<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/45256163.cms" /> Soon after assuming power in May this year, <keyword id="71" type="POSITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Prime-Minister">Prime Minister</keyword> Narendra Modi and <keyword id="5263" type="POSITION" weightage="20" keywordseo="External-Affairs-Minister">External Affairs Minister</keyword> <keyword id="6355111" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sushma-Swaraj">Sushma Swaraj</keyword> made a flurry of visits to neighbouring countries—while Modi visited Bhutan, Nepal and Japan; Sushma Swaraj made trips to Bangladesh, Myanmar, Vietnam and Afghanistan, in addition to Bhutan and Nepal. This was a clear deviation from historical precedence where predecessors typically hurried to the US and the UK before trying to shake hands with close neighbours. While Modi eventually made hugely successful visits to the US and Australia, the initial trips underlined the Modi-led regime’s ‘Asia first’ policy. <br />
<br /> This has also given a new dimension the ‘look east’ policy, initiated by <keyword id="6358441" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narasimha-Rao">Narasimha Rao</keyword> in early 90s. Look east aims at strengthening ties with Southeast Asian countries in a bid to counter the increasing regional influence of China—strategically, militarily and economically. Renewed ties between India and Japan, amid similar ones with other SE Asian neighbours, are of significant importance; considering the heightened military manoeuvering China has been initiating of late.<br />
<br /> The one key aspect of Modi’s emerging <keyword id="44266" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Foreign-policy">foreign policy</keyword> approach is clear: re-establish close relationships with Asian neighbours to position India as a strong regional power, and leverage it to counter China’s burgeoning regional influence and economic/military acumen.<br />
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In fact, during his Japan visit he took the ‘look east’ policy a step ahead, turning it into ‘act Asia’ policy (as Sushma Swaraj put it recently) by trying to convert rhetoric into actionable steps. Aggressively marketing the ‘Make in India’ campaign and signing pacts leading to Japanese investments worth $35 billion over a five-year period reflected Modi’s resolve to translate foreign visits. Such visits used to be mere photo opportunities for many of his predecessors, but Modi translated it into initiatives that will enhance bilateral trade and help grow the domestic economy.  <br />
<br /> This was evident in his just-concluded Australia visit where he finalised Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement, which is expected to boost trade between the two countries; and Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement which will enable uranium export from Australia and provide a much-needed leg-up to India's power-generation capacity. Modi clarion call at the <keyword id="51196" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="G-20">G-20</keyword> meet at Brisbane for close cooperation in the fight against black money meant that trade talks are not entirely isolated from larger political issues back at home.<br />
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The fact that economic and trade agenda is at the core of Modi’s foreign policy was also evident when his government initiated the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to India. It is seen as a strategic move to tilt the relation with the bigger Asian neighbour economic growth.<br />
While China is keen to leverage from India’s strength as a big market, India is looking for significant Chinese investments to build infrastructure critical to long-term economic growth.<br />
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While Modi did not rush to the ‘big uncle’ US soon after assuming power, as many of his predecessors did, and despite the strained diplomatic relationship between India and US after the ill-treatment meted out to Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade, Modi sent a clear message that  India is serious about stronger engagement with the US. The decision to attract investment in India’s $250 billion defence sector, which will involve significant US partnership, underlined this.<br />
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The fact that despite a tight schedule Modi found time to meet his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu during his US visit reiterated the fact that Modi’s Middle East policy is going to be tilted towards Israel than the Arab countries. This also means that alliance with Israel in the field of defence, which grew significantly over the last two decades, is likely to be strengthened. Russia too is going to be a key ally in the field of defence besides space exploration and energy, including nuclear power.<br />
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Will Modi mend or break the strained India-Pakistan relationship is another key question. While he shared some camaraderie with Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif soon after assuming power, calling off secretary level talks over Pakistani envoy’s engagement with Kashmiri separatists means Modi can be unpredictable on this front.<br />
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Adding Modi’s call for deeper people-to-people alliance among BRICS countries at the recent summit in Brazil, one begins to get a glimpse of the would-be foreign policy perspective of Modi. He is mostly going to stress on closer ties with the US (Obama will visit India in January), Israel and Asian countries such as Japan and Russia(Putin will visit India next month), while positioning India as a counter-force to China and being cautious about how to go about dealing with Pakistan.<br />
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A Peek Into Modi’s Emerging Foreign Policy Perspective

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/43412227.cms" /><br />
<br /> When Prime Minister Narendra Modi begins his <keyword id="6354458" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="US">US</keyword> visit on September 25-26, it will be a high-activity period for both countries. Political analysts from both nations will be busy interpreting the body language of President <keyword id="15962" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Barack-Obama">Barack Obama</keyword> and Prime Minister Narendra Modi right from the moment they meet, shake hands, go for dinner and discuss trade and other relations between their respective nations.<br />
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In some ways, what Barack Obama’s victory meant to the US and most other parts of the world; India went through a similar pang of sorts while Narendra Modi led his party into a landslide victory in the highly charged poll-battle in India. A lot of other nations too, watched his pitched battle with great interest as Narendra Modi went to claim his chair, that of a Prime Minister of India.<br />
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From then on, Indians have been optimistic, and neighbouring nations such as Pakistan and China have somewhat a mixed reaction to his occupying the chair of Prime Minister. Because, in more ways than one, Modi has often shown he does not forget the past, and will tread firmly and carefully into the future with nations as his allies. He has demonstrated this time and again, in his barely 100 day administration.<br />
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His talks with China were warm, yet focused. His caution to Pakistan about violating the border, despite inviting their PM Nawaz Sharif over for his swearing in ceremony was a total trademark of a professional – who would mean business and only that. Friends who took advantage of his invitation would be dealt with a firm hand, was his message that was driven home.<br />
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Now, over the last few months, owing to a not-so-important diplomatic row involving immunity to an Indian diplomat, India and US have had a bittersweet relationship.<br />
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Issues have remained unresolved and government in India has changed since then. Today, when Modi prepares to visit the US, new premise for talks has been set. That is of trade and partnership. A successful forging of two economies will remain in focus at this point where two countries meet to discuss how they can go forward, together, and individually too.<br />
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When the leaders meet, one of the land of gold that’s mired in problems from all corners – both internal and external – and another leader from the emerging economy that is all set to secure its seat in the front row of world leaders, will the sparks fly? Albeit, may be.<br />
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Expectations are aplenty from this meet. In a way, this meet has more weight than the others owing to the fact that India did roll out a red carpet to the Chinese premier during his visit and promised to walk the path of progress together.<br />
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Now, this surely has got the US all jittery about this partnership. China alone has given much insecurity to the US that China and India together can double the effect in the coming days.<br />
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In that sense, what can the meeting pack for both Barack Obama and Modi? For starters, there would be trade discussions, defence and security partnership, topics of renewable energy will figure in the talks, along with the most important aspect – technology and intellectual property issues.<br />
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In his longest trip in the US ever, and even abroad, after assuming the chair of Prime Minister, Narendra Modi will deliver a speech at United Nations General Assembly. IT industry in particular is awaiting Modi to raise concerns over the immigration bill that will affect the prospects of the sector if passed in the current form. Modi is scheduled to meet 10 select CEOs during his visit.<br />
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Shale gas inputs is something India and US will be looking at, in the same direction since both countries have been mapped with generous quantities of the fuel, and can extract the same to reduce the dependency on other nations for fuel. Energy sector is looking forward to make some leverage from this meet for better pacts, memorandums and joint researches to initiate some eco-friendly measures to check global warming in the coming years.<br />
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Among regional issues, Afghan-Pakistan will probably take centre-stage. This apart, US has evinced interest in agriculture in India, along with food processing sector and cold chains. Industrial parks and economic zones, water related investments have caught the interest of US which would bring these issues into talks as far as working with India is concerned.<br />
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In more ways than one, there is both euphoria and indifference about this meet that has raised many expectations. Euphoria is among the Gurajati community that played a key role in Modi being catapulted to power; and the indifference is among other groups who claim to be secular and had opposed Modi’s PM candidature.<br />
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Either way, India Inc anticipates that during the meeting Modi will project the vibrant India that will turn into a lucrative business destination for the US. And for the US, India will probably be the destination, which will help fix former’s tattered economy.<br />


