of young Indians (18-35 years) collected data from 5,050 respondents spread across 19 cities in India in 11 languages, between July 22 and September 26, 2024. The findings of the survey are restricted to this period and do not capture major developments after that, particularly the impact of Donald Trump on the global order, the deterioration in India-Pakistan ties after the Pahalgam terror attack in April, and the subsequent Operation Sindoor. But the survey sheds light on public opinion on India's approach towards major foreign policy concerns. The overall support for India's foreign policy has increased consistently over the last four years, with 88% of respondents showing a positive perception this year. The central theme of this year's survey was to gauge the perception of China amongst India's youth. A higher 89% percentage consider border conflict with China as the biggest challenge for India, followed by cross-border terrorism (86%) and border conflict with Pakistan (85%). Even as China and India have resumed the process to achieve a thaw in ties, the trust deficit mires any prospect of a big breakthrough. The respondents who have expressed dissatisfaction with the bilateral relationship have also increased since last year's survey. Five years after the Galwan clashes, there are still concerns about China's rise, with many youth viewing it as a military threat and regarding the occupation of Tibet as a major impediment in the relationship (81%). China's presence in the neighbourhood is viewed with concern (73%) and there is increasing support for countering its presence. The youth also prioritises national security over economic partnerships (84%) and have shown support for imposing non-tariff barriers on China and cutting down on imports from the country. They also deem India's decision to stay out of Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative as beneficial to the country (79%). The importance of the Indian Ocean region in terms of its strategic vitality has also increased, with 33% support followed by South Asia and the Indo-Pacific region. This also explains the concern shown about China's growing presence in the maritime domain. India's Neighbourhood First policy is viewed favourably, particularly its development and connectivity initiatives. While Nepal (72%) is considered as the most trusted neighbour, followed by Bhutan and Sri Lanka, for Bangladesh, the level of trust has decreased since 2022. The distrust for Pakistan and Afghanistan also outweighed the trust reposed in these countries (81% and 46% respectively). While the level of distrust for Afghanistan has decreased since last year, for Pakistan, the changed norms of engagement in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor and a new low in ties can lead to more caution. There is also a growing appreciation for India's exercise of its strategic autonomy, vis-a-vis its ties with the Quad countries — the US, Australia and Japan and also its historical partner, Russia. The respondents expressed satisfaction with the US (86%) and also saw it as emerging as India's leading partner in the next 10 years. While this is a subset of the growing synergy in the bilateral relationship in the last few years, the impact of Trump 2.0 will reflect in the coming iterations of this annual survey. The respondents also urge India to side with the US in its rivalry with China (54%). The youth see a permanent status in the United Nations Security Council as an important goal for India while also endorsing a permanent invitee status for the country in the G7, to leverage the strong ties New Delhi has with the member countries. While the subsequent surveys will show how much the developments of the past few months have influenced people's perceptions, the China-Pakistan nexus and its impact on India's interests and the trajectory that the US-China ties take in the future have already been underlined as critical determinants of India's future foreign policy trajectory. Harsh V Pant is vice president, studies and foreign policy, and Shivam Shekhawat is junior fellow, Observer Research Foundation. The views expressed are personal
India.com
33 minutes ago
- India.com
North Korea supplies Russia with 12 million rounds of 152 mm shells: South Korea
Seoul: North Korea has continued to provide Russia with artillery shells to support its war against Ukraine, which amounts to more than 12 million rounds of 152 mm shells, according to South Korea's military intelligence authorities Sunday. North Korea is believed to have provided around 28,000 containers containing weapons and artillery shells to date, according to a report by the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) submitted to a lawmaker of the main opposition party. 'If calculated with 152 mm single shells, the number of supplied shells are presumed to have reached more than 12 million,' the DIA under the defence ministry said. Since October last year, North Korea has provided conventional weapons and around 13,000 troops to Russia to support Moscow's war efforts. North Korea is likely to send additional troops to Russia in July or August, Seoul's spy agency said in late June. Russia's media reported that the North will send 5,000 military construction workers and 1,000 sappers to Kursk to support reconstruction efforts. On June 26, after Russia's Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu visited Pyongyang and met North Korean leader Kim Jong-un early last week, Russian media reported that Pyongyang plans to send thousands of military construction workers to Russia's Kursk front line. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) also noted that North Korea has supported Russia by providing over 10 million artillery shells, missiles and long-range weapons, in exchange for economic cooperation and technical support from Moscow. North Korea's troop dispatch and weapons support have significantly contributed to Russia's war efforts, the NIS said, adding that Russia currently controls about 81 per cent of the four Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Luhansk. The NIS also said Ukrainian intelligence authorities are raising the possibility that Russia may launch an offensive between July and August. Regarding the then situation in the Middle East, the NIS had issued warnings of the potential for renewed conflict between Israel and Iran despite the ceasefire.
Economic Times
37 minutes ago
- Economic Times
RBI closely monitoring global crypto moves as India mulls policy paper
The Reserve Bank of India is closely monitoring global cryptocurrency developments, especially with Donald Trump's shift in stance. India is expected to release a paper on crypto soon, even as the RBI emphasizes the effectiveness of UPI for digital transactions. The central bank is also developing its own CBDC and has highlighted concerns about crypto's potential impact on financial stability. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) is keeping close watch on global cryptocurrency developments , governor Sanjay Malhotra told a parliamentary panel, people familiar with the matter told ET. Crypto has been resurgent since Donald Trump's turnaround from sceptic to champion. Besides Trump's own ventures in the sector, under his presidency, the US is setting up a bitcoin reserve and plans pro-crypto is expected to float a paper soon on crypto after getting a nod from the highest level of government, people familiar with the matter paper was a 'work in progress,' the governor told the lawmakers, according to one of the persons cited. Another person said Malhotra pointed out that cryptocurrencies were not needed in India with the Unified Payment Interface (UPI) working effectively for internal digital was appearing before the parliamentary standing committee on finance chaired by BJP MP Bhartruhari Mahtab, briefing members on the subject of 'RBI's evolving role in India's dynamic economy.' The central bank has in the past opposed crypto assets, flagging their misuse in money laundering and terror financing.'Of course, as you are aware, we are concerned about crypto because that can hamper financial stability and monetary policy,' Malhotra had said on June 6 while briefing reporters on the decisions of the Monetary Policy Committee. The RBI is also in the process of establishing its own Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) as a safer alternative. India imposes a 30% tax on gains from virtual digital assets even though it does not legally recognise them. It has also made it mandatory for crypto exchanges operating in the country to register with the Financial Intelligence a presentation before the panel, the RBI noted that India is poised to remain the fastest-growing major economy in FY26 while flagging downside risks from global financial market volatility and geopolitical tensions. It noted that these posed upside risks to the inflation rating agency S&P Global Ratings recently raised its forecast for India's gross domestic product (GDP) growth to 6.5% for FY26 from the previous 6.3% assuming a normal monsoon, the impact of income-tax concessions, lower crude oil prices and monetary easing. This projection is in line with the RBI's FY26 GDP forecast of 6.5%.Replying to a question on Rs 2,000 notes by a Congress MP, Malhotra said that these had not been made 'invalid' yet, but they are not in circulation and not being printed. In May 2023, the RBI had announced withdrawal of Rs 2,000 notes from circulation. They had been introduced in 2016 as part of the demonetisation exercise to curb black money.