Bury The Hatchet, Talk Only Business: Will This Be Modi’s Mantra In US?

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/50465738.cms" /><br /> <keyword id="6357143" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="ISI">ISI</keyword>, the powerful intelligence agency of Pakistan is behind the recent attack on Pathankot air base in Punjab, says former top White House official Bruce Riedel. Riedel also said that the attack was done using a terrorist group that ISI had created 15 years ago. <br />
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Riedel has worked in the National Security Council of the White House and was among the few people who were present at the Bill Clinton-Nawaz Sharif meeting that happened in 1999 during the Kargil war. He stated that the attack was meant to prevent any friendly ties between India and Pakistan, which looked promising after the recent surprise visit that Indian PM Narendra Modi paid to Pakistan. <br />
 <br /> The article, which was written for the Daily Beast, stated that the <keyword id="3195242" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="Pathankot-attacks">Pathankot attacks</keyword> and the one the Indian Consulate in Mazar-e Sharif in northern Afghanistan was done via terror group Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM), a group that ISI created 15 years ago. Regarding the authenticity of his claims, he mentioned "well-informed press and other knowledgeable sources". <br />
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"Any diminution in tensions with India might risk the army's lock on its control of Pakistan's national security policy. The army continues to distinguish between 'good' terrorists like JEM and LET and 'bad' terrorists like the Pakistani Taliban, despite decades of lectures from American leaders," he said. <br />
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Riedel, who is a former CIA officer, further stated that because of Nawaz Sharif’s friendly nature towards India, the Pakistani army has long distrusted him. <br />
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"An army coup in 1999 sent him into exile in Saudi Arabia for a decade. His warm embrace of Modi on Christmas Day in his home in Lahore undoubtedly angered the generals," he said. <br />
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<a href="http://cdn.youthkiawaaz.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/04/pathankot-terror-attack-govt-response/pathankot-terror-attack-indian-army.jpg"><em>Image source</em></a><br />


Pathankot attacks done by ISI, claims former top White House official Bruce Riedel

<br />On August 16th, a day after India’s 71st Independence Day, Atal Bihari <keyword id="40921" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Vajpayee">Vajpayee</keyword>, the former Prime Minister, passed away in New Delhi at the age of 93. Vajpayee led the central government from 1998 to 2004, and till date is the only Indian Prime Minister from a party other than the Congress to complete a full term. The former <keyword id="14666" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="BJP">BJP</keyword> leader is set to be joined in this regard by current PM Narendra Modi, when the latter completes his term in May next year.<br /><br />Vajpayee has long been credited with moderating the BJP’s political position with his centrist <keyword id="35497" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="policies">policies</keyword> and socioeconomic reforms, thereby offering voters a viable national alternative to the Congress. A nine-time member of the Lok Sabha and two-time Rajya Sabha MP, he leaves a lasting legacy, and will be remembered for a slew of progressive and bold policies. Here are five of them:-<br /><br /><strong>Privatisation</strong><br /><br />Vajpayee made privatisation a key component of his economic agenda when he set up the disinvestment ministry in 1999. Over the course of his tenure as PM, he oversaw the divestment of government holdings in more than 30 non-strategic public-sector companies such as VSNL, Maruti, Hindustan Zinc and Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. What makes this policy all the more impressive is that Vajpayee had to overcome a considerable amount of opposition, not only from rival parties but from within his own Cabinet to implement it. <br /><br /><strong>Nuclearisation</strong><br /><br />In May 1998, a month after his government came to power, Vajpayee ordered the commencement of five nuclear tests in Rajasthan’s Pokhran district. The move, which signalled India’s nuclear ambitions, drew the ire of Western powers, but it also highlighted India’s ability to defend itself from its neighbour Pakistan, which was building its own nuclear capability at the time. He always maintained that India would not use nuclear weapons first, stating that they would never be “weapons of aggression”. <br /><br /><strong><keyword id="6354776" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Telecom">Telecom</keyword></strong><br /><br />Upon his death, Vajpayee was hailed as “the father of modern telecom in India” by leaders in the industry. Under his National Telecom policy, which was introduced in 1999, Vajpayee opened up the sector and implemented a number of structural reforms such as making mobile service providers offer services on a revenue share basis as opposed to a fixed-fee arrangement. This led to a reduction in call rates, a dramatic surge in mobile subscribers and encouraged competition among telecom operators. <br /><br /><strong>Roads and infrastructure</strong><br /><br />While Vajpayee was prime minister, he launched a number of massive infrastructure projects to develop India’s roads and railway network. His government approved and funded the operations of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, which completed the first phase of the Delhi Metro in 2006. He also championed the Golden Quadrilateral scheme, a project to link all four of India’s major urban centers - Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata - by highways. Most importantly, though, was his Pradhanmantri Gramin Sadak Yojna scheme to improve road connectivity in India’s rural regions. <br /><br /><strong><keyword id="45865" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indo-Pak">Indo-Pak</keyword> relations and Kargil</strong><br /><br />Vajpayee made a number of steps to cement ties with Pakistan, such as the establishment of the Delhi-Lahore bus service in February 1999. He took the bus to Lahore and met with Nawaz Sharif, who was the leader of Pakistan at the time. Their meeting culminated in the signing of the Lahore Treaty, which outlined the country’s plans to steer clear of nuclear warfare. The goodwill was shortlived, however. A full-scale war took place in Kargil the following June. In July 2001, Vajpayee pushed for a peace summit with his new Pakistani counterpart, Pervez Musharraf in Agra. An agreement never materialised over the course of the summit, but not for his lack of trying. <br />

Here are 5 policies that former Indian PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee will be remembered for

New Delhi, India on Thursday expressed scepticism over the efficacy of the conviction of Hafiz Saeed, the founder and patron of the banned terror outfit <keyword id="53557" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Lashkar-e-Taiba">Lashkar-e-Taiba</keyword> (LeT), by a Pakistani court ahead of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) plenary meeting.<br /><br />A Lahore anti-terrorism court on Wednesday sentenced Saeed, the mastermind of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, to five-and-a-half years jail and imposed a fine of Rs 15,000 on him in two cases related to terror funding. <br /><br />However, the combined 11 years of jail term in both the cases will run concurrently, thus reducing the sentence to only five and a half years.<br /><br />Top official sources told IANS on Thursday that the government views the conviction as a "part of a long pending international obligation of Pakistan to put an end to support for terrorism".<br /><br />However, the government has taken note of the fact that the decision has been made on the eve of the FATF plenary meeting. Hence the government is not sure about the "efficacy of this decision," a source said. <br /><br />"The Modi government will also watch whether Pakistan would take action against all other terrorist entities and individuals operating from territories under its control," the sources said.<br /><br />India for long has been asking Pakistan to bring perpetrators of cross-border terrorist attacks, including Mumbai and Pathankot, to justice expeditiously. <br /><br />"That also remains to be seen," sources said.<br />

26/11 mastermind Hafeez gets ₹15,000 fine and 5 and a half years in jail- India feels he is getting off lightly

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d361864454a395f4051b6a4-1732/ap18334640532789.jpg" border="0" alt="Trump Modi" data-mce-source="Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP Photo" data-mce-caption="President Donald Trump meets with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Friday, Nov. 30, 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina." /></div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>The Indian government on Monday rejected <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/who-is-donald-trump-bio-age-family-key-positions-2019-4">President Donald Trump's</a> claim that Prime Minister Narenda Modi had asked the president if he would like to help mediate a historic dispute with Pakistan.&#xa0;</li><li>During a meeting with Pakistan's prime minister in Washington, Trump said that Modi had asked him if he'd help resolve the Kashmir conflict.&#xa0;</li><li>Shortly thereafter, a spokesperson for the Indian government said, "no such request has been made" by Modi.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul><p>India's government on Monday rejected a claim from <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/who-is-donald-trump-bio-age-family-key-positions-2019-4">President Donald Trump</a> almost as soon as he made it.&#xa0;</p><p>While meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in the White House, Trump claimed Modi recently asked him if he would step in and work as mediator in resolving the Kashmir conflict.&#xa0;</p><p>"I was with Prime Minister Modi two weeks ago," Trump said. "He actually said, 'Would you like to be a mediator or abitrator?' I said, "Where?' He said, 'Kashmir.' Because this has been going on for many, many years."</p><p>&#xa0;</p><p>Not long after, <span>Indian external affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted that <a href="https://twitter.com/MEAIndia/status/1153371327371173895">"no such request has been made"</a> by Modi to Trump.</span></p><p><span>"We have seen @POTUS's remarks to the press that he is ready to mediate, if requested by India &amp; Pakistan, on Kashmir issue. No such request has been made by PM @narendramodi to US President," Kumar said.&#xa0;</span></p><p><em><strong>Read more:</strong> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-pakistan-kashmir-nuclear-weapons-climate-cooling-2019-2">If India and Pakistan have a 'limited' nuclear war, scientists say it could wreck Earth's climate and trigger global famine</a></em></p><p>Kumar went on to say, <span>"It has been India's consistent position&#xa0;that all outstanding issues with Pakistan are discussed only bilaterally. Any engagement with Pakistan would require an end to cross border terrorism. The Shimla Agreement &amp; the Lahore Declaration provide the basis to resolve all issues between India &amp; Pakistan bilaterally."</span></p><p>The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from INSIDER.</p><p>Kashmir, which is home to 18 million people, is one of the most disputed territories in the world and has been fought over by India and Pakistan since 1947. The region has been partioned, with India controlling roughly 45% of it and Pakistan controls 35%. China also seized portions of the territory via a war with India in 1962, and controls roughly 20% of the region.&#xa0;</p><p>The ongoing dispute over Kashmir continues to lead to violent and deadly clashes, which earlier this year raised concerns that India and Pakistan - two nuclear powers - <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-pakistan-kashmir-nuclear-weapons-climate-cooling-2019-2">were headed toward war.</a></p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>According to Trump, India's Prime Minister Modi "actually said, 'Would you like to be a mediator or arbitrator?' I said 'Where?' He said, 'Kashmir.'"<br><br>India's official spokesman just issued statement saying: "No such request has been made by Prime Minister to the US President." <a href="https://t.co/ivjhGwDHT2">pic.twitter.com/ivjhGwDHT2</a></br></br></p>- Manu Raju  (@mkraju) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1153381144861089793?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2019</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

Trump said India asked him to help mediate the Kashmir conflict with Pakistan. India quickly said that's not true.

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_left float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/584b4389a1a45e1a008b4e75-1532/ap00010701341.jpg" alt="donald trump phone" data-mce-source="Associated Press" data-mce-caption="Donald Trump uses the phone and puts his sock-covered feet on the table in his private plane as he flies to Minnesota" /><p class="source"><span>Associated Press</span></p><p class="caption">Donald Trump uses the phone and puts his sock-covered feet on the table in his private plane as he flies to Minnesota</p></div><p></p></div></div>President-elect Donald Trump has spoken to dozens of foreign leaders on the phone since he won the election.</p><p>The calls have been somewhat unorthodox.</p><p>Trump spoke with President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan last week, sparking an uproar considering it marked the first time a US president has directly spoken with Taiwan's leadership in more than 30 years.</p><p><a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/bremmer-trump-china-2016-12">Some experts worried</a> the move could strain US relations with China. The US suspended formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 1979 after establishing a One China position in an effort to establish diplomatic channels with Beijing.</p><p>Around the same time, Trump spoke to the leaders of Pakistan, Kazakhstan, and the Philippines, and those countries released readouts that were striking in their detail and candor.</p><p>Here's an overview of how Trump is shaking up diplomacy with his post-election interactions with foreign leaders.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57735bb25124c9536e3010bb-800" alt="Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen speaks during an interview in Luque, Paraguay, June 28, 2016. REUTERS/Jorge Adorno" data-mce-source="Thomson Reuters" data-mce-caption="Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen speaks during an interview in Luque" /><p class="source"><span>Thomson Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen speaks during an interview in Luque</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h2>Taiwan</h2><p>The call between Trump and Ing-wen was <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-taiwan-phone-call-planned-2016-12">reportedly months in the making</a>.</p><p>Ian Bremmer, a geopolitical expert and president of the Eurasia Group, said Beijing would be "absolutely incensed" about the call.</p><p>He noted that the call ignored protocol. The White House said it didn't know about the call until after it occurred.</p><p>"Trump is just taking all sorts of calls of congratulations and has ignored both protocol and intel briefings," Bremmer told Business Insider in an email last week. "This is his first serious misstep accordingly. We'll surely see more."</p><p>He continued: "Inconceivable the Chinese won't react harshly to this. This is a red line for them. And hard to imagine Trump saying 'no big deal' and not talking to the Taiwanese going forward. We are now stuck [with] escalation, and US-China relations under Trump get off to a particularly ugly start."</p><p>Beijing views Taiwan as a province of China, whereas Taiwan - which has its own democratically elected government - has a more complicated view of the nations' relationship.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/583224e4e02ba75c658b471a-2400/ap16324751846607.jpg" alt="Rodrigo Duterte Vladimir Putin Philippines Russia Asia" data-mce-source="Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP" data-mce-caption="Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, left, listens to Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Lima, Peru, November 19, 2016." /><p class="source"><span>Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP</span></p><p class="caption">Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, left, listens to Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Lima, Peru, November 19, 2016.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h2>Philippines</h2><p>Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, the notoriously foul-mouthed leader who <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/obama-asia-trip-2016-9">called President Barack Obama a "son of a whore"</a> earlier this year, also spoke to Trump.</p><p>The call came after Duterte <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-philippine-president-duterte-announces-separation-from-united-states-2016-10">announced his "separation" from the US</a> and declared his realignment with China. He also threatened to draw closer to Russia, a country Trump has also cozied up to.</p><p>Trump and Duterte spoke earlier this month by phone. At a UN Convention Against Corruption conference in Manila this week, <a href="https://youtu.be/nhz6M0bnpZ0?t=51m8s" target="_blank">Duterte shared</a> a profanity-laced version of their <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/r-us-wants-to-repair-bad-relations-with-the-philippines-duterte-2016-12" target="_blank">seven-minute conversation</a>, quoting Trump as saying the US and the Philippines "should fix our bad relations."</p><p>"It needs a lot of ... you know, you just said something good here, and you're doing great," Duterte quoted Trump as saying. "I know what you're ... you worry about Americans criticizing you. You're doing good, go ahead. I had this problem in the border of Mexico and America."</p><p>Duterte has a reputation for human-rights abuses and extrajudicial killings.</p><p>He also said Trump invited him to visit the US.</p><p>"Oh yes, when you come to Washington, DC, or New York City, look me up and I will have coffee," Deterte quoted Trump as saying. "Maybe you can give me a suggestion, one or two, how to solve this goddamn bulls---."</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/567d62c6e6183e26008b4ebd-1500" alt="Narendra Modi Nawaz Sharif India India Pakistan Prime Minister" data-mce-source="Press Information Department via AP" data-mce-caption="Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, right, meets Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in Lahore, Pakistan, Friday, Dec. 25, 2015." /><p class="source"><span>Press Information Department via AP</span></p><p class="caption">Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, right, meets Indian counterpart Narendra Modi in Lahore, Pakistan, Friday, Dec. 25, 2015.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h2>Pakistan</h2><p>Trump also had words of praise for Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.</p><p>Pakistan's government <a href="https://twitter.com/VeraMBergen/status/804025179332546560">released a detailed readout</a> of the call, saying Trump praised Sharif as a "terrific guy" and called Pakistanis "one of the most intelligent people."</p><p>Sharif apparently called Trump to congratulate him on winning the White House, and Trump responded by speaking approvingly of Sharif's "very good reputation."</p><p>"You are doing very good work which is visible in every way," Trump said to Sharif, according to the readout. "I am looking forward to [seeing] you soon."</p><p>Sharif and his family were <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/15/world/asia/nawaz-sharif-leaves-pakistan-panama-papers-scandal.html">caught in a corruption scandal</a> amid the release of the Panama Papers, and the embattled prime minister is facing <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/16/world/asia/pakistan-raheel-sharif-nawaz-sharif.html?rref=collection%2Ftimestopic%2FSharif%2C%20Nawaz&amp;action=click&amp;contentCollection=timestopics&amp;region=stream&amp;module=stream_unit&amp;version=latest&amp;contentPlacement=7&amp;pgtype=collection">increasing uncertainty</a> among the public about his rule.</p><p>Some also wondered what Trump's praise would mean for US relations with India, which has a tense relationship with Pakistan.</p><p>Alyssa Ayres, a senior fellow for India, Pakistan, and South Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations, said the Pakistani readout "a level of detail that you normally don't see." But she said that she recently returned from India and she doesn't "think anybody in India is seriously worrying about this."</p><p>"I've never seen a readout like that," Ayres told Business Insider. "Normally you agree on the counters of the readout in advance. I think you see the fact that Trump is carrying out this phone call diplomacy without coordinating with the State Department."</p><p>She said Hillary Clinton, the former US secretary of state and Democratic nominee for president, "would have been much more careful about that particular situation."</p><p>Ayres speculated that Trump, who has experience dealing with international businessmen, has gotten used to these kinds of interactions.</p><p>"I do think he probably having spent an entire career in international business and in property development and TV and entertainment, he's become accustomed to putting a really positive face forward and providing praise where needed," she said.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/57c911e45124c9b379a223b4-800" alt="Nursultan Nazarbayev, President of Kazakhstan waits to address attendees during the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. headquarters in New York, September 28, 2015.  REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz " data-mce-source="Thomson Reuters" data-mce-caption="Nazarbayev, President of Kazakhstan waits to address attendees during the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. headquarters in New York" /><p class="source"><span>Thomson Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Nazarbayev, President of Kazakhstan waits to address attendees during the 70th session of the United Nations General Assembly at the U.N. headquarters in New York</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><h2>Kazakhstan</h2><p>Trump also spoke to Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev, the former first secretary of the country's communist party.</p><p>Kazakhstan has become an increasingly authoritarian country, and Nazarbayev has been accused of restricting the press and rigging elections.</p><p>The Kazakh government's <a href="http://www.akorda.kz/en/events/international_community/phone_calls/telephone-conversation-with-the-united-states-president-elect-donald-trump">readout</a> of Nazarbayev's phone call with Trump mirrored Pakistan's in its detail, candor, and language.</p><p>"The US President-elect brought congratulations to the Head of State on the 25th anniversary of Kazakhstan's Independence," the press release said. "D.Trump stressed that under the leadership of Nursultan Nazarbayev our country over the years of Independence had achieved fantastic success that can be called a 'miracle.'"</p><p>The release also declared that Trump and Nazarbayev "declared determination of taking friendly Kazakhstan-American relations to a new level, including trade and economic partnership." Trump also reportedly expressed interest in arranging a meeting with Nazarbayev.</p>     <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-accuses-china-massive-theft-intellectual-property-unfair-taxing-tawian-2016-12">'They haven't played by the rules': Trump accuses China of 'massive theft of intellectual property' and unfairly taxing US companies</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="M5eDk1ODE6XZCg6djp1aBwNcY1UycwMz" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'M5eDk1ODE6XZCg6djp1aBwNcY1UycwMz',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

Trump has shaken up decades of diplomacy with 4 phone calls

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d362ec5454a39654331c178-2400/2019-07-22t172235z2062801097rc1ed8dc3630rtrmadp3usa-pakistan 1.jpg" border="0" alt="Imran Khan Donald Trump" data-mce-source="Jonathan Ernst / REUTERS" data-mce-caption="Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan listens while meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., July 22, 2019." /><p class="source"><span>Jonathan Ernst / REUTERS</span></p><p class="caption">Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan listens while meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S., July 22, 2019.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><ul class="summary-list"><li><strong>US President Donald Trump hosted Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan at the White House on Monday, where Trump said he could wipe Afghanistan off the face of the earth.</strong></li><li><strong>Trump offered to mediate between Pakistan and India in their long-standing conflict over the majority-Muslim territory of Kashmir, of which India controls the greater portion. Trump even said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked him to mediate, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-denies-trump-claim-modi-asked-for-help-kashmir-conflict-2019-7">which the Indian government denied.</a> </strong></li><li><strong>The 1972 Simla agreement emphasizes that Pakistan and India will solve disputes bilaterally, particularly the one over Kashmir, and upholds the division of Kashmiri territory.</strong></li><li><strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/">Visit Business Insider's home page for more stories. </a></strong></li></ul><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">During an Oval Office meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, US President Donald Trump offered to mediate in the long-simmering conflict between India and Pakistan over the territory of Kashmir. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">"If I can help, I would love to be a mediator," he said Monday afternoon, claiming that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had requested he do so.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While Khan expressed his concern that hostilities between India and Pakistan would escalate into a war and appeared to welcome Trump's offer to mediate, India's Ministry of External Affairs <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-denies-trump-claim-modi-asked-for-help-kashmir-conflict-2019-7?utm_source=copy-link&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=topbar&amp;utm_term=mobile">tweeted that Trump's claim simply wasn't true. </a></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">"</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">No such request has been made by PM @narendramodi to US President," </span><a href="https://twitter.com/MEAIndia/status/1153371327371173895"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Raveesh Kumar</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, the official spokesperson for India's Ministry of External Affairs tweeted, insisting all negotiations regarding India and Pakistan should be bilateral, </span><a href="https://peacemaker.un.org/sites/peacemaker.un.org/files/IN%20PK_990221_The%20Lahore%20Declaration.pdf"><span style="font-weight: 400;">citing the Lahore Declaration</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, the treaty signed between India and Pakistan in 1999 which outlines the two countries' commitment to resolving conflicts, including the one over Kashmir. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d3712a48d6642767e0788e2-966/kashmir map .png" border="0" alt="Kashmir map " data-mce-source="Google Maps" data-mce-caption="A map showing Kashmir and the countries that control it." /><p class="source"><span>Google Maps</span></p><p class="caption">A map showing Kashmir and the countries that control it.</p></div><p></p></div></div></span></p><p><span>Pakistan has been trying to remove itself from the 1972 <a href="https://mea.gov.in/in-focus-article.htm?19005/Simla+Agreement+July+2+1972">Simla Agreement,</a> which emphasizes a bilateral approach to solving conflicts and upholds the status quo in Kashmir, said </span>Joshua White, a professor <span>of the Practice of South Asia Studies at Johns Hopkins University. Since India controls more territory - 45% to Pakistan's 35% and China's 20% - "<span style="font-weight: 400;">India has every incentive to stall, and to keep third parties out," White said.</span></span></p><p><span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Trump's statement on Monday appears to walk back decades of US policy and created "a political relations coup for Pakistan" in one fell swoop by attributing a request from Modi that "it's almost certainly inconceivable that he said," White said. </span></span><span style="font-weight: 400;"> </span></p><p><span><span style="font-weight: 400;">While Trump may have simply been trying to please Khan, he will almost certainly make Modi's upcoming visit to the US an uncomfortable one, and may have unwittingly affected the partnership the US has with India against its powerful rival, China. </span></span></p><p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;"><strong>Read more</strong>: </span><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/10-most-dangerous-countries-in-the-world-2019-6">These are the 10 most dangerous countries in the world in 2019</a></em></p><p><span><span style="font-weight: 400;">"The strategic logic of the US-India partnership is still strong, but statements like this one made [Monday] raise serious questions in India about whether the US is a reliable partner," White said. "It probably further sows seeds of concern among Indian officials about what kind of partner the US will be in the future."</span></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The conflict over Kashmir, a majority-Muslim area divided into Indian and Pakistani territory, is deep and complex. </span><a href="https://www.nationalgeographic.com/culture/2019/03/kashmir-conflict-how-did-it-start/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Because Pakistan separated from India as an Islamic republic in 1947</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, Pakistan's understanding is that Kashmiris should be part of the same country as their co-religionists. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">In the intervening decades the conflict has become more complex as Pakistan has forged closer ties with China, India's great regional foe. Add to that </span><a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2019/03/08/are-nuclear-weapons-keeping-the-india-pakistan-crisis-from-escalating-or-making-it-more-dangerous/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">nuclear arsenals</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and Pakistan's ties to </span><a href="https://www.cfr.org/blog/pakistan-terrorism-and-meeting-trump"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Lakshar-e-Taib</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, the group the US holds responsible for the 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai, and the conflict only gets messier.</span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://twitter.com/ImranKhanPTI/status/1153644117378965506">Khan later tweeted</a> that he was "surprised" by India's reaction to Trump's offer to mediate. "<span>Generations of Kashmiris have suffered &amp; are suffering daily and need conflict resolution," he wrote.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The tension doesn't seem to be dying down between the two countries; just this year, India bombed Pakistan in retaliation for a terror attack in Kashmir that killed </span><a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2019/03/08/are-nuclear-weapons-keeping-the-india-pakistan-crisis-from-escalating-or-making-it-more-dangerous/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">at least 40 Indian paramilitary soldiers</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. </span><span style="font-weight: 400;"></span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Trump hasn't proven himself as a great negotiator in <keyword id="6356001" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="international">international</keyword> disputes, despite his best efforts to brand himself. Multiple summits with North Korea have failed to persuade North Korea to dismantle the nuclear arsenal its used to threaten US allies. Trump pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal without a backup plan, which has frayed ties to European allies and many observers say led to a tit-for-tat escalation between Iran and the West. And despite reassurances that peace talks in Afghanistan are going well, the US is still negotiating with the Taliban, a group that committed terror attacks against its own citizens and prevented women from going to school.</span></p>     <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-coast-guards-intercept-drug-smuggling-submarine-2019-7">Heart-pounding video shows a badass Coast Guardsman running down a narco-sub loaded with cocaine and pounding on the hatch</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/H9zPWgLK-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

Trump's casual offer to mediate the Kashmir dispute reveals a disastrous misunderstanding of the powder keg region

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/51968745.cms" />Numerous incidents have deterred peace talks between India and Pakistan. New Delhi has maintained that Islamabad has to bring people behind terror attacks on India soil to books to have a cordial relationship.<br />
<br />
Talking about India’s stand on Pakistan, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said that the government wants cordial relations with all its neighbours.<br />
<br />
But, Parrikar said Pakistan needs to do much more to build confidence.<br />
<br />
“Every time there is some forward movement, we have a setback in the form of a terror attack. I think the atmosphere needs to be enhanced. In principle, I want very good relations with Pakistan,” said Parrikar.<br />
<br />
“There are a few steps they (Pakistan) have taken…I hope they continue with the steps,” the defence minister said.<br />
<br />
The foreign secretary-level talks between the two countries, which were slated to be held in Islamabad earlier this year, were suspended after terrorist attacks on the Pathankot air base on January 1 by Pakistan-based militants. The 40-hour attack on the Indian air base left seven security personnel dead.<br />
<br />
“While India is going out of its way to build a conducive atmosphere for talks, incidents such as Pathankot make it very difficult for the government to carry on the engagement with Pakistan,” said an analyst.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, Parrikar said he was not a born anti-Pakistani and wanted situations to improve between the two nations.<br />
<br />
“(Pakistan PM) Sharif said that they want to stop terrorism from their land. I am not a born anti-Pakistan. Like we are building confidence bridges with the Chinese, slightly higher level may result into, we buy so many things from Pakistan, this may also result into a better (relations)…,” he said.<br />
<br />
He pointed out at the extraordinary gesture by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who made a surprise visit to Lahore to wish his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif on his birthday on December 25 last year.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, on not inviting Pakistan for the DefExpo in Goa, Parrikar said, “I don’t see a big issue in inviting or not inviting. There is no calibrated decision specifically taken in this regard.”<br />
<br />
<p>
	(<span>Anupama Airy is the </span>Founder and Editor of EnergyInfraPost.com and DefenceAviationPost.com. She can be reached at <a href="mailto:anupama.airy@gmail.com" target="_blank">anupama.airy@gmail.com</a>​, Twitter handle: @anupamaairy)</p>


We want good relations between India and Pakistan but the neighbour should show some forward movement: Parrikar

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/5297c1756bb3f7d34bcb0ddd-1200-924/pakistans-lieutenant-general-raheel-sharif.jpg" border="0" alt="Pakistan's Lieutenant-General Raheel Sharif" /><p class="source"> REUTERS/Qamar Perve</p><p class="caption"><keyword id="3001" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Pakistan">Pakistan</keyword>'s Lieutenant-General Raheel Sharif attends a military exercise in Khairpure Tamay Wali in Bahawalpur district November 4, 2013</p></div><p></p></div></div>ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Just after midnight in early October, Pakistani Prime Minister <a>Nawaz Sharif</a> and a coterie of his closest advisers met at his palatial <a>Lahore</a> home and made his toughest decision since coming to power - picking the new <a>army</a> chief.</p>
<p>The meeting took place only hours after <a>Pakistan</a>'s all-powerful <a>army</a> chief General <a>Ashfaq Kayani</a> suddenly announced he would retire in November, scotching rumors he was seeking to extend his tenure.</p>
<p>Sharif saw Kayani's departure as a chance to limit the sway of an institution that has ruled <a class="cite">Pakistan</a> for more than half its 66-year history.</p>
<p>He immediately sat down with his top aides to choose a successor, an insider with first-hand knowledge of the event told Reuters.</p>
<p>"We have to say 'no' to the Kayani doctrine," the insider quoted Sharif as saying at the meeting. "(Sharif) and the three others in the room all agreed that it was time to show the world that this was no longer <a class="cite">Kayani's army</a>."</p>
<p>Lieutenant-General <a class="cite">Raheel Sharif</a>, considered a rank outsider in the race for <a class="cite">army</a> chief, is due to take charge of the world's sixth-largest military in a ceremony on Friday.</p>
<p>The decision was announced on Wednesday, and came as a shock to those familiar with the country's politics.</p>
<p>Not only did Sharif choose to bypass Lieutenant-General <a class="cite">Haroon Aslam</a>, the most senior military officer after Kayani and thus his natural heir, but he also ignored Kayani's personal favorite, Lieutenant-General <a class="cite">Rashad Mahmood</a>.</p>
<p><a class="cite">Raheel Sharif</a>, 57, is known as a laid-back man with a fondness for cigars and an almost complete lack of political ambition.</p>
<p>His father, a retired major, ran one of the country's most exclusive country clubs in <a class="cite">Pakistan</a>'s cultural capital, <a class="cite">Lahore</a>, ensuring a connection with <a class="cite">Nawaz Sharif</a>, who has long been one of the most important members of the city's upper classes.</p>
<p>Most importantly, <a class="cite">Raheel Sharif</a>, who is no relation to the prime minister, has twice served under tribal affairs minister <a class="cite">Abdul Qadir Baloch</a>, a retired general and one of <a class="cite">Nawaz Sharif</a>'s closest confidants.</p>
<p>Baloch was at the <a class="cite">Lahore</a> meeting when <a class="cite">Raheel Sharif</a>'s name was finalized for the top job.</p>
<p>COMPROMISE</p>
<p>Sharif knew, however, that he could not entirely overrule Kayani, the quiet, chain-smoking general, who at one point was voted by <a class="cite">Forbes</a> magazine as the 28th most powerful man in the world.</p>
<p>Kayani had favored Mahmood for the post. So Sharif chose a compromise aimed at placating Kayani loyalists.</p>
<p>He appointed Mahmood chairman of the Joint Chiefs of <a class="cite">Staff Committee</a>, technically the country's highest military office but historically subservient to the <a class="cite">army</a> chief.</p>
<p><a class="cite">Raheel Sharif</a> will at times have to defer to Mahmood, his nominal boss, given his lack of experience in the intelligence service or the <a class="cite">Military Operations Directorate</a>, two traditionally powerful areas.</p>
<p>The decision to appoint a Kayani loyalist as joint chiefs chairman is a political concession that will make or break Sharif's term as the prime minister of the coup-plagued South Asian nation, retired military officers and analysts said.</p>
<p>It is an attempt to appease the generals while also allowing the balance of power in the country to swing toward the civilian government for the first time in more than a decade, said military affairs expert and author <a class="cite">Ahmed Rashid</a>.</p>
<p>"Politicians here have a tendency to think that lesser known generals are more manageable generals," he said. "Raheel (Sharif) has not been on the radar at all. He doesn't have a public persona in the way that the other front-runners do."</p>
<p>For a prime minister determined to wrest control of strategic and foreign policy from the <a class="cite">army</a>, appointing Mahmood, a man molded in Kayani's image, who would come to the job with his own ideas, would have been less than ideal.</p>
<p>As one retired air marshal said: "Appointing Mahmood would have meant another three years of Kayani's thinking. It was a no-brainer."</p>
<p>(Editing by Robert Birsel)</p>

The World 's Sixth Largest Military Just Got A New Leader

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d494e02100a240b58323c26-1366/kashmir%20india%20pakistan%20modi%20trump%20khan%201.jpg" border="0" alt="kashmir india pakistan modi trump khan" data-mce-source="Carlos Barria/Reuters; Leah Millis/Reuters; Jacquelyn Martin/AP" data-mce-caption="A composite image of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Donald Trump, and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan."><p class="source"><span>Carlos Barria/Reuters; Leah Millis/Reuters; Jacquelyn Martin/AP</span></p><p class="caption">A composite image of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Donald Trump, and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li><strong>Tensions over Kashmir, the border region between India and Pakistan, are at a boiling point after India on Monday changed its constitution to remove the region's quasi-independence.</strong></li><li><strong>Before the situation escalated, during a meeting with Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan two weeks ago, US President Donald Trump offered to mediate the conflict.</strong></li><li><strong>Joshua White, a South Asia expert, said at the time that Trump's actions "raise serious questions" about whether the US can be taken seriously in the region.</strong></li><li><strong>Khan on Monday called on Trump to make good on his offer. But the president has not responded, and the US State Department has been cautious to do no more than observe what is happening.</strong></li><li><strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</strong></li></ul><p>Fifteen days ago President Donald Trump, with characteristic ease, offered to personally help resolve the decades-long, often violent conflict between India and Pakistan over the disputed region of Kashmir.</p><p>"If I can help, I would love to be a mediator," Trump said during an Oval Office meeting&#xa0;with Imran Khan, the Prime Minister of Pakistan.</p><p>Trump also said that Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, had already asked him to help, though <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-denies-trump-claim-modi-asked-for-help-kashmir-conflict-2019-7">India has denied this</a>.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d47ffc1100a24450a167722-1200/kashmir%20jammu%20indian%20security.jpg" border="0" alt="kashmir jammu indian security" data-mce-source="Mukesh Gupta/Reuters" data-mce-caption="Indian security personnel guard a deserted street during restrictions in Jammu, on August 5, 2019."><p class="source"><span>Mukesh Gupta/Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Indian security personnel guard a deserted street during restrictions in Jammu on Monday.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p>This week, the situation in Kashmir came to a head. India revoked the region's quasi-autonomous status with a change to the national constitution.</p><p>It sent in thousands of troops, cut the internet for many people, ordered tourists to leave, and placed politicians there under house arrest.</p><p><em><strong>Read more:</strong> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kashmir-india-revoke-article-370-quasi-independence-internet-tourists-2019-8">India shut off the internet and ordered tourists to leave the hotly contested Kashmir region, in a risky bid to end its quasi-independence</a></em></p><p>With tensions at their worst in years, Khan suggested that Trump could make good on his offer to strike a deal and resolve the conflict.</p><p>But, with the stakes so high, the US has taken pains to keep out.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d493e4e100a246f344f3964-2400/2019-07-23t062048z1lynxnpef6m0azrtroptp4usa-india.jpg" border="0" alt="FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump (R) holds a joint news conference with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, U.S., June 26, 2017. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo" style="color: #000000;" data-mce-source="Reuters" data-mce-caption="FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Trump holds a joint news conference with Indian Prime Minister Modi  in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington"><p class="source"><span>Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Modi and Trump in the White House Rose Garden in June 2017.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p>The State Department on Monday issued a bland statement on developments in Kashmir.</p><p>It said repeatedly that US authorities simply "note" the developments in the area, but neither offered a solution nor repeated the president's offer.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d494c2f100a24179062faf7-1200/imran%20khan%20pakistan%20trump.jpg" border="0" alt="imran khan pakistan trump" style="color: #000000;" data-mce-source="Alex Brandon/AP" data-mce-caption="Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office on July 22, 2019."><p class="source"><span>Alex Brandon/AP</span></p><p class="caption">Khan and Trump in the Oval Office on July 22, 2019.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p>The Kashmir flare-up came as the US was consumed with domestic <keyword id="6358883" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="politics">politics</keyword>, grappling with two major mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, over the weekend.</p><h2>India tells Trump to clear out, as Pakistan asks him to wade in</h2><p>India has continually stressed that Kashmir is a regional affair that doesn't concern the US. Meanwhile, Pakistan has appeared keen for Trump to enter the fight.</p><p>Khan, Pakistan's prime minister, tweeted on Sunday as Indian troops moved into Kashmir: "President Trump offered to mediate on Kashmir. This is the time to do so."</p><p>Khan is meeting with his country's parliament on Tuesday to discuss the situation.</p><p>After Trump offered to arbitrate on Kashmir the Oval Office, Khan said: "Right now, you would have the prayers of over a billion people if you can mediate," according to the White House pool report.</p><p>Shortly afterward, Indian foreign ministry spokesman Raveesh Kumar <a href="https://twitter.com/MEAIndia/status/1153371327371173895">tweeted</a>: "It has been India's consistent position that all outstanding issues with Pakistan are discussed only bilaterally."</p><p><em><strong>Read more:</strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/border-between-india-and-pakistan-2019-7"><span>&#xa0;</span>Here's what life is like on the border between India and Pakistan, one of the world's most disputed regions</a></em></p><p>"The Shimla Agreement &amp; the Lahore Declaration provide the basis to resolve all issues between India &amp; Pakistan bilaterally," he added, referring to two treaties that emphasize a bilateral approach to solving conflicts over Kashmir.</p><p>Pakistan has been trying to extract itself from the Shimla Agreement, Joshua White, a South Asia expert at Johns Hopkins University, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-negotiate-in-kashmir-pakistan-india-2019-7">told Business Insider's Ellen Ioanes</a> last month.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table click-to-enlarge"><div><div class="image on-image"><a title_source="Google Maps" title_caption="A map showing Kashmir and the countries that control it." class="zoomin" href="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d37129d100a243eac5f4a02-960/kashmir%20map%20.png"><span class="sprites click-to-enlarge-icon" title="Click to enlarge"></span><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d37129d100a243eac5f4a02-1103/kashmir%20map%20.png" border="0" alt="Kashmir map " style="color: #000000;" data-mce-source="Google Maps" data-mce-caption="A map showing Kashmir and the countries that control it." /></a><p class="source"><span>Google Maps</span></p><p class="caption">A map showing Kashmir and the countries that control it.</p></div><p></p></div></div><h2>'India has every incentive to stall and to keep third parties out'</h2><p>Though Washington has good relations with both New Delhi and Islamabad, "India has every incentive to stall and to keep third parties out," White said.</p><p>This is because India controls more territory in Kashmir - 45% to Pakistan's 35% and China's 20%, White said. It suggests that India thinks it has more leverage in negotiations over Kashmir.</p><p>"The strategic logic of the US-India partnership is still strong, but statements like this one made raise serious questions in India about whether the US is a reliable partner," White said.</p><p>"It probably further sows seeds of concern among Indian officials about what kind of partner the US will be in the future."</p><p><em><strong>Read more:</strong> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-negotiate-in-kashmir-pakistan-india-2019-7">Trump's casual offer to mediate the Kashmir dispute reveals a disastrous misunderstanding of the powder-keg region</a></em></p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d4961fa100a2419cd07aa86-1500/imran%20khan.jpg" border="0" alt="Imran Khan" data-mce-source="REUTERS/Caren Firouz" data-mce-caption="Imran Khan, chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) political party, speaks with a Reuters correspondent during an interview at his home in the hills of Bani Gala on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan July 29, 2017."><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Caren Firouz</span></p><p class="caption">Khan in Islamabad in July 2017.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p>Here's the State Department's full Monday statement on Kashmir, <a href="https://twitter.com/W7VOA/status/1158442085558734848/photo/1">via Voice of America</a>:</p><p style="padding-left: 40px;">"We are closely following the events in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. We take note of India's announcement revising the constitutional status of Jammu and Kashmir and India's plan to split the state into two union territories.</p><p style="padding-left: 40px;">"We note that the Indian government has described these actions as strictly an internal matter.</p><p style="padding-left: 40px;">"We are concerned about reports of detentions and urge respect fo individual rights and discussion with those in affected communities.</p><p style="padding-left: 40px;">"We call on all parties to maintain peace and stability along the Line of Control."</p><p>The UN on Monday also called on India and Pakistan to "exercise restraint."</p><p>"We are following with concern the tense situation in the region," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said, <a href="https://www.apnews.com/e2d4b15116ba46b68d2b43fc1b88220e">according to the AP</a>. "We're also aware of reports of restrictions on the Indian side of Kashmir, and we urge all parties to exercise restraint."</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>President Trump offered to mediate on Kashmir. This is the time to do so as situation deteriorates there and along the LOC with new aggressive actions being taken by Indian occupation forces. This has the potential to blow up into a regional crisis.</p>- Imran Khan  (@ImranKhanPTI) <a href="https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/1157963122981920768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 4, 2019</a></blockquote><script async="" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-el-chapo-joaquin-guzman-really-like-cartel-wives-2017-10">What El Chapo is really like, according to the wife of one his closest henchman</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/m2kCLxNU-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

2 weeks ago Trump casually offered to mediate the high-stakes Kashmir dispute between India and Pakistan. Now the situation is blowing up, he's nowhere to be seen.

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/573aa580dd0895b6278b46df-1063-797/ap_16137542108009.jpg" alt="Lion" data-mce-source="AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary" data-mce-caption="A lioness cools off by licking a slab of ice, during hot weather, at a zoo, in Lahore, Pakistan, Monday, May 16, 2016 . Many cities in Pakistan are facing heat wave conditions." /><p class="source"><span>AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary</span></p><p class="caption">A lioness cools off by licking a slab of ice, during hot weather, at a zoo, in Lahore, Pakistan, Monday, May 16, 2016 . Many cities in Pakistan are facing heat wave conditions.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Hello! Here's what you need to know on Tuesday.</p><p><strong>1</strong><strong>. <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/r-hong-kong-on-high-alert-for-chinese-visit-as-independence-calls-grow-2016-5">T<strong><span>housands of Hong Kong police have been mobilized to secure the city ahead of a visit <span>by Zhang Dejiang, the <span>first senior official to come since the 2014 Occupy democracy protests</span></span></span></strong></a>.</strong> Local media reported pavement bricks were being cemented to prevent them being used as missiles.</p><p><strong>2. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/17/world/americas/fort-mcmurray-canada-wildfire.html?hp&amp;action=click&amp;pgtype=Homepage&amp;clickSource=story-heading&amp;module=second-column-region&amp;region=top-news&amp;WT.nav=top-news">Around 600 Canadian oil workers were evacuated from Fort McMurrary in north Alberta after shifting winds turned a wildfire that's been raging for weeks back toward the work camps</a></strong>. More than 80,000 residents were evacuated from <span>Fort McMurray in early May.</span></p><p><strong>3</strong><strong>. <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/first-american-penis-transplant-2016-5">Doctors have performed the first penis transplant in the US on a 64-year-old cancer survivor</a>. </strong>"We're cautiously optimistic," Dr. Curtis L. Cetrulo, a leader of the surgical team, told The New York Times. "It's uncharted waters for us."</p><p><strong>4</strong><strong>. <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/berkshire-hathaway-stake-in-apple-2016-5">Warren Buffet's Berkshire Hathaway has disclosed a stake in Apple</a>. </strong>The company on Monday reported owning 9.81 million shares as of March 31. </p><p><strong>5. <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/r-donald-trump-says-unlikely-to-have-a-good-relationship-with-british-pm-cameron-2016-5"><span>US presidential candidate Donald Trump said <span>he is unlikely to have a good relationship with British Prime Minister David Cameron in an interview with <span>Britain's ITV television station</span></span></span></a></strong><a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/r-donald-trump-says-unlikely-to-have-a-good-relationship-with-british-pm-cameron-2016-5">.<strong> </strong></a>Cameron called Trump "divisive, stupid and wrong" for proposing a temporary ban on Muslims entering the US. </p><p><a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/r-colombian-farc-rebels-agree-to-let-minors-under-15-leave-ranks-2016-5"></a><span><strong>6. <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/r-apples-cook-to-visit-india-this-week-to-meet-modi-sources-2016-5">Apple CEO Tim Cook will visit India this week and meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi</a></strong>.<strong> </strong>Apple declined to provide details of Cook's schedule in India, his first official visit to the country as the head of the American technology company.</span></p><p><strong>7. <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/south-african-rand-crashing-finance-minister-arrested-2016-5">The South African rand crashed on Monday after reports that the finance minister might be arrested</a> </strong>over "alleged irregularities at the nation's revenue service," according to Bloomberg.</p><p><span></span><strong>8. <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/mexican-judge-approves-el-chapo-guzman-extradition-2016-5">A second Mexican judge has approved extradition of drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman to the United States</a><span>. </span></strong>The process still awaits approval of Mexico's foreign ministry and it can be appealed.</p><p><strong>9. <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/niger-delta-avengers-nigeria-oil-production-crash-2016-5">Nigeria has been dethroned as Africa's largest oil producer</a>.</strong> The country's oil production is now below that of Angola after various attacks on energy infrastructure by a new militant group called the Niger Delta Avengers, according to the BBC. </p><p><strong>10. <a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/harmony-of-the-seas-royal-caribbean-2016-5">The largest cruise ship ever build set sail over the weekend</a>. </strong>Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas is roughly the same length as five Boeing 747s placed end to end and cost $1 billion (£69 million).</p><p><a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/tiny-red-crabs-orange-county-beaches-2016-5"></a><strong>And finally ...</strong></p><p><strong><a href="http://uk.businessinsider.com/nasas-new-volcanic-ash-tracking-device-2016-5">NASA is developing a unique tracking technology that will cut flight cancellations and delays.</a></strong></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/red-flags-goldman-sachs-interviews-2016-5">This behavior could kill your chances in a Goldman Sachs interview</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="wxbjFnMzE6KLizh2hBTQSDvLOgNQGzpH" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'wxbjFnMzE6KLizh2hBTQSDvLOgNQGzpH',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

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